November 2, 2009 In art, creativity, graphic design, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

Week 10: "52 Weeks of Peace"

What if you could just press a button? When things are a little out of control, messy, chaotic, loud. You’re climbing the walls. You just want a little peace. … Where’s that button when you need it? Search, search …where’s the darn thing … a-ha! you’ve found it. You press the bright, happy button. Presto! Calm instantly billows forth. Serenity lights your path. People of all ages are kind, gentle, compassionate.

It’s a fun idea.

But… maybe there IS a button – theoretically – inside each one of us, that we CAN press for peace. Inner peace. Which is where it all begins anyway. Maybe you can train you mind to obey your command of “be still”. Maybe you can create that light, just with thought. Focused, intentional thought. Maybe it’s worth a try. If it lasts only a few seconds, well that’s something, and a better place to go forward from.

peace_button

Note: Weekly peace images are displayed (as a unit) under the “52 Weeks of Peace” tab above, where there is also a more detailed description of the series.

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October 15, 2009 In communication, creativity, graphic design, presentation, typography By Patricia Saxton

12 Cool Fonts

In earlier posts I’ve shared “10 indispensable fonts” and “10 nice script fonts”. But now and then you need to add a little “edge” to your content. A sprinkle of sassiness, a dash of funk.

I think of the following 12 fonts as “specialty fonts” because you certainly don’t want to use them to typeset whole documents, but as accents, to insert some typographical “color” and make a special statement. Of course the grungier they are, the less they should be used for long passages. But in measured doses, they definitely add a coolness you don’t get with traditional fonts …and they’re so much fun you’ll find yourself determined to find a perfect place to fit them.

fontsamples.special

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October 4, 2009 In business, creativity, graphic design, presentation By Patricia Saxton

Stefan Sagmeister: The power of time off

Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a year-long sabbatical to refresh their creative outlook. He explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects inspired by his time in Bali.

His talk is insightful, enjoyable and worth watching – though for some reason the video wouldn’t embed, so here’s the link:

ssagmeister

Now, my thoughts:  In theory, it makes sense. But there’s that pesky element of economic feasibility and other practicalities / responsibilities.

I did take my own sabbatical at one time – 6 months in a beautiful place, devoted to pursuing other aspects of my creativity. It was a time when I felt I could do it, based on a relatively lesser amount of responsibility – ie;, no children yet. It was a fantastic gift, a treasured, productive time.

As downright appealing as it is, a sabbatical like this would be much more difficult to orchestrate now. And as such – for those who can’t up and go to Bali – it’s important to be able to find and nurture places of growth and inspiration right from where you are.

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September 16, 2009 In creativity, graphic design, typography By Patricia Saxton

10 Nice Script Fonts

Generally speaking, I’ve always found italic fonts a bit frustrating … the fluid nature one expects from “script” doesn’t always translate well as type  – the letters carry too much “sameness”, which has a tendency to then smother the feeling of a natural script, losing vibrancy and becoming dully predictable. This is certainly why there’s been an onslaught of “handwritten” script fonts in recent years – but I’ll get into those later.

For the time being, there remains a time and place for a nice, classic italic font, and while none of these made my  previous “10 Indispendable Fonts” list, they’re definitely worthy of note.

fontsamples_script

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