Category: Beautifully Briefed

Posts in this category summarize and/or link to interesting items across the Web, and may include more than one of the other categories Foreword writes about regularly.

  • Beautifully Briefed 23.2: Book Cover Portals, Lorem Ipsum, Favorite Fonts, and Building Photography

    Beautifully Briefed 23.2: Book Cover Portals, Lorem Ipsum, Favorite Fonts, and Building Photography

    Look out, look up, look forward, and look through in this edition of brief, link-filled goodness.

    “You May Now Enter”

    PRINT covers, uh, covers:

    While the book blob dominated the discourse for the last few years, we’ve recently identified another trend splashing its way across new releases: the recurring symbol of doorways, open windows, and mysterious portals.

    —Charlotte Beach and Chloe Gordon, PRINT

    A couple of the examples they cite:

    Not only a portal but a shelf. Cool.
    Not only a portal but also stairs. Nice.

    Unlike the blob, I’m in favor of this one — the hint of the unknown is appealing in a visceral way that offers more while simultaneously offering more sales by asking potential readers to speculate and, thus, engage. Nice call, PRINT.

    See more: Several of the covers on my Favorite Book Covers of 2022 follow this trend. (Some very enjoyable blobs, too.) Or, for another trend….

    Dummy Text?

    Here’s a question you’ve been absolutely asking yourself: what are the origins of the infamous Lorem Ipsum?

    The lack of placeholders on the shelf is remarkably appropriate. (Photo: Scott Keir.)

    Turns out it’s not as simple as Aldus [known as Adobe these days —Ed.] — or the even-more-infamous annonymous. Tim Carmody, the very capable guest chair at Kottke.org, fills it in: it’s Cicero. No kidding: Slate says so.

    De finibus, indeed.

    Fourteen Fonts to Follow

    Creative Boom, where having eyes on you is actually fun, celebrates “14 Fonts to Fall in Love With” for Valentine’s Day. While Foreword may be late to the party, a couple of the type choices are first rate:

    Irregardless1I absolutely want to steal their website design: the menu system is brilliant. and Pastiche, in order. (And no, I didn’t put those two together to be funny.) Read the article and pick your faves.

    Art of Building Photography

    I wasn’t aware of the Chartered Institute of Building, or their Art of Building photography contest:2Their terms are good, too — something remarkably rare in contests.

    “White Constellation,” by Francesca Pompei.

    Since architecture and photography very much intersect in my camera, brain, and work, I’m glad to have found this great source of inspiration:

    “House of God,” by Roman Robroek.
    “My own little cosmos within reach,” by Pati John.

    See many more, read some press coverage, and “celebrate the built environment,” as they put it. (Thanks to Archinect for the tip.)

    Then, go outside, find some nature, and celebrate spring. See you in March.

    • 1
      I absolutely want to steal their website design: the menu system is brilliant.
    • 2
      Their terms are good, too — something remarkably rare in contests.
  • Beautifully Briefed 23.1: Winter Potpourri

    Beautifully Briefed 23.1: Winter Potpourri

    From book design and minimalist photography to … well, book design and what absolutely isn’t minimalist photography, plus some street signs and another warning about Adobe. Let’s dig in.

    Book Design #1: People Really Do Judge a Book by its Cover

    From University College Cork — that’s Ireland, folks — we have something that, on the surface, seems obvious: a book cover “is the most likely factor to convince a person to read a book if they are unfamiliar with the work or its author.” Maria Butler, a PhD candidate in the School of English and Digital Humanities at UCC, reminds us why.

    Design by Kimberly Glyder.

    You’re reading Foreword, so you likely agree — and shown above is one of those worth-a-thousand-words images: the first of the 2023 titles I’ve set aside for my favorites of the year, and absolutely something good enough to make me pluck it off the shelf without knowing anything about either the title or author.

    Bonus: See 70 (!) more of my Favorite Book Covers of 2022.

    Book Design #2: Shift Happens

    A fantastic website has clicked our way: Shift Happens, for a book about keyboards.

    A screenshot from the Shift Happens website. Great stuff.

    This project not only scores with great web design — check the interactive version of the book, pictured above — but what also seems like great book design. It’s a Kickstarter project (or will be, next month), so the usual cautions apply, but I might just go ahead and take the leap.

    Couple of interesting book design items, by the way: the TOC is at the back, the endpapers are awesome, and the macro photography is tops. The book design reminds me of The Playmakers, still my favorite book design project ever.

    Bonus: Tim Walsh, author of The Playmakers, is still going strong. Nice.

    Photography #1: Minimalism

    The winners of the Minimalist Photography of 2022 awards are in, some are fantastic. Here are a couple of favorites, from the architecture category:

    “Prince Claus Bridge in the Netherlands,” by Arthur van Orden
    “Blue Window,” by Andrea Richey

    The Minimalist Photography Award is the only foundation that deals extensively and professionally with minimalist photography as a branch of photography in which the photographic artistic vision takes the lead.

    Milad Safabakhsh, President of Minimalist Photography Awards
    Photography #2: Wonders of Street View

    This is Colossal brings us another gem from Neal.Fun: the Wonders of Street View.

    “Wall Driver,” indeed.

    Direct quote, just because: “A man with three legs, a vintage car scaling a building, and an unsettling formation of people donning bird masks are a few of the scenarios highlighted in the terrifically bizarre Wonders of Street View.”

    I didn’t know it was a thing to dress up and pose for the Google cameras. Perfect.

    Street Sign Style Guide

    Speaking of street views, did you know there’s a style guide for highway signs? Would you believe that I’m a fan?

    Interestingly, there is an I-42/I-17 interchange in Phoenix, but this ain’t it: these signs are representational.

    As with most things government, there’s confusion, too many regulations, and yet it’s based around good ideas. Beautiful Public Data has a guide to the guide.

    Adobe Steps in it, Again

    From DPReview: “If you’re an Adobe Creative Cloud subscriber, you might want to go and turn off a new setting immediately. It’s been discovered that Adobe has automatically opted users into a ‘Content analysis’ program that allows Adobe to analyze your media files […] for use in its machine learning training programs.”

    It’s important to note that Adobe only uses the files saved in the “Creative Cloud,” something I don’t do as a matter of course, but even still, this is yet another example of Adobe using its monopoly position in the creative field to take advantage of its paying customers.

    Adobe, unsurprisingly, didn’t return DPReview’s request for a comment/clarification.

  • Beautifully Briefed, Holiday Edition (Late December, 2022): Nick Heer, Jason Kottke, Stealing Sheep, a Landscape Photograph, and Some Old Logos

    Beautifully Briefed, Holiday Edition (Late December, 2022): Nick Heer, Jason Kottke, Stealing Sheep, a Landscape Photograph, and Some Old Logos

    “The Bleak Cycle”

    I don’t usually think it’s fair to quote another blog post in its entirety, and I certainly won’t make a habit of it. With that out of the way, the always-interesting Pixel Envy, written by Nick Heer, hits us with a doozy — one that, due to its length and depth, requires the complete quote:

    The Bleak Cycle

    It’s a cycle. People create something, together, that reflects their energy and weird work; that thing becomes compelling as a result, and that makes it valuable, and at some point someone puts a price on it and someone else pays that price. It is at that moment that the thing begins to change. The new owner will almost always decide that what is most interesting about this thing is not the human essence that gave it value, but The Owner Himself, and will act accordingly. People will come back for the valuable stuff until the owner succeeds in crowding it out; when that crowding is done, the owned thing dies. Until then, what’s left is just what’s valuable—the humanity and brilliance and unpredictability and fun that all that cynical and idiotic and self-serving wealth is always and everywhere busy replacing with itself. There’s nothing to do but look for the good stuff until the looking becomes too challenging, or until it’s gone.

    David RothDefector

    Heer writes in response: “You may disagree with Roth’s headline thesis — ‘everything is Silicon Valley now’ — or his tie-in with the story du jour, Twitter, or his analysis of baseball’s problems. But the paragraph above? That is something to keep pinned in your brain. For most of us, it is a reminder to be wary of how things are changed in exploitative ways; for those in power, it should be seen as a cautionary pattern.”

    Pinned.

    Kottke is Back!

    After a few months off, Jason Kottke is back in the blogger’s seat to enrich all of our lives. As someone who’s been reading for years — he started in 1998, and I’m certain his site was in the blogroll of the old Foreword, back in the Aughts.

    Fine hypertext products indeed: Kottke.org, December, 2022.

    We might be waiting a while for his so-called “comically long what I did on sabbatical post,” but his Sabbatical Media Diet post is a gold mine of to-read and to-watch items.

    Welcome back, sir. May you blog for many seasons more.

    Stop Stealing [Free] Sheep

    No, not that — the type book:

    From Kottke, while we’re on the subject, one of his Quick Links from Dec 20th: “Google Fonts is offering a free download of the newly updated 4th edition of Erik Spiekermann’s Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works.” It’s a PDF, available now.

    9th Annual Landscape Photography Awards

    It’s fair criticism to say that I both decry photography contests and yet sometimes celebrate the results. But…:

    “The Winding Journey” by Max Rive, Border Between Chile And Argentina, Patagonia

    Wow. I couldn’t not highlight that photograph.

    Many more at the source. (Via DPReview.)

    Oldest Logos Still in Use

    Image Relay has an interesting item showing how long some familiar logos have been used — and, yeah, there’s a reason they’re familiar!

    The black triangle is when the company was founded, and the bar indicates how long a logo with elements still used today has been around.

    That’s but a sample of the complete listing; shown are nos. 3–8. Coca-Cola, the company I’d probably name if asked for the oldest logo, is no. 12. Click through for the rest.

    That’s it for this year

    Foreword will be back in January with our annual first-of-the-year best-of: my favorite book covers of 2022. Happy holidays, everyone!

    Top image: Tree Lights, December 2020, downtown Macon, Georgia.

  • Beautifully Briefed, Automotive Edition (December 2022): Audi, Lancia, Kia, and Mercedes-Benz

    Beautifully Briefed, Automotive Edition (December 2022): Audi, Lancia, Kia, and Mercedes-Benz

    This time, it’s three automotive logos . . . and Mercedes’ accounting department, plus a holiday bonus. Joy to the Auto!

    New Audi Logo Falls Flat

    Audi’s “Four Rings” have been around for a long time — since Auto Union was formed, ninety years ago:

    Now Audi follows the pack (see VW, Mini, Volvo, etc.) and converts their logo from three-dimensional to two; the rings now are either white and framed by a thin black border or dark grey with black borders.

    Four-ring closeup. (It’s hiding sensors, too.)

    Not an improvement, IMHO. One of the articles mentions the concept of “a consequence of digitalization,” and think that’s about as good a description as you’re gonna get.

    The change will roll out starting with the updated Q8 e-tron — which, thankfully, still looks good:

    Even better in Sportback form:

    Dezeen has the best coverage of Audi’s new logo, but see also Motor1 and CarScoops for more pictures.

    Lancia Debuts … a Mouse

    Okay, it’s not really — it’s a conceptual sculpture, titled “Pu+Ra Zero,” that represents their rebirth:

    They call it a “a three-dimensional manifesto,” and no, I don’t get it either. (The light signatures and, apparently, the circular sunroof will carry through to the new models, however.) The logo, their eighth in 116 years, is new as well:

    I didn’t know Lancia well (only in passing? Eh. —Ed.) until the famous Top Gear segment naming them “the Greatest Car Manufacturer of All Time,” although I knew of the Delta Integrale — and think that the Fulvia is one of the prettiest sedans ever:

    The 1972 Lancia Fulvia

    Let’s hope their new models, and conversion to an all-electric manufacturer, lives up to their past achievements. Meanwhile, The Autopian has the best roundup of the new Lancia.

    Kia, KN, and … Wait, What?

    30 thousand folks a year are doing Google searches for “the KN car.” Why? Kia’s logo, of course:

    Thankfully, the Autopian to the rescue:

    I’m not a huge fan of the new Kia logo — and can absolutely see the “KN problem” — but I think it speaks more to modern society that this is a news item than anything related to graphic design. Willing to be wrong.

    Mercedes: $1200/yr for Full Output

    This subscription thing has gotten seriously out of hand: Mercedes-Benz USA, in an effort to further bilk their customers — ’cause, y’know, MBs don’t cost enough — has decided that the last 60-110 horsepower available on their 2023 electric vehicles are only available for a yearly fee.

    The MB EQS gets even less attractive.

    Gak.

    Holiday Bonus: Free Online Automotive Design

    Interested in car design? Happy Holidays.

  • Beautifully Briefed, Thanksgiving Edition (November 2022): Book Sculpture, Architectural Arcades, and Artists Sunday

    Beautifully Briefed, Thanksgiving Edition (November 2022): Book Sculpture, Architectural Arcades, and Artists Sunday

    This time, art from old encyclopedias, architectural art, and an appeal to add art to your post-holiday shopping and giving plans.

    Books as Art — In a Different Way

    Cara Barer says, “Books, physical objects and repositories of information, are being displaced by zeros and ones in a digital universe with no physicality.  Through my art, I document this and raise questions about the fragile and ephemeral nature of books and their future.”

    It’s more than that, though:

    As This is Colossal puts it: “With cracked spins and crinkled pages, the manipulated objects reference the relationship between the natural and human-made as they evoke flowers at peak bloom.”

    As a book designer, I’m glad that the titles used aren’t something a designers labored over but rather mostly instruction manuals and old encyclopedias. Either way, they’re a beautiful way to make commentary.

    See more at her website.

    “Photographic escapades in arcades and colonnades”
    Liberty Station, San Diego by Keith James

    Few scenes set my photographic heart aflutter as does the view down a long covered walkway towards a distant, barely visible vanishing point. As a self-confessed symmetry addict drawn to architectural images in black and white, photographing these vistas scratches a deep creative itch.

    Keith James, MacFolios

    His article is well-illustrated, informative, and speaks to my heart: I love a good arcade — although, in some cases, I feel like an entry or exit makes the point:

    Vassar College Chapel Arcade, September 2021

    This is not the first time I’ve admired Keith’s work. His “Architecture Meets Sculpture in Black and White: the Interplay of Light and Form” was great work. Both articles are highly recommended.

    Artist Sunday

    For those of you in the United States, this weekend is the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s also that most American of traditions: a shopping weekend. I have spent recent years boycotting Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and am encouraged by the emergence of Giving Tuesday. Here’s something to add to that list:

    Photographer Chris Sherman developed the concept of “Artists Sunday” in 2019, after noticing a bump in sales on that day in November. “The idea struck,” Sherman told Hyperallergic. “What a great time to patronize artists — during the busiest shopping weekend of the year.” 

    In 2020, Sherman launched the project alongside Cynthia Freese, a fellow artist who has also spent extensive time on the boards of arts nonprofits. On a dedicated website, Sherman and Freese provide artists and arts organizations with free marketing materials to promote the event. Now in its third year, over 4,000 artists and more than 600 towns and cities across the country have signed onto the initiative, which takes advantage of special events and partnerships (with nonprofits, individual artists, and businesses) to spread the message.

    Happy Thanksgiving.

  • Beautifully Briefed, Early October 2022 [Updated]: Triboro’s Lyrics, Hoefler’s Daggers, and Skoda and Citroen Provide Contrast

    Beautifully Briefed, Early October 2022 [Updated]: Triboro’s Lyrics, Hoefler’s Daggers, and Skoda and Citroen Provide Contrast

    This time, we’ve got some great book design (with a bonus), Hoefler educates on typography (with a bonus), and two updated car company logos. Let’s get right to it!

    Print Magazine on the design of Lyrics

    The still-very-relevant-in-2022 Print Magazine brings us a great feature on the design of Paul McCartney’s book, Lyrics:

    Front and back covers of Paul McCartney’s Lyrics, by Triboro Design.

    Turns out it was designed by an outfit called Triboro Design, from Brooklyn (appropriately). Print brings us an interesting interview with David Heasty, the principal:

    I […] found him to be sharp, quick, articulate, and modest. Below, we discuss Paul’s involvement with the project, the book’s gorgeous bespoke typeface, and the importance of staying true to a legend’s vision.

    Ellen Shapiro, Print Mag
    The “S” spread of Paul McCartney’s Lyrics, by Triboro Design.

    Interesting and informative. Catch this interview when you can.

    Bonus: Looking at Triboro’s website, this lovely piece of typography stood out:

    Triboro Design’s Zolo Jesus album typography creates desire.
    Hoefler Discusses Daggers

    In “House of Flying Reference Marks,” Jonathan Hoefler talks about daggers, or, what you use when an asterisk isn’t enough:

    Hoefler on daggers.

    Beautiful examples, complete with a phrase you don’t hear everyday: “twisted quillon.” Read and enjoy. (If the opportunity presents, follow on with the ampersand article — which, uh, takes a stab at where the word came from. Nice.)

    Bonus: Creative Boom’s article, “18 highly respected type foundries that remain fiercely independent.” (I guess you could say I’m still surprised Hoefler is now, well, Monotype.)

    Skoda and Citroen have new logos

    It seems like nearly all of the major car manufacturers have introduced a new logo in the past couple of years, but here are two more. One’s best described as “an update,” while the other … goes a little farther.

    Skoda, for those that don’t know, is a Czech company and part of the massive VW Group. Frankly, it shows:

    Skoda’s 2022 Kodiaq, a thoroughly VW Group product.

    For 2023, they’re introducing a push to separate themselves from VW a little, resisting the downmarket image. As is (now) normal with updated car company identities, there’s a concept:

    Skoda’s Vision 7s concept.

    It’s … not inspiring. Maybe the actual updated logo will turn the corner:

    Skoda’s 2022 logo.

    Solid. (Pardon the pun.) But seriously, even an avid car nut like me didn’t know that represents a winged arrow — and I’m not sure the new version helps. At least they get points for consistency:

    Evolution of Skoda’s logo, 1895–2023.

    Read more at Brand New’s “Czech this Out,” or Carscoops’ more optimistic take, “Thriving Skoda Brand Forging Its Own Path Within The VW Group.”

    Then there’s Citroen. Even under the potentially-smothering corporate blanket that is Stellantis (there’s a name!), the pioneer of decades past still manages to actually thrive. First their new logo:

    Citroen’s 2022 logo.

    They’re not quite as consistent — the dual chevrons have varied a bit. This time, they’ve literally gone back to their roots, pulling the 1919/1921/1936 version out and dusting it off for modern use:

    History of Citroen’s logos, 1919–2022.

    Points to them for hinting at what’s to come, too:

    Citroen’s 2022 logo, with just a slice of concept car showing.

    …Which turns out to be something with, ahem, Oli bits:

    Citroen’s Oli: the antithesis of a Skoda.

    “Nothing moves us like Citroen,” they say. The Oli moves me, to a point where I truly wish Citroen was once again available in the ’States. Cool and radically innovative, without losing sight of something VW has truly lost: fun. Well done.

    Read more on the logo: Motor1, “Citroen Unveils Updated Retro-Flavored Logo And New Slogan,” and Carscoops, “Citroen Unveils New Logo Inspired From Its Past, Teases New Concept.” Read more on the Oli at the excellent Autopian: “The Citroen Oli Concept Is An EV Made From Cardboard And Good Ideas.”

    Updated, 19 October, 2022: Brand New adds to Citroen’s new logo story, with a slightly-less-than-enthusiastic take on the logo and has frankly unkind things to say about the new, custom typeface (custom typefaces are now de rigueur — a policy as much related to rights ownership than creativity, alas).

    I really like the cursive in this Vimeo screenshot:

    YouTube? What YouTube? Citroen posts to Vimeo. Ahh, the French.

    BN also includes a number of extra photographs of the simply awesome Oli, too. Here are a couple, for your enjoyment:

    Plug-and-Citroen.

    Note the removable Bluetooth speakers (the black tubes with “+” and “-“) and, especially, the seats:

    I love everything about this interior.

    Check the rest, and BN’s take, here.

    Apologies to both Skoda and Citroen for the lack of language-correct accents. WordPress needs a glyph function.

  • Beautifully Briefed, Mid-September 2022 [Updated]: Indigenous Type, Italic Type, Adobe Types “Stop,” and Two Awesome New Cameras

    Beautifully Briefed, Mid-September 2022 [Updated]: Indigenous Type, Italic Type, Adobe Types “Stop,” and Two Awesome New Cameras

    A wide selection of items for the beginning of fall, from positive fonts to jolly cameras — with Adobe and Pantone pouring some cold water on things. Let’s get to it!

    Indigenous Letterforms

    As Americans, Europeans, or, more generally, Westerners, we take for granted that fonts will reflect the various pieces of individual type — that is, letterforms — that we’ll need. But not everyone falls into that category.

    North American Indigenous fonts — with updated Unicode. Major Kudos. (Courtesy of Dezeen.)

    Dezeen points us to an especially interesting effort: “Typotheque typography project aims to protect Indigenous languages from “digital extinction.” In this case, folks who were in the Americas long before Westerners arrived used languages often not written down, or that use letterforms that simply aren’t supported in modern typographic systems.

    “When [the Unicode Standard] doesn’t contain characters in a given language’s orthography, it is not possible for that community to accurately use their language on digital text platforms.”

    Typotheque typeface designer Kevin King 

    Fascinating. Read more at Dezeen.

    Italic Letterforms

    The always-great Hoefler & Co. spends a minute educating us about italics:

    Hoefler examines italics: point-and-sketch
    Hoefler’s Fifteen Italic Textures illustration

    Italics can be the most colorful part of a type family, diverging dramatically from their roman cousins. Here’s a look at twelve kinds of italic typeface, with some notes on their cultural contexts, historical backgrounds, and practical applications.

    Hoefler & Co.

    Read the article, “Italics Examined,” at Hoefler & Co.’s Typography.com.

    Adobe Types, “Stop.”

    Adobe and Pantone are having a . . . thing. As a result, all Pantone spot libraries have been removed from Adobe products:

    A classy move, completely in character for both companies, to reach into users’ machines and remove stuff they had paid for and may rely on because of some licensing spat.

    Nick Heer, Pixel Envy

    I didn’t get a notice in either InDesign or Photoshop, but a check in InDesign (the CC 2022, aka 17.4, version) shows only the CMYK libraries:

    Adobe’s Pantone+ CMYK (Coated) color picker, from InDesign CC 2022

    You can subscribe to the additional libraries from Pantone for $60/year. Book design is almost exclusively CMYK, so I won’t be . . . but grrrr.

    On the subject of Canadians: thanks to Nick Heer’s north-of-the-border reporting for the notice.

    Update, 28 September, 2022: Adobe got around to putting up a banner in my version of InDesign — blaming Pantone:

    This notice showed up September 27th, 2022.

    They’ve put up a “help” page. (I took a moment to fill in the feedback at the bottom of that page, too: “Removing features we’ve paid for is incredibly uncool, Adobe. Shame on you.”)

    Two Awesome New Cameras, from $100 to $100,000

    So Pagani, the multi-million-dollar sports car manufacturer, has decided to market large-format cameras. Okay!

    One of Pagani’s new camera models
    A closeup of the (beautifully-detailed) tripod plate for Pagani’s new cameras.

    Incredible, breathtaking detail and quality, based on Gibellini models but taken to 11. But like their cars, mere mortals need not apply: their cameras start over $100,000.

    Mortals can dream, sure, but here on Earth, I encourage an order from this Ukrainian company instead:

    Jollylook’s Pinhole Instant Mini film camera
    Jollylook’s Pinhole Instant Mini in situ

    They’re based on instant film cartridges, are made of recycled materials, look incredibly cool, and a kit starts at an incredibly-reasonable $99. Throw in a few extra dollars to support Ukraine and . . . feel Jolly.

    Thanks to This is Colossal for the link.

  • Beautifully Briefed, August 2022 [Updated]: Drobo, Rolling Stone, Aston Martin, and Bugatti

    Beautifully Briefed, August 2022 [Updated]: Drobo, Rolling Stone, Aston Martin, and Bugatti

    Three interesting logo redesigns this month, plus a moment where venti has nothing to do with coffee. Oh, and a airy bonus.

    Drobo Declares Bankruptcy

    Generally speaking, I’m not one to engage in schadenfreude, aka “enjoying the pain or suffering of another.” (Wiki. Anyone surprised that the Germans have a word for this … but I digress.)

    A selection of expensive, unreliable junk.

    Back in 2011, I lost two Drobos in short order — and with them, the majority of my back files. Project I’d worked on, photographs I’d taken, personal documents, years worth of stuff, just gone.

    Drobo, the company, did nothing to help, offering neither solutions nor apologies. I wasn’t alone; forums across the ’net suggested that I should have chosen more carefully.

    It turns out they should have, too. Good.

    Gloat Read more at DPReview or PopPhoto.

    Rolling Stone’s New Logo

    To call Rolling Stone‘s place in America culture iconic might be selling it short, and their logo plays a large role in that. In 2018, they flattened it — leading that trend, possibly — and it lost something.

    However, this month, it’s back:

    Rolling Stone’s 2022 logo redesign.

    “The assignment was a paradox. How could we make the logo look like it did in the past, without making it feel dated? My hope is that loyal readers will believe the old logo is back, but on closer inspection will be surprised to notice how much it has been modernized.”

    Jesse Ragan, XYZ Type

    The “old logo” he’s referring to is the one that ran from 1981–2018, but there were others, too:

    Rolling Stone’s lettering shapes through the years. See more at both links.

    A great study in logo evolution: read more at the Type Network, and lettering specifics from XYZ Type. Awesome. (Hat tip to, as usual, Brand New.)

    Aston Martin’s New Logo

    On the subject of subtlety, Aston Martin usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Their recent logo redesign, however, falls into that category:

    Wings of Glory (so to speak)

    The evolution of their logo emphasizes those small steps:

    AM’s logo through the years.

    Not a great amount of information on this one, but the accompanying photographs of the logomark being made are fantastic. See more at The Drive, with more at Brand New.

    Bugatti’s New Logo

    Subtlety and Bugatti rarely — if ever — fit in the same sentence. Aston is stratospheric as far as I’m concerned, so Bugatti would qualify as the antithesis of subtlety. But, but, but: there’s something about one.

    The new Mistral. (Sorry, it’s sold out.)

    They have a new logo and marketing campaign to go with:

    Specifics, courtesy of Interbrand.
    The Mistral from the back, showing the new type treatment.

    Read up at It’s Nice That. Car and Driver has more information on the Mistral.

    Update, 20 Sept., 2022: Brand New weighs in on Bugatti’s updated logo.

    Bonus: In the Skies

    It’s been a busy August, including having to make a lightning trip through the usually-not-fun Atlanta airport. But there’s always a bright spot at the end of that tunnel: being the little boy again, awed by the simple act of flying.

    Better still, the flight was on a 757, the sports car of big planes. Everybody around me had their window shades pulled and noses in their phones, but I was looking out the window:

    Delta Ship 5654, Above Clouds and Sea

    See you in September!

  • Beautifully Briefed, Early July 2022: The Autopian, The Ford Heritage Vault, and an Eames Follow-Up

    Beautifully Briefed, Early July 2022: The Autopian, The Ford Heritage Vault, and an Eames Follow-Up

    Car site The Autopian scores with book design, Ford posts old marketing material gold mine, and more on the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity in this edition of Beautifully Briefed.

    Autopian suggests book design

    The Autopian, founded by a couple of former Jalopnik writers, is a new automotive gem: in these days of more-of-the-sameism sites trying to make money of others’ ideas, the Autopian has a retro style and interesting, original content.

    Including this short post from their Cold Start column:

    Sometimes you may encounter an old car ad and realize that the design of it could lend itself very well to something completely different. In this case, this 1958 Ford Zodiac ad, with its rich, saturated colors, striking dress on the model, and evocative name with understated typography just feel like something you’d see on modern book cover design.

    Jason Torchinsky, Autopian Founder

    The ad:

    A 1958 Ford Zodiac (European)

    His book design idea “realized”:

    Jason’s book cover mock-up. Love the author name.

    Nice.

    The Ford Heritage Vault

    Ford has taken the unusual step of posting a good chunk of their old — 1903 to 2003, their first 100 years — marketing materials online: “promotional materials, photographs, and all kinds of other historical goodies,” according to CarScoops.

    “Our archives were established 70 years ago, and for the first time, we’re opening the vault for the public to see. This is just a first step for all that will come in the future,” says Ted Ryan, Ford archive and heritage brand manager.

    Here’s a personal favorite: the 1965 full line brochure, showing the cars set in architectural drawings — presumably, matching the car to the house:

    The 1965 Ford Family of Cars brochure

    Fancy a drive down memory lane?

    More from the Eames Institute

    We discussed the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity back in April, but Metropolis magazine has published an extensive article covering a visit to the Institute.

    Modernism has largely been diluted from a series of ideas rooted in social change to one of just style—Instagram moments, if you will. The Eameses insisted that they did not have a style or even an “ism.” […] Modernism was an idea, not a style. With the establishment of the Eames Institute, I hope Charles and Ray will be remembered most of all for their ideas and processes.

    Kenneth Caldwell, Metropolis
    An exhibit at the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity.

    With our ongoing struggle to use materials more efficiently, many of the Eameses’ ideas and ideals need to be taken for the solutions that they are: style with incredible substance.

    Read the whole article at Metropolis. (Via ArchDaily.)

  • Beautifully Briefed, Late June 2022: AIA’s Best Architectural Photography, 2022 Logo Trends, and … Buick!

    Beautifully Briefed, Late June 2022: AIA’s Best Architectural Photography, 2022 Logo Trends, and … Buick!

    Three items for the end of June, 2022: AIA Los Angeles announces photography awards, the 2022 edition of the Logo Lounge logo trends report is out, and Buick makes its new logo official. Let’s get into the details.

    AIALA Photography Awards

    The Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA|LA) has announced this year’s winners of the annual Architectural Photography Awards, and there’s some pretty great stuff:

    Ryan Gobuty: Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM)
    Taiyo Watanabe: C-Glass House (Dillon Beach, CA)
    Tim Griffith: Mission Bay (San Francisco, CA)

    See more at AIA|LA. (Via Archinect.)

    2022 Logo Trends Report

    The always-excellent Brand New points us at Logo Lounge’s 2022 Logo Trends report, it’s 20th annual look at what logos and branding, as a group, are looking like this year.

    Logo Lounge 2022 Logo Trends Report

    [W]hile there are still corporate-looking marks being crafted there is a stronger effort to find ways to identify products that are artisanal and handcrafted.

    Bill Gardner, Logo Lounge

    Corporations trying to be more human. (News at 11.) But then, my use of that particular phrase perhaps betrays my lack of being in touch with the modern corporate world; I think publishing is a different animal, and prefer being part of that world despite the regular influence of corporate entities there, too.

    Nonetheless, following logo trends is, from a purely graphic design perspective, worthwhile — and this report summarizes beautifully. Read on.

    Buick’s New Logo, Officially

    We’ve touched upon it before, but Buick has, with the release of the Electra Wildcat concept, officially updated its logo:

    Official: Buick’s new logo

    Electra is Buick’s name for electric cars, simultaneously stating the obvious while giving a big nod to past models — and the Wildcat concept is, dare I say it, borderline cool:

    Scandinavian, American, Futuristic, Retro … Buick!

    Both Buick and Cadillac have hinted at more Art Deco in their upcoming products, perhaps best illustrated on this concept’s interior:

    It’s a head rest, folks.

    Nice. (Not even remotely possible on a production model, but still.) Read more on Buick’s new logo and transition to an electric car brand at Car and Driver or The Drive.

    See you in July!

    Update, 12 August 2022: Brand New weighs in: A New Point of View… ick