Matrix Progress

Freak

The text says "Hungry for music?" and it is an for Sony.

I'm having a little trouble. I'm thinking this may be a combination of personification, and a hyperbole. If you have a different take please let me know.

Vis Lang pt. 1

From the mindmap I have came up with the following...

Icon:

Piano
Piano Keys
Bar/Lounge
Stage
Music Notation

Index:

Soul
Repetition
Movement
Rhythm
Smooth
Classic
Mood
Urban
Upscale
Ivory

Symbol:

Buzzing
Explosion
Warmth
Cool
Upbeat
Clean
Swing
Evening
Street Light
Serious
Grown
Ladder
Rainy
Bright

Oh S***! It's Baskerville Son!

Baskerville is a “transitional” typeface, designed by John Baskerville in England in the mid-18th century, revived in the early 20th century and widely used for books and other long texts. Many versions are available.

The various versions of “Baskerville” take as their starting point types used by John Baskerville in England in the mid-18th century. Baskerville had been a “writing master”, but at a time when the model to which writing aspired was not the humanist model, but one based much more closely on the work of engravers. When, having made a fortune in the japanning business, John Baskerville turned his attention to printing, he seems to have aspired to this aesthetic. He main works were monumental and classical in every sense: physically large editions of great classics (Virgil, the Bible). The type was crisp, the paper smooth and pale. They are often classified as “transitional” type, because they bridge the gap between “old-style” type (with its oblique stress and relatively low contrast) and “modern” type, with its vertical stress, high contrast, and sharp finish. Baskerville’s roman is fairly round and open, with a vertical stress but relatively low contrast.

Baskerville’s type (which he probably helped design, but which was cut for him by others at a time when punchcutting could never be mere transcription) was highly successful only for a short time—though the glow lasted longer in France. By the early 19th century the modern face had superseded it, and when the reaction against the modern occurred in the late 19th century, it was to earlier “old face” types that people returned. Interest in Baskerville seems to have revived in the early 20th century, with Bruce Rogers among others taking an interest in him. It came to be suspected that the transitional label, which suggested that Baskerville was simply a stretch of road between two distinctive peaks of design, did not do justice to its originality.

Not surprisingly, therefore, the type was revived for mechanical composition in the 20th century. ATF was first, followed by English Monotype in 1923, and thereafter other manufacturers (notably linotype) followed suit. Monotype Baskerville (Series 169), perhaps the best-known of these revivals was a commercially successful type despite (or perhaps because) it was heavily “cleaned up” by the Monotype drawing office producing what Sebastian Carter, in Twentieth Century Type Designers,aptly describes as a “somewhat odourless type”. It was, however, widely regarded as well-proportioned: Hugh Williamson, in Methods of Book Design (1956), regarded it as “one of the most readable and pleasant designs now in use”, and his judgment probably reflects a fairly broad consensus among mid-twentieth century book designers.

Baskerville (like Caslon) had quite different designs for use at different sizes. Monotype’s was based on a font designed for use at a fairly large size in an edition of Terence’s comedies published in 1772. ATF and Linotype used strikes from genuine punches of a smaller size type; it is not therefore surprising that different versions of Baskerville look noticeably different: they are (or may) still be “authentic”.

Baskerville, in its various versions, was popular for book work during the letterpress era. How has it survived digitization and offset printing? In principle, it should do well: Baskerville’s printing technique did not depend (indeed it eschewed) the three-dimensional element of letterpress. His model was planographic or sharp-edged: the inscription and the engraving. He ought to thrive.

As usual, the picture is mixed, but there is now a fair range to choose from. Although opinions may differ, digital Monotype Baskerville seems to lack something: it inclines to the anaemic, and tends to “glitter” unattractively. Digital, photographic and offset reproduction also seems to accentuate some features which were known to be faults in the letterpress version, especially the relatively darker stroke of the uppercase. It may well be one of the early digitizations in which something important was lost. ITC New Baskerville (Matthew Carter and John Quaranta, 1978) has better weight, but it is purchased at the price of a more extreme contrast which leads to reservations about its suitability as a text-font for long-distance immersive reading (see, e.g., Dean Allen’s comment: “quite usable but unsuitable for use in immersive reading”). Frantisek Storm’s John Baskerville is a more recent version, which promises to be an “absolutely ordinary and inconspicuous typeface” (the very virtues which recommended Monotype Baskerville in metal), based on 14pt types used for Baskerville’s editions of the Bible and Virgil. There is a version specifically designed for use at small sizes (10pt and below): Storm’s thus has all the hall-marks of a revival designed for use in text. Lars Bergquist's Baskerville 1757 is another attempt to re-create John Baskerville’s original type. Another extremely popular font inspired by Baskerville, but with a very different aim, is Mrs Eaves.

-Found Here

Storyboard and such

I have decided to chose Jiu-Jitsu, or Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to be more specific as my topic for the upcoming project. Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and a combat sport that focuses on grappling and especially fighting on the ground. It was developed so a smaller weaker person could defend themselves against a larger, stronger opponent. The art relies on the use of leverage, speed, and timing to execute joint locks and chokes rather than strikes to defeat opponents.

Jazz Visual Inspiration

This is my mood board so far. It includes some things that are obvious as well as some things that kind of describe what I felt when I listened to his music. Of course there are piano keys, sheet music symbols, a Grammy and pictures of Jazz musicians, but I also got the feeling of an urban setting in the late evening in the summer. The blurs and "motion" in some of the images represent the flow of his music and also the lightning fast tempo with which he plays at times. I chose warm colors that I thought fit well with the upbeat, uptempo style that is carried out throughout most of his songs and my interpretation of the late evening summertime feel. When it came to fonts I chose fonts with serifs to represent that flow as well. Also I thought the classic looking fonts fit well with his style of music. I am thinking of adding a key as a metaphor to the piano keys or other less obvious items.

Jazz Research

Eldar Djangirov

Eldar Djangirov was born January 28th, 1987 in the former Soviet Union. He is a Jazz piano player.

Some of his accomplishments include:

•An appearance on the NPR Piano Jazz Radio Show at the age of 12

•In 2001 he participated in the Piano Jazz Competition of the 2001 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and won 1st prize

•In 2002 he won 1st place in the Peter Nero Piano Competition

•Released 2 albums between 2002 and 2004

•In 2004 he signed with Sony Classical and released his 3rd album "Eldar" which was nominated for a Grammy

•Has appeared at many festivals and toured across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia

•Performed in National TV shows including CNN, Conan O'Brien, The Grammy Awards, and Jimmy Kimmel Live

•2008 Grammy Nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his latest project "Re-Imagination"

•Actually lived here in Kansas City, MO and attended the Barstow School for a short time

The Gutenberg Press

I believe that in this digital age it is important for us as designers to know how movable type came about. The documentary was pretty cool, the whole time I kept thinking about how much we take for granted. In the documentary Stephen Fry says that it must have taken Gutenberg over a year just to cast all the letters for his Bible. Today a person could possibly type that much in a single day.

Another thing to take into consideration is the impact that Gutenberg's invention had on our civilization, and the power it posses.