Category: design

Trying something different with a physical planner in addition to a myriad of digital calendars.  The physical one serves as a sort of diary/log that is easy to look back on.

Didn’t think it would be this hard to find “the right one.”  But when you are picky it is so hard. In no particular order thoughts on ones I tried so far.

Something I ordered off of Amazon, thought of this idea way into the year so it was slim pickings when I had this idea and before I knew what I was looking for.

Pros:

• Lays Flat
• Dates Filled out for you
• Every day of the week has the same amount of space including weekends
• Drawings of birds are nice

Cons:

• No way to easily mark current week
• Weeks are broken up when they fall on two months
• tons of extra crud including monthly overviews (sometimes in the middle of a week)

I really thought this was gonna be it. Minimal.  Beautiful perfect.  … wound up giving it away.

Pros:

• Very Minimal
• comes with a free bookmark

Cons:

• Undated so you have to do a lot of manual work filling out dates.
• Does Not lay flat (huge dealbreaker actually)
• No way to easily mark current week, I guess boookmark does it
• Sat/Sunday small, overall very small

Field Notes make a lay flat weekly planner?  I love Field Notes. I’m in! (also not perfect)

Pros:

• Field Notes
• Minimal
• Lays Flat

Cons:

• Also have to fill out all the dates manually (just seems needlessly tedious, but they can sell the same one year after year with no extra work.)
• No way to mark current week easily, even bookmark doesn’t work (falls out), Ive seen calendar with a perforated corner you can tear our, would love this here
• Sat/Sunday have less space, wish they were the same as all other days of the week.

Tilt your head to the left. Apparently nemaworkshop got the idea for their sideways design from 2001 a Space Odyssey. The new coffeeshop is right down the street from the New York Public Library, hence the library theme. Made me look.

Any one, a mustache I can get behind. lol. from PubActuelle on flickr.

There’s been a lot of posts about the design behind the new Creative Suite 5 around the interwebs but this one is the most interesting. It really goes into a lot of the thinking, inspiration, and specific choices the designers made for this new look. I like the slightly arty, and a bit non-conventional for such a mainstream product, choices they made in the splash screens.

Over at the Slate.com they have an awesome article about design and international signage, in particular a growing “battle” concerning the emergency exit sign and the two prominent and seemingly opposite design strategies (even in something as basic as color). The article is definitely worth a read, especially if you make sure to click through to all of the awesome examples it references.

This article is also part of a larger series on signage, that is also worth a thorough checking out.

Simon Page has an awesome minimalist, algorithm-created looking portfolio of print work. There are so many amazing designs I want to post them all. Be sure to check out all of it.

You can also visit his flickr account (if you dislike flash interfaces like I do) or visit his print store to purchase a few of the ones you like.

(via the donut project)

The Ampersand – It is often one of the most unique characters in a given typeface, with a lot of creative latitude, allowing the type designer to really express themselves. There are so many, how about a new one for each day of the year? Check out ampersandampersand.tumblr.com

Or learn more about the history of the ampersand at websdesigner depot.

(via mint design)

ooh another hand made book video! Documentation of a ten-year labor of love culminating in a beautiful hand-crafted leather-bound book. I just love the deliberate slowness that goes into making something by hand, it’s like mindful meditation.