Congrats to my good friend David Nanni for his feature in the October issue (#99) of Black & White magazine, “the ultimate resource for connoisseurs and collectors of black and white fine-art photography.” Larry Lytle writes that “David Nanni has proven, through this evocative body of work, that he is a master of that elegant, confounding illusionistic technique.”

David is a semi-retired graphic designer with a keen eye for all things design. He’s practiced here in Spokane for several years after working for some very notable design firms in the Denver area. In addition to photography and design, David loves restoring classic cars, boats, and houses—which probably explains why he never returns my phone calls.

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

“Near nature. Near perfect.”

While the second half of our city’s tagline is at best arguable, the first is spot-on. This photo was shot from a trail that begins 2.7 miles—just a 10-minute drive—from the heart of downtown Spokane.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  comments(2)

Hello interweb, I am Tony Kuchar, Helveticka’s new intern.

Today wraps up my first week on the job, and so far it has been busy. I have participated in all sorts of meetings and gotten several projects to work on. As I write this I am in the middle of concepting a new logo and also brainstorming some ideas for a hard cider label. Fun stuff!

I am doing my internship at somewhat of sprinters pace. I am blazing through about 120 hours worth of interning in just under 4 weeks time.

I guess I should let you know a little about me. I am 25 and a senior at EWU. I am in the Visual Communication Design BFA program and slated to graduate at the end of this upcoming quarter. Between interning here 5 days and week and my night/weekend delivery job I’m a pretty busy guy as of late. However when I do get down time I tend to waste it reading comics, playing video games, and working on various projects.

Well, signing off for now.
-Tony

(shameful self promotion)
http://tonykuchar.com/
http://dribbble.com/tonykuchar

posted by: Tony Kuchar  |  category: staff  |  make a comment

The worst part about this isn’t the second definition. (It was already a problem in 1926, when H. W. Fowler noted that “such false coin makes honest traffic in words impossible.”) No, it’s the “usage discussion” that follows, in which we’re told that “some people take sense 2 to be the opposite of sense 1.” Gee, imagine that.

On a related note, I’m currently reading a book of a certain philosophical bent that makes the rather obvious point that only by agreeing on terms at the outset can anyone have a thoughtful discussion on anything. In other words, for me to defend the proposition that Miley Cyrus is a no-talent, attention-seeking hack, you and I must first come to an agreement on the definition of “hack.”

Altering the meaning of “literally” to include “not actually” is therefore far more insidious than simply caving to the mouth-breathers who can’t be bothered to learn what words actually mean. It’s a linguistic sleight-of-hand that prevents useful dialogue.

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

The weathered remains of a fire lookout, built in 1934, greeted my son and me when we reached the summit of Thirteen Mile Mountain near the Kettle Crest. British Columbia’s Midway Range can be seen in the distance; out of the photo to the left (west) are the Okanogan Highlands. The area is wild and lonesome, lending to a well-earned reputation as Washington’s last frontier.

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

With Grammar and Spiders…the only way to fill Aaron’s really big shoes. So here’s how and why to use whom in a sentence.

posted by: Shirlee Roberts-Downey  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

While reading this blog post, I had a vague recollection of my high school English teacher making a very clear distinction between flounder and founder. But for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what it was. Then, on the way to a meeting in Colfax this morning, CK casually used flounder in a sentence*—no doubt referring to my career—so I made a mental note to look into the difference between the two words.

Naturally, Paul Brians has the answer:

As a verb, “founder” means “to fill with water and sink.” It is also used metaphorically of various kinds of equally catastrophic failures. In contrast, to flounder is to thrash about in the water (like a flounder), struggling to stay alive. “Flounder” is also often used metaphorically to indicate various sorts of desperate struggle. If you’re sunk, you’ve foundered. If you’re still struggling, you’re floundering.

Typical brilliance: describe the difference, then give us a way to remember it. Do yourself a favor and buy his book, would you?

*Yes, he used it correctly.

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

While CK was gallivanting about the North Atlantic Seaboard last month (see here, here, here, here, and here for his New York City travelogue), I stuck closer to home. Somebody had to mind the store, after all. The great thing about eastern Washington, though, is that nature has a way of keeping you guessing. At left is Elk Creek Falls, just two hours (and an easy two-mile hike) north of Spokane; at right is the view from the summit of Steptoe Butte, an hour in the opposite direction.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  comments(3)