This email came over the helveticka transom on Monday. Apparently, we’re to believe that the IRS now has an earthlink.net email address, that its representatives have difficulty with spelling, that a PTIN is a thing, that the tax-filing “season” now comprises two years, and that the irs.gov domain is apparently so crowded that they have to rent space at asiadesignworks.com to accommodate all their “instruction.” C’mon, guys. You need to elevate your game a bit if you’re going to fool someone as sharp as Linda. Besides, she already gave her account information to that Nigerian prince.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment

I thrive on routine. Lack of structure does not look good on this lady, which is why I do little things throughout my day to keep on track and focused. One thing I find crucial – not to mention soothing – is design research. Every morning I brew a cup of coffee, sit down at my desk, crack my knuckles (CK hates it but Aaron does it too so at least I’m not alone in this terrible habit), launch Chrome, and start opening tabs. I scour the same basic websites for design news, trends, tutorials, articles, and awesomeness. Time permitting, I dive into new sites, and naturally with time this list evolves. This does three things for me: It wakes me up and gets my mind right for designing, it allows me to stay up to date and current on news and trends, and it keeps me excited about the field of design.

This is my list of my ever-growing, go-to morning websites:

The Skimm – “We read. You Skimm.” This is my daily dose of current news and events, boiled down to quick and direct paragraphs that are fun and informative. These ladies know how to do it.

Muzli – This is my creative dashboard. Muzli has a Chrome extension that makes every new tab I open a link-chalked checkerboard of design. You can also choose which sites that Muzli will source from, tailoring your experience.

Swiss-Miss – Swiss-Miss is a blog I have been following for years. Based out of NYC, this designer gives her daily post of interesting whether it be art, quotes, podcasts, products, or websites. She also runs Tattly, CreativeMornings, and TeuxDeux. Yep. She’s a badass.

Designer News – Designer news is not as fun as the previous three, but allows me to stay on the up-and-up with the industry. You can filter between top stories, most recent, and also dive into discussions.

Medium – At some point in time, Medium became one of my favorite websites, yet I have NO idea when that happened. It crept into my daily routine and now I would be devastated if something happened to it. They pride themselves on being “a community of readers and writers offering unique perspectives on ideas large and small.” Trust me, they deliver.

Pocket – When I have a pressing deadline and my morning routine of internetting is cut short, this baby comes in handy. Pocket is an app that allows you to save articles for safekeeping, effectively bypassing the clunky/dated bookmark. Just add the small icon to your browser window (much like you would do with Pinterest), and any time you find something you would love to read but don’t have a moment, click the icon and pocket it for later.

Throughout the day there are distractions, whether good or bad. These are a few sites that get me back on track feeling design-centered and productive:

From Up North – This website has a killer and endless supply of inspiration to explore. Expand your design mind with galleries of illustrations, motion graphics, typography, packaging design, logos, and web design. This website make me want to create cool and inspired work while helping to banish any lackadaisical mood that could be lurking behind 3 p.m.

Pinterest – Pinterest gets a bad wrap for being a “chick website” (a term that I loathe) when really it is littered with fantastic examples of design and inspiration. In the last year, I have revamped my boards and created a design-centric page that showcases my design affinities. Our sister company HelveticaHaus also has a Pinterest dedicated to all things helvetica and design.

posted by: Courtney Sowards  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: the design life  |  comments(1)

Depending on how often you Internet (new verb coined by yours truly; it means to scour the Internet with no real direction or time restraint) and what your Internetting (Aaron will love that) brings you to, you will have either heard about the Alaska Airlines re-brand or not. If you have, tell me your thoughts. If not, then please, continue reading, make your own assessment, and then let me know your thoughts. Enjoy…

ALASKA AIRLINES! I love Alaska Airlines. Being from Alaska, I naturally have an affinity toward things that make me nostalgic and the state I hold so near and dear. Growing up in Alaska you vacation…a lot. Every winter you fly somewhere, and by you I mean everyone. My girlfriend from Alaska moved to Spokane and the first time she came to visit me she asked, “So where are you guys going this winter?” My boyfriend was shocked that this was not an Alaskan tall tale ploy to trick him to go to Hawaii with me.

So anyway, you take your yearly oil dividend and you fly far, far away from the frigid darkness of February – and because there is no other airline crazy enough to operate out of Fairbanks, you fly Alaska Airlines. I think most people who fly Alaska can agree (after seeing the redesign) that the brand was due for a refresh. The navy blue looked very dated and stale compared to Southwest’s pallet and their adorable heart (I mean, who doesn’t want a heart-shaped swizzle stick in their drink?). So the talented people at Hornall Anderson set forth to create a new brand that could freshen up the image without stripping it of everything people have come to love about it over the last 80 years.

A new, bright palette is going to help it stand out from competing airlines while also adding some much-needed energy to the stuffy airport check-in stations. I am extremely happy that they chose not to scratch the famous Eskimo on the tail of the planes, in part because the editing and softening of his face makes him more approachable and friendly—though, to be honest, I’m going to miss the proud look he used to carry, as it felt very Alaskan. (Maybe they could have pumped the brakes just a touch, because now he feels a little less noble and a bit more jolly.) The new letterforms are clean and legible. I honestly hadn’t noticed the oddities in the old logotype, such as the K overlapping the A or the harshness of the S, and now that they’re gone, I find myself missing them. There was a streamlined and individual feel about the old logo, and though it was dated, I think it held up very well. I would have liked to see a bit more stylization carried over from the old letter forms, but I understand why they made the choices they did.

Maybe I’m just being sentimental, but I’m torn. My education and experience and personality and expertise tell me I should love it (as does CK). But I’m just not there yet.

Be sure to check out Alaska’s brand-launching website to see more.

posted by: Courtney Sowards  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment

Principal or principle? This is one of those questions that, even after 15 years as a professional writer, can still send me to my dictionary.

Speaking of which, here’s how American Heritage (fourth edition) sorts it out:

Principal and principle are often confused but have no meanings in common. Principle is only a noun and usually refers to a rule or standard. Principal is both a noun and an adjective. As a noun, it has specialized meanings in law and finance, but in general usage it refers to a person who holds a high position or plays an important role: a meeting among all the principals in the transaction. As an adjective it has the sense of “chief” or “leading”: The coach’s principal concern is the quarterback’s health.

Paul Brians has more, in case it’s still a little unclear:

Generations of teachers have tried to drill this one into students’ heads by reminding them, “The principal is your pal.” Many don’t seem convinced. “Principal” is a noun and adjective referring to someone or something which is highest in rank or importance. (In a loan, the principal is the more substantial part of the money, the interest is—or should be—the lesser.) “Principle” is only a noun and has to do with law or doctrine: “The workers fought hard for the principle of collective bargaining.”

So, if it’s a person you’re referring to, it’s principal. If it’s an adjective – no matter what – it’s principal. If it’s about significance or position, it’s…also principal. About the only time you’d use principle, then, is if it’s a basic law, truth, or assumption.

Something tells me I’ll still be reaching for my dictionary.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the writing life  |  make a comment

In this fascinating piece published by the Future Symphony Institute, Roger Scruton posits that “it is precisely the absence of philosophical reflection that has led to the invasion of the musical arena by half-baked ideas.”

Forget for a moment about the specifics (I happen to be a fan of both Stockhausen and Schoenberg); I wonder if Scruton’s thesis doesn’t help explain the universal appeal of, say, Bach?

Hmmm…

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

POSTSCRIPT
Seamus Heaney

And some time make the time to drive out west
Into County Clare, along the Flaggy Shore,
In September or October, when the wind
And the light are working off each other
So that the ocean on one side is wild
With foam and glitter, and inland among stones
The surface of a slate-grey lake is lit
By the earthed lightning of a flock of swans,
Their feathers roughed and ruffling, white on white,
Their fully grown headstrong-looking heads
Tucked or cresting or busy underwater.
Useless to think you’ll park and capture it
More thoroughly. You are neither here nor there,
A hurry through which known and strange things pass
As big soft buffetings come at the car sideways
And catch the heart off guard and blow it open.

(1996)

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

I remember when the only photographs I allowed myself to take were with my Cannon SLR 35mm camera—which had to be set in manual mode, of course, since I wanted to focus and set the shutter speeds myself. That was back when bracketing for exposures was the norm.

I admit, it took me a long time to lower my standards to the point where I’d consider using a point-and-click digital camera, mostly because I’ve spent the better part of my career working with professional photographers.

And when cell phones first introduced built-in cameras, I thought they would never take off. Seriously. Who wants to take soft, pixelated, low-res images? (Everybody, it turns out.) I finally accepted my short-sightedness when iPhone images started appearing in Sports Illustrated.

So, with only a little reluctance, here are a few of my favorite personal images from 2015. Even if they are crappy point-and-click photos that anybody else could have taken on an iPhone.

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: the design life  |  comments(2)