Structurosa by Paul D. Hunt

I got a complaint about my blog from one of my friends when I was home in Arizona last. She told me that it was ‘boring’. I assumed that the reason was because that I don’t post enough personal information on this blog. I guess that I’m of the opinion that my Facebook page is more of my personal platform for my own private and political pabulum. Also, I’ve been accused for not feeding my blog enough. So this post is meant to remedy both of these problems.
Firstly, a bit of old news: I moved from the UK back to the US in December and landed in San Jose, California in January of this year to begin working for Adobe on their typeface development team. I wrote a brief life history to explain how I got to that point for those of you that might be interested.
And of more immediate vintage, I just completed an interview for FontShop’s FontFeed, detailing my involvement with FontStruct. This might prove interesting to you if you were able to read through my Adobe biography above without falling asleep.
Lastly, I wanted to take this opportunity to shamelessly mention that I have recently tried to monetize this blog by adding a link to my Amazon A-store, which includes some handpicked items on subject of type and typography. If you haven’t clicked on the link in this paragraph, you can always find the store through the widget showcasing books (many on sale!) on the top, right of this page. If you like any of my recommendations, then buy something!
More news soon, I promise!

Mens Ampersand T from House Industries

This will likely be the last round of gift ideas I pass on for the year, but I just had to pass along that House Industries now has Ampersand Tees back in stock! I already bought myself two, so no need to buy one for me, but make sure that you get these for your loved ones before they sell out again. House has lots of other interesting merchandise, so be sure to check out their selection with everything from cutting boards to handbags.

If you liked the Fleet Street print that I blogged about a few weeks back, but found that none of the options really fit your budget, you’re in luck there too. The artist is publishing an open edition of tiny prints for £20.00 a pop.

Lastly, I must advocate the purchase of any products you can get your hands on by the extremely talented artist, illustrator and letterer Ray Fenwick. He has a load of products you can purchase on his site. It seems that I missed the boat for finding this bedding with my favorite ‘Quiet, Please’ print, but if someone tracks them down, please let me know! Tiny Showcase also has a range of Fenwick merch, including the Hall of Best Knowledge book, bookplates, and more.
I hope that’s got you covered for gift ideas for all your designer friends and friendesses. Happy shopping!
P.S. How could I forget?! Another essential item for every font lover is P22 Playing Cards for $10 per set, or free with any purchase over $100.

Kern Arrows Zip-up from Veer

As promised: more timely gift ideas. Within its short lifespan, Veer’s Kern Zip-up (not to be confused as a hoodie!) has become an instant classic and a must-have fashion staple for type nerds everywhere. Gifting this item to a typographically savvy designer friend is sure to result in profuse amounts of gratitude. There are only two (2) small problems, however, with this gift suggestion: 1) the Veer merch store doesn’t ship outside of North America, and 2) the snug-fitting numbers only run to size XL (which I had better fit into!).

So this classic has recently been re-rolled as the Kern Arrows Zip-up and incorporates some snazzy new features: 1) a brand new color (I adore gray), 2) nifty piping (ever-so-cool), and 3) directional arrows indicating which way the kern should come together (in case you were confused). I was glad to notice in the design credits that arrows from P22 Victorian Ornaments 2 and P22 Art Deco Extras are included on this fancy little number.
After that last post, you should be glad to finally get a gift suggestion that you can afford to get me, oh, or your own loved one. Beat the Black Friday rush and get your order in now!

Fleet Street Lino Print by Stanley Donwood

The festive season is fast upon us, and as always, I feel it is my duty to call attention to typographic goodies that make good gifts for lovers of letters and all things related to the printing arts. If you are feeling very generous and want to really treat your loved one to something nice, may I suggest this beautiful linocut artwork from Stanley Donwood, famous for creating much of the iconic imagery associated with the band Radiohead. Of course the £750 price tag for this artwork is just a bit hefty, but as one who as actually seen this print in person, the quality is exceptional and is a beautiful piece for any art collector. However, if this number is out of your budget due to the credit crunch, there are other options if you would like to own a piece of this incredible imagery.

What’s up with the type foundry/music connection? Recent years have brought us P22′s release of the William Caslon Experience compilation and the Amerikanische Badneß album, which accompanies the Blaktur typeface, from the House Industries guys themselves.
Now let’s add another of my own personal favorites to the lineup. František Štorm has quietly added a link to his own musical project, Airbrusher, to his website where he describes the musical output as “cheap, unpretentious, kitsch melodies [and] a heap of malicious lyrics, with no purpose whatsoever.” There is a sample download of songs available from the site, which I grabbed and listened to immediately. When loaded into iTunes, the tracks show up with the genre listed as “DiscoMetal.” I’m no hardcore metalhead myself, so I was able to find the juxtaposition of sonic styles refreshing. My fellow-student, Dan Reynolds, found the same mix to be “an abomination.” As with everything, taste is subjective and Mr. Štorm states that, “Vulgarity and bad taste against the established underground! That’s what Airbrusher is.”
If you can appreciate the bald-faced honesty and tongue-in-cheek humor of it all, the full album is available boxed together with four original, signed woodcuts, also by Mr. Štorm. Only 200 copies are available so order soon.

While you’re at it, you might to pick up one of the best font compilations there is, the Storm Open Library, which has been newly updated and is currently on sale through the end of this month. You can’t beat prices like this for impeccably crafted type.