Today marks the very first day of helveticka. (In case you missed it, here’s a link to learn more.)

While the spirit of Anderson Mraz Design lives on, the name itself is no longer relevant. There are a lot of reasons for making this change, most of which are way too dull to get into here. But I will give you one:

It’s simply better.

Better because it represents something that we’ve known for many years now: that good design is driven by good creative. Our evolution from a pure design firm to one that places creative thinking at a premium has come naturally to us. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we continue to strive to set our clients’ brands apart with elegant yet simple visual solutions that express their unique personalities. (And occasionally, we actually achieve this goal.)

So, with that creativity in mind—and thankful for never having to spell “Mraz” again, we now have a new name.

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment

Do you prefer red wine or white? Chances are, you can’t tell the difference. So why bother with wine labels? The answer goes back a few thousand years.

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

Why do so many people insist that you can’t begin a sentence with a conjunction? Or end one with a preposition? Anthony Esolen thinks our high school English teachers are to blame.

I’m normally loath to point fingers at teachers, whose jobs are not for the faint of heart. But in this instance, I’m with Esolen. My son’s English teacher, for example, won’t allow split infinitives or sentence-ending prepositions. (Both, by the way, are nothing more than shibboleths.)

I shouldn’t complain, though. Knowing how and when to bend the “rules” of grammar and usage is what pays my mortgage.

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

This just in: Poetry makes you weird.

Looking for a gift for the person who has everything? We’d recommend donkey cheese—but somebody just bought the world’s entire supply. Related: pre-historic cheese. Also: Random Good Stuff’s Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide 2012.

Truth: TV is a massive rip-off. About a year ago, I dumped everything but basic cable—the $13/month variety—and bought Apple TV and a streaming Netflix account. I’m saving $100 a month and loving it.

North Korean Propaganda posters. This one says, “It is exciting to play soldiers and seizing the Americans!”

The results are in: check out the winners of the Nikon Small World 2012 Photomicrography Competition.

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

For the four or five of you who regularly turn to the last word for keen insight and the latest in breaking news, my apologies for ignoring you this week. It’s been busy. I know, I know: excuses. So I’m going to make it up to y’all with three—that’s right, three—posts in one day. It’s never been done before. And it won’t likely be done ever again. Ready? Here’s the first…

Would you be a good network executive? Rob Long has the answer—which applies even if your question is more along the lines of whether you’d be a decent creative director, a competent graphic designer, or, well…a client.

[audio:https://helveticka.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ma_2012-12-12-185208-6929-0-0-0.6929.mp3|titles=ma_2012-12-12-185208-6929-0-0-0.6929]

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

Three hundred forty-seven zombies have so far been dispatched during the first 27 episodes of “The Walking Dead”—three of ’em via meat cleaver. And while Rick holds the top spot with 84 kills, Michonne has put up some pretty impressive numbers in a relatively short amount of time. The National Post has the full statistical analysis—with graphics!—here.

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

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be me—and really, why wouldn’t you?—this is a pretty fair approximation. (WARNING: contains some unsavory language.)

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

It’s not even December, and already we’re being assaulted with “Santa Baby” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” the latter one of the more ridiculous notions ever put to lyrics and a sure sign of the decline of civilization.

Franz Schubert’s Wintereisse (“Winter Journey”), a song cycle composed for voice and piano and based on 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller, gets regular rotation on my iPod this time of year. No, it’s not exactly Christmas music, but it sure beats this steaming pile of pomposity.

Here’s the final song, “Der Leierman,” performed by Mark Padmore, tenor, and Paul Lewis, piano (Harmonia Mundi HMU907484):

[audio:https://helveticka.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/24-Der-Leiermann.mp3|titles=24 Der Leiermann]

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