Syntax and Colours and Lions, Oh My!

A long overdue update from the past few weeks:

My final project is well underway and keeping me busy day and night. I think I should be able to post some images soon. Apart from the project, we've attended a few lectures that, while always educational, aren't always the most riveting of experiences. This was certainly true of a week long workshop given by Miguel Sousa from Adobe. 6 hours a day for 4 days we sat on uncomfortable stools taking in details of type development and production. Miguel did an excellent job and the experience was incredibly valuable, but unless you are someone who gets excited by command line programming (which I am not) you'd have been tired too. Here's proof:



Another exciting event that occurred about a month ago, centered around a trip to the studio of this designer:


For those of you who don't know him, Rick is a very important person in recent graphic design history, namely for being a founding member of this magazine and studio:


If you still aren't sure, maybe you'll recognize this well-known poster:



After a morning visit to his studio in Rotterdam, we had lunch, visited a Modernist architectural relic, then made the short walk over to this place:



That's right ladies and gentlemen: Studio Dumbar! Perhaps one of the most noteworthy studios in the world, they do work ranging from cultural clients like the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, the Dutch Police, and big time corporate clients like KPN. In my opinion, the diversity in clients and projects they take on is a big reason why they have been so successful. It seems strikingly rare that a studio's mandate is to work with both cultural and corporate clients. Not only that, they insist that each designer on staff MUST work in both sectors. Here is an example of why Dutch design is so highly regarded (sorry for the bad photos):


Keep in mind that these posters are for the Amsterdam Symphony. It's rare to see such vibrant and daring work done for a client that is so deeply rooted in history and tradition. I'm used to seeing the usual stuffy earth tones with some sort of nature motif applied to this kind of work. In my opinion, the need to move beyond conventions and expectations based on the way something has been portrayed in the past is a typically Dutch approach to Design. You don't have to go far to see other examples of this. In fact, the design of the cars and bikes for the Dutch Police (also by Studio Dumbar) are a perfect example of how daring they are with such conservative clients.

For more of their work, including what they did for the Dutch Police visit their website at studiodumbar.com

On a totally different (and considerably more recent) note, those crocuses that Grace documented a few weeks ago have spread like wildfire and now blanket this field in purple.


Since Grace's parents will be visiting in two weeks, I really hope this is a sign of things to come. Maybe that tree in the top right will even have some life on it. Maybe.

As seen in The Hague

Canadians!

As seen in The Hague

This is a bad photo, but I wanted to post it anyway. What you're looking at is basically the Dutch equivalent of a minivan. A Mama and Papa are each have a kinder on their bicycle. Mom has the baby strapped to her chest, and the Dad has a little seat at the handlebars for the toddler. We see this everyday, every time we leave the house.

What happens if they have more kids, you ask? Well, as you can see, the Mom has room for one more on the back of her bike, as would the father. Sometimes you see two little seats – one in front of the other – which would be the solution for twins. And of course, children get their own bike as soon as possible. There are also variations of a wagon-like bicycle which are handy for transporting numerous children and animals.

And what about helmets you ask? Well, we're in Holland, my friends.
Helmets are for tourists.

Nothing new

I haven't been doing a great job of posting lately, but there's just nothing really to report. Ross is busy with school, and I'm just working. I'm currently finishing a 400-page book about the importance of alliances – something I've come to learn as integral to the Dutch business model. This book should be quite a nice portfolio piece for a couple reasons. First of all, there are many diagrams and figures I had to complete by hand. This was a challenge because I'm not an illustrator, but I'm quite happy with how they were resolved. And secondly, I think this book looks better than it is because it's in anther language. When you're not distracted by how dry the text is, you just see the design.

The most complicated illustration required me to create an expressionless, simplified person that was neither a man or a woman that had both dreams and realizations at the same time. Why this was so hard for me, I'll never know, and when you see the result, neither will you. Every time I came up with something I was happy with my employer would say, "but that's a man." And back to the drawing board I went.

Here is a glimpse into my process:


And the chosen person in context:

Yup, it's a stick figure. Can you believe I even went to art school?

My valentijnsdag gift to Ross

As you can imagine, we've taken thousands of photos over the last six months. After awhile, they all start to look the same . . .

Hartelijk Gefeliciteerd!

Today is important for two reasons:

1. It's Ross' birthday! So far, he's done homework most of the day, but we're going out with his classmates for dinner and cake after. To say Happy Birthday in Dutch, you say Hartelijk Gefeliciteerd, which is actually congratulating the person whose birthday it is. So, congratulations Ross.

2. Today is our 6-month anniversary of arriving in the Netherlands. I can't believe it.

Valentijnsdag

Valentine's Day has come and gone for another year, and no, it is not a big deal in The Hague, despite what anyone may tell you. People kept telling me that it's getting to be a bigger deal each year, and although this may be true, it came and went without almost any mention.

A few people told me that they think it's commercial and foolish – exactly what I heard about Halloween. I guess I just love commercial holidays. They're fun.

This is what I got for Valentine's Day this year:


Yup, my name carved in stone!

See, when we decided to come to The Hague, I wanted Ross to name his typeface after me. He thought I was joking, but I wasn't. I really wanted a typeface named after me (and still do). I've come to terms with the fact this isn't going to happen this year, and this is his compensation.


In Ross' stone-carving class, they each had to pick one word to carve, and he chose my name. Isn't that romantic? Although I choose to believe it's his ultimate devotion that drove him to create this, it's worth noting that the letters g, r, a & e are some of the most formative letters of a typeface. So, maybe my name was a convenient choice.

Regardless, I love it. No one's ever carved my name in stone before.


What's so foolish and commercial about that?

Bookbinding Workshop Part 2

The second half of the bookbinding workshop took place Tuesday evening. By then all the glue from part one was dry, and we were ready to glue the block to the cases.

This stage of bookbinding is very fast, but is stressful because a lot can go wrong. You only really get one chance to correctly put the book into it's final resting place, so it's crucial to be precise to the millimeter.


I was quite impressed how well everyone did. There were no catastrophes.


Ross definitly got an A for effort. Not only that, he provided an excellent example of how much glue is "too much glue."




Everyone put a lot of consideration into their paper and cloth selection, so each ended up with a beautiful, personalized sketchbook.


It was definitly very fun for me to share my knowledge of bookbinding, and maybe it's something I'd like to teach again in the future? We'll see.

Ross' classmates all pitched in and surprised me with this book as a thank you. It's a comprehensive collection of the best Penguin covers.


It's not just a great resource, it's also really well printed.





A thoughtful gift & an excellent keepsake. (No relation to the author on the left.)

Bookbinding Workshop Part 1

Before Ross and I left Canada, I made him a sketchbook specifically designed for him to draw type in, with pages that alternate between grid and tracing paper. The intention was that he could make sketches on the grid, and then rework successful attempts on the tracing paper.

Some of his classmates expressed interest in this sketchbook and asked me if I'd show them how to make books. After some easy organization, an informal bookbinding workshop took place yesterday in the Type & Media studio.

There were nine of us all together, and despite some of them partying too much the night before, they were great students.


Even Ross learned how to made his first (and last?) book.


Bookbinding involves many precise steps, and it's something that definitly takes a lot of practice. I've never really taught anyone how to do it before, so this was a new experience for me, too. I had to think about and articulate steps and processes I usually just do.


The Italian gals, working and playing.


When you bookbind, intensity is measured in millimeters.


The second half of the workshop takes place tomorrow night, when we will glue the book block into the cases (the pages to the cover). Stay tune for the amazing results.

Bookbinding makes you so hungry. It's true. Focusing on millimeters takes a lot of energy. So after the workshop we got lunch to-go and took advantage of the 14° weather.



Crocuses (croci?) are blooming everywhere, and the birds are singing.
Spring has sprung in The Hague.



This winter was a piece of cake.

Book book!

My How to Make Books Book has arrived! And great timing, too. This weekend, I'm teaching a handful of Ross' classmates how to bind books.



This beautiful publication, made by Purgatory Pie Press features clear step by step instructions accompanied by helpful and delightful illustrations for making several different types of books.






I've been waiting for this book my whole life.
Isn't it nice?

Finally.

I tried herring today.

I know, I know, it's taken me almost six months to work up the nerve to take part in the typical Dutch tradition of snacking on these little fish, but I was unable to bring myself to try it on my own. Honestly, (and this is coming from someone who loves fish) it looks and smells disgusting.

Today my employers had some at lunch and offered for me to try one of those slimy little suckers. I didn't want to be rude, and I was really curious, but I think the real reason I tried was because I haven't had sushi in almost six months, and I was desperate to satisfy the craving.

Usually the Dutch tilt their heads back, hold the tail, and just lower the whole raw thing in. It kind of looks like they're just swallowing it whole. I don't know why they do it this way, but I'm convinced it has something to do with the smell, although I have absolutely nothing to base that assumption on. I didn't eat it this way. I put it on a wasa cracker. I didn't add onions, although I was offered some.

The first bite was good! So was the second. The third was alright, and the fourth wasn't bad. The fifth took a turn for the worse, and the sixth was pretty gross. The seventh, eighth and ninth were not enjoyable, and the last few were downright disgusting. The more I ate, the smaller my bites got, and the closer I kept getting to the tail. I found the tail disturbing. In fact, I'm kind of gagging right now just thinking about it.

So no, it did not satisfy that sushi craving.

Below is a herring stand in Rotterdam. It's hard to go far in Holland without running into one of these. They're kind of like Holland's equivalent to Tim Horton's. Holland loves it's herring, just like Canada loves it's Double-Doubles.


(gag)

Invasion of the Hatchback

I love a hatchback. France is kind of like the land of hatchbacks, and I think that's part of the reason I like it so much. Holland has it's fair share, as well. Imagine my delight when I looked out my window and realized the whole street was lined with them.

(Click on the image to view it larger. If you can handle it.)