Blade Runner is adapted from Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? We can’t answer that, but we can ruminate on dash length and whether using a long one means your intelligence is synthetic.

Am I real?

Not the first time I’ve asked that question, but maybe the trendiest. Because I’m a chronic user of the em dash (the longest one), and it’s the surest tell of AI-generated copy.

At least that’s what people have been screaming online. The punctuation mark is beloved by Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, and the masses are worried that using it will flag their stuff as fake. Deep dives by major outlets like Rolling Stone and The Washington Post to gloriously shallow dives by Reddit scholars like @hairyback88 and @SluttyCosmonaut, everyone is musing on why this is a thing and whether we should care.

The short answer is, we shouldn’t. But the uproar got our firm thinking about the long dash, which is often the best way to break a thought in one sentence. So say the works of Dickinson and Nabokov, Vonnegut and Roth, Salinger and King. And don’t forget Nietzsche, who loved it so much he turned it into a six-pronged weapon of visual semantics. That’s a fancy way of saying he weirded it up with the usage, forcing deeper interaction with and interpretation of his thoughts.

OGS Media founder Brent Csutoras creatively attacked the AI debate by attempting to train LLMs to ditch the em dash. They couldn’t, no matter how he prompted, warned, or outright threatened them to stop. It’s that baked in. Blame those famous names I mentioned earlier, though really it’s the entire canon of human expression.

“In books, articles, essays, humans used them so often that AIs learned them as a default natural flow,” Csutoras wrote on Medium. “It’s like asking a bird not to chirp.”

Why do we chirp when we have perfectly good commas, semicolons, colons, ellipses, and parentheses to force a pause, connect thoughts, or set off details? I’m just one bird who hasn’t studied punctuation theory, but I dig the long dash because it’s insistent. Dramatic but somehow casual. It makes you stop harder and allows the cleanest cheating of girthy statements into one. It’s a visual breath between words, and around here we deepen that effect with spaces on either side of the mark.

Beyond that rebel spacing, there’s something you should know. I said “long dash” instead of “em dash” above because the longest dash is forbidden at helveticka (along with pets and hats and pets in hats). We quietly champion its little brother, the en dash.

Shorter than an em dash and longer than a hyphen, the en dash is meant for offsetting numbers (think date ranges, page runs, and sports scores) or indicating a connection between opposing concepts (like a student–teacher relationship). However…

Take a look at this sentence — a hard look.

Take a look at this sentence – a hard look.

We think the second one is just right. Cooly effective, not overly emphatic. There are font-related exceptions, because sometimes you get a stubby en dash and have to bump up for that visual balance. But most of the time, it looks the best and feels closest to how we hear text break inside our heads. Plus, it won’t get us mistaken for AI or a programmed replicant à la Blade Runner.

We asked ChatGPT to weigh in from the perspective of a graphic designer. It still favored the em dash (of course), but it also proved our point:

If you disapprove, take it up with Nietzsche.

posted by: Erin Ryan  |  category: random thoughts the design life the writing life  |  comments(1)

Fart-squirrel. A term gifted to me by a woman as hilarious as she is hardcore, as caring as she is blunt, as principled as she is hopelessly addicted to iced tea. I say this having known her for only 46 days, because to meet Shirlee Roberts-Downey is to recognize the force of her.

For 25 years, SR-D has woven herself into this company to the point of true irreplaceability. Not just in terms of the broad and formidable skillset no resumé could capture, but also the personality she brings into every room. She’s on the short list of people I want on my team in the apocalypse, for the laughs and her ability to MacGyver absolutely anything.

If I feel this way after so little time working with Shirlee, you can imagine what her longtime coworkers are feeling on this special anniversary.

Former senior copywriter Aaron Bragg, known to Shirlee as “Beav” (short for Word Beaver – don’t ask), was the first to respond to my request for unbridled gushing.

I used to think Shirlee was the smartest person I’d ever met. Then I caught her listening to Bon Jovi. I know, I know, there’s always hope – after all, Jean Valjean finds redemption and Siddhartha eventually achieves enlightenment. Still, it’s like finding out that Mister Rogers is a serial killer.

Digital guru Mike Miller has been with the firm even longer than Shirlee, and they’re constantly on the phone solving tech puzzles that should be impossible.

I started working at Anderson Mraz Design about three weeks before Shirlee. I remember John and CK asking me how I would feel working with her. In my past experience in digital printing, my opinion of and interaction with Shirlee was that of a vendor on the receiving end of a perfectionist designer. I knew I would never be able to sneak anything that wasn’t perfect by her. I hope over the years that we have taught each other a few things and together learned how to push the boundaries of perfection.

Brand strategist/designer/resident Costco Fairy Linda Anderson shared a story that explains why Shirlee is brandishing a photo of a giant spider in her homepage mugshot.

I recall a day at our old office, where Shirlee, Aaron, and other designers shared a space. We’ve known that Shirlee has… ahem… unusual taste in pets, including reptiles. But this furry pet she kept at the office in a home her husband fashioned out of an old iMac case. The problem is, this pet had eight legs. One day, Aaron came in and discovered that the lid of the case was ajar and a couple of furry legs of her pet tarantula were hanging out. No, it did not get out; and I was across the office in another corner. But that was waaaay too close for comfort. I’ve never forgotten. We love Shirlee anyway – in spite of her creepy-crawlies. And now I have itches…

Principal and creative director CK Anderson counts on Shirlee to give him “that look” when something a client asks for isn’t gonna happen. Because if there’s a way, she’ll find it and make it look effortless (and possibly like a pipe bomb that might get you in trouble at the airport). I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets weekend calls from clients trying to figure out how to program their smart refrigerators.

Staying put for 25 years, particularly at a small company, is remarkable.

I’ve always felt that if there were a competition for production designers – a contest based on one’s knowledge of preparing files for reproduction, for every type of job imaginable, where accuracy and attention to details were measured, Shirlee would win hands down.

Without a doubt, Shirlee has helped maintain and strengthen the relationships with our clients – some of which she’s worked with since her first day on the job.

We’ll end with cofounder and “professional tumbleweed” John Mraz, because he legitimately gushed. On a recent visit to headquarters, he hung around to make sure he caught Shirlee coming back from her lunch break, just so he could get his hug. A bona fide bear-hug that spoke to the camaraderie running through the soul of this company. So obviously, Shirlee is a substantial piece of that soul.

Ahhh, Shirlee, Shirlee, Shirlee…

For starters, she’s lasted longer at AMD/HCKA than I did! And that’s a fact, Jack! To accomplish this feat, Shirlee has employed, deployed, and applied many skills and attributes, such as:

Eagerness to learn

Patience

Ambition

Even-tempered – vast majority of the time 🙂

Embracing new technologies

Admirable social skills with coworkers, vendors, and clients 

Patience

Good work ethic

Great sense of humor

Very teachable

Production file MASTER

Patience

Questionable… music choices (headbanger), movie choices (horror)

Loved the roller derby challenge… props for that

Dependable

Well-behaved 🙂

Seldom used “eye-roll” but highly skilled at answering a question, briefly, in a tone that conveyed an extra, silent, mental thought of, “You dumb shit.”

Gives best hugs!

Have I mentioned patience?

This could go on for a few more pages, but I will wrap it up.

Congratulations, Shirlee! To quote the great Tina Turner: “You’re Simply the Best!”

posted by: Erin Ryan  |  category: staff  |  make a comment

There’s an inspiring story behind Dignified Workday.

It all started when one person reached out to help one person. And it’s grown into a full-fledged program, one that supports dozens of unhoused people in our community by providing low-barrier jobs, a steady income, and the chance to build stability and find housing.

It’s all based on the simple concept that most people who are facing homelessness want to work. They just need to be given the opportunity. That’s where Dignified Workday comes in, and we were proud to help this new nonprofit program share its story through its website.

Dignified Workday isn’t trying to change the world. It simply offers people who are experiencing homelessness a chance to do work that makes a difference – in their lives and in our community. Thanks to low-barrier jobs in construction and property maintenance, participants have the chance to be constructive for part of their day, earn a paycheck, and feel pride and dignity in their work.

All of which helps them cope with their personal circumstances and build more stable lives.

After just one year, the program is already making a tangible difference in Spokane. Our team saw that difference firsthand, when we visited a few of the program’s worksites with our project photographer, Craig Sweat. It was apparent that Dignified Workday’s new tagline describes exactly whats happening with its crew members and their clients:

Real work. Real difference.

All design work has purpose, but when it’s tied to an important cause, it’s special.

We can’t wait for the next chapter in the story.

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

They say the camera adds 10 pounds, but in this case, it’s more. A lot more.

In September, the Florida State Seminoles introduced their new baseball director of operations, and this post popped up in my Instagram feed.

I did a double take, and I wasn’t the only one.

In this image, Drew Linder looks more like a linebacker than a baseball coach. His shoulders appear disproportionately larger than his head, making him seem hundreds of pounds heavier than he really is.

But the camera didn’t add the weight. The design did.

The problem here is the contrast – or lack thereof. The garnet polo shirt and background have the same visual weight, making them nearly indistinguishable at first glance. And, when it comes to social media, a glance is likely all you’ll get.

Visual contrast, through color, size, shape, etc., helps us quickly recognize distinct elements in an image and make sense of them. Good, purposeful design relies on contrast to:

• create visual separation between elements,
• establish a visual hierarchy,
• emphasize which element is most important,
• add depth and dimension, and
• create a sense of balance.

Without it, we risk confusing the audience or communicating something we didn’t intend to – and embarrassing ourselves or someone else in the process.

Kudos to the social media team at Florida State (incidentally, where the Big Dumper played college ball) for recognizing the mistake and posting a new image.

Thankfully, this one shed the excess weight.

posted by: Denise Wilson  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment

“You can be cautious or you can be creative, but there’s no such thing as a cautious creative.”
– George Lois

The famed advertising executive and art director was right. The term cautious creative is an oxymoron; a true creative takes risks.

Our new intern, Gracie Alvarez, is a true creative.

On first impression – with her petite stature, soft voice, and delicate wire-rimmed glasses – she comes across as mild and unassuming. But beneath that quiet demeanor is a gutsy adventurer who’s waiting to take on new challenges.

It shows in her wide range of interests. Just look at this laundry list of likes and hobbies:

• animation
• motion graphics
• sewing
• knitting
• crocheting
• rock climbing
• aerial silks
• indie rock

Add in her nonprofit business, where she sells refurbished Barbies on Etsy and donates the profits to Shriners Hospitals for Children, and you’ve got a true jill-of-all-trades. Remarkably, she’s been motivated to learn many of these things all on her own.

This fall, Gracie will start her second year in the graphic design program at Spokane Falls Community College (which launches many a great designer). When she’s done, she plans to enroll in design at Eastern Washington University and earn a four-year degree.

“My ideal career would be remote so I can travel,” Gracie says. “I want to step out of what I know and experience different cultures.”

What tops her bucket list? Claud Monet’s house and garden at Giverny, in the Normandy region of France. Gracie would love to experience firsthand the inspiration behind Monet’s work – and practice her French while she’s at it.

Long-term, her goal is to become the creative director of an animation studio.

And as a true creative, she’s bound to get there.

Welcome to helveticka, Gracie.

posted by: Denise Wilson  |  category: the design life  |  comments(1)

While working on one of our most meaningful projects, I had the opportunity to meet several talented individuals. At the time, we were producing a biannual promotional piece for a local printer – titled PROOF! – and the fourth issue featured the work of several Spokane modern architects, particularly Swiss immigrant Moritz Kundig.

As we developed the story of Moritz, along with other notable architects, we learned not only about his life and accomplishments, but also how a group of young architects in the late 1940s through the early 1970s helped shape the architectural landscape in ways that would persist for decades to come. The story was so compelling that we asked, and received approval from, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture to create the exhibition “Spokane Modern Architecture, 1948-73.”

Our copywriter at the time, Aaron Bragg, and I met with Moritz on several occasions. We continued to keep in touch over the years. Always kind, supportive, and understated, Moritz spoke with a dose of humor followed by a quick laugh.

He once told us, “I like to think that my buildings have character and integrity and are somewhat timeless.” That aptly described both the man and his work.

On February 10, Moritz Kundig, FAIA, passed away at 98 years old.

His architectural legacy, however, will live on.

Moritz Kundig stands at the entrance of the Holmlund residence, one of his designs from 1963. The entry doors feature the work of the late artist Harold Balazs, a longtime friend and colleague of Kundig’s.

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: architecture  |  make a comment

Do not touch mobs! Some of them might explode.

Whoa. Exploding objects are not what you’d expect in a museum. But that exact warning is posted throughout the newest exhibit of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC).

Clearly, at Minecraft: The Exhibition, visitors are playing in survival mode.*

When I took my kids to the exhibit two weeks ago, we encountered several hostile mobs, including a skeleton, an ender, a zombie, and a creeper who does, in fact, explode. (For the record, we did not touch any of them.)

It’s truly impressive – and I’m not just talking about the mobs that detonate. The 6,000-square-foot exhibit fills more than half the museum’s space, immersing visitors in a Minecraft world complete with life-size creatures, a working crafting table, day-to-night lighting, and authentic sound effects. The exhibit, which was developed by the Museum of Pop Culture in partnership with MoJang Studios, is likely the most complex exhibit the MAC has ever hosted, according to the museum’s director.

It’s also a far cry from the museum experiences I had as a kid. All I can remember are dusty artifacts behind plexiglass with dry-as-a-bone descriptions. And absolutely everything was hands-off.

Oh, how times have changed.

Today, museums like the MAC have shifted the focus from the artifacts themselves to the audience’s experience. An exhibit’s purpose, then, is not just to communicate information about a subject or collection, but to connect with the audience in a meaningful and visually appealing way.

It’s the same purpose behind the experiential design we do at helveticka.

If you haven’t had a chance to see the Minecraft exhibit yet, you’ve still got time. It runs through December 31. And according to my middle schooler, who is never melodramatic, it’ll be 1,000 percent worth your time.

As long as you don’t touch the mobs.

*Note: In case you aren’t one of the 140 million people who play Minecraft every month, the popular video game offers multiple modes, including creative and survival, and a “mob” is a mobile entity, or a living being in the game.

posted by: Denise Wilson  |  category: random thoughts  |  comments(1)

There’s a lot of drama in my neighborhood.

Animal drama, that is.

It beats any reality show on TV. In my yard alone, we’ve seen wild turkeys wander down the driveway, bucks spar by the trampoline, quail nest in the shrubs, and hawks nab rabbits right off the lawn. And who could forget the tubby raccoon that tried to use the cat door to get into our garage?

Not me. I discovered him.

It’s reached the point where our neighbors have even started naming the cast members. My personal favorites are Bruiser, the biggest, baddest buck in the hood, and Skippy, a gimpy doe who still manages to run off any animal that gets near her twin fawns.

Our neighbors gather in their front yards to dish about the animals – just like a bunch of Bachelor fans gossiping about who started the drama and what’s going to happen next:

“Did you see how Bruiser totally gaslighted Skippy?”
“OMG, yes! And I’m not even surprised. He’s such a thug.”

My husband and I hear about all the animal drama, whether we want to or not. Which is why we were so surprised, when we took a walk a few nights ago, to witness the most shocking episode yet.

A herd of goats was devouring the neighborhood.

Whoa. I did not see that plot twist coming. Frankly, I don’t think anyone did.

At this point, I should probably clarify that the goats weren’t eating our whole neighborhood. They were munching their way through a large, wooded hillside just east of all the houses. And they’d been brought into the neighborhood on purpose.

It turns out that goats are unlikely firefighters. In a matter of days, a few dozen can clear out acres of underbrush that might otherwise fuel wildfires.

Given recent tragedies in our region and throughout the world due to wildfires, I’m thankful for this latest turn in the neighborhood drama.

So, go ahead. Cue the goats.

I’ll keep watching the show.

posted by: Denise Wilson  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment