Celebrating Punctuation

In 2004, Neenah Paper commissioned 24 top design firms in New York to design a poster in celebration of punctuation. C&G Partners celebrates the question mark, and they describe the concept eloquently. "The lonely little question mark, hiding in its labyrinth, surrounded by the maze of which it is comprised, seems to prove the old saying: at the heart of every question, there is always another question."

When I Wiki'd "question mark" an interesting synonym popped up: eroteme. Does anyone know the origin or mainstream use of the word eroteme?

The question mark is my favorite punctuation. It invites discussion, begs an answer, directs interrogation, challenges validity, or sparks another question.

What's your favorite punctuation?

Creativity and Education

Is America ruthlessly squandering talents and squashing creativity in education? Sir Ken Robinson contends that "creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status." In his entertaining 2006 talk to TED conference attendees he makes a profound and brilliant case for cultivating creativity. I'm sure you'll agree.

Some of you may have already seen this talk, but it certainly bears repeating. His poignant narrative about choreographer Jillian Lynne is a noteworthy example of misguided perception of creativity in children.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.

Them is Fightin' Words

When I was a little girl my older brother would pick on me, trying to upset me with his misguided opinions. I remember one particular occasion when I was about eight years old. Once again, my brother was teasing me. I consulted with my daddy, sobbing about how my brother wouldn't leave me alone. My dad consoled me, then he asked me to come back in a few minutes, and he'd have a solution for me.

My father got out the dictionary and scripted a response. He instructed me to memorize the response so that I'd be prepared to fight with my words.

The next time my brother picked on me, I calmly and quietly articulated the following: "Rob, you are a pragmatic prevaricator with a propensity for oratorical sonorities that are too pleonastic to be expediently assimilated." When my brother, a dumb look on his face, quickly asked, "What does that mean?" I simply responded "You're a liar." He had nothing witty to say. He knew it was true, and he quickly left the room... It worked!

My scripted response was pleonastic itself, but my 10-year old brother was left speechless, and that moment was priceless. I'll never forget that day, that response, or my father's wisdom in fighting with words.

Show & Tell: FOLDRite

The author and publisher is Trish Witkowski. What began as a thesis project for her MFA became both a passion and a business. In addition to the plethora of folds you find in the printed guides (which are a great resource for ideas) she also has FoldFactory, an online template building system. The templates are brilliant; all templates are set to printers' specs and folds are perfectly compensated. Check out the Web site for free downloads and templates for your next tricky project.

Assignment 1, Phase 3

I'd like to share phase 3 of my first assignment. Please feel free to offer you input and constructive criticism.

New in Blue
Bluetooth technology now transmits to a niche market.
By Janet Lenzer

Annabelle Costanzo is ten years old and attends Holy Trinity Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa. She’s like any other ordinary little girl. She loves to jump on the trampoline with her friends, play the piano, and read. She even taught herself to knit a year ago. What really makes Annabelle extraordinary is her ability to excel at all the things that girls her age do, and she does them in the dark. Annabelle is blind.

Annabelle is an avid reader, and she’s been reading Braille since she was three years old. She recently won first place in the freshman level (grades 3-4) of the 2007 National Braille Challenge. Along with numerous accolades she was awarded a PAC Mate – a revolutionary pocket PC that makes a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) accessible to blind and low vision users. Annabelle’s PAC Mate is complete with a Braille display that makes it easy for her to read.

Seeing is Believing
Now there is innovative software available for Annabelle’s PAC Mate that will help her to see her surroundings in great detail. With Bluetooth enabled Global Positioning System (GPS) software, called StreetTalk, she can read maps and get anywhere she wants to go. StreetTalk tells her exactly where she is and how to get to her favorite shopping center or how to find the nearest Dairy Queen. Through voice-synthesized instructions, StreetTalk announces the names and locations of points of interest along the route, in addition to providing cross streets and turn-by-turn directions and distances for its user. It’s the same technology used in navigational systems for cars, but PAC Mate also offers a Braille interface.

The PAC Mate-StreetTalk system is meant only to supplement the skills that Annabelle has already assimilated into her everyday life. It won’t help her to find a curb or avoid an obstacle. Her cane still provides awareness of objects around her. “What a GPS system does for a blind person is not what people expect. It’s not guiding them so much as it is an orientation aid…. What GPS does is (let) you read a map.” (“Bluetooth Technology,” SIGnature magazine, page 16)

Technology en Route
The PAC Mate is a lightweight, portable, pocket PC that brings mainstream technology to the blind and visually impaired. It is affordable and easy to use, and with software like StreetTalk, the PAC Mate makes a significant difference in the lives of its users.

Why is this technology so important? It’s common even for a sighted person to get turned around in an unfamiliar place. This technology works in a person’s neighborhood and city, but also anywhere on earth. Sighted people take for granted the ability to pick up a printed map when they visit a new city or even an unfamiliar part of their own city. Now blind and visually impaired people can also navigate in places completely unfamiliar to them. StreetTalk knows exactly where on earth a person is at any given moment and how to get them to where they want to go. Annabelle is fascinated by the possibilities. “I think it would be cool to be in another city, or even another country, and know how to get to places.” Annabelle might also become a welcomed “back seat driver” on the next family vacation; she could provide the most efficient navigation, and the driver would not need to reference a printed map while trying to drive.

Moving Forward
According to the National Federation for the Blind, Annabelle is among the 93,600 blind or visually impaired school age children in the U.S. “Nonvisual access to computer technology is an ever-increasing challenge for the blind. Most educational … opportunities are now and will continue to be dependent on the blind individual’s ability to access and use a full range of computer and Internet technology.” Accessibility is key to Annabelle’s success, and her PAC Mate has given her a strong start.

Annabelle is elated with the possibilities available to her. StreetTalk would allow her to get wherever she needs and wants to go with an all-new level of confidence. Her passion for learning now includes a desire to read maps and become more independent. Annabelle remarks, “That would be so fun. How do I get that thing?”

Blind and visually impaired people all over the world share Annabelle’s enthusiasm. The PAC Mate-StreetTalk system provides the perfect synergy to bring a mainstream technology to a niche market at a reasonable price. Today’s technology provides myriad possibilities for an ever-brighter future.

Paris Hilton Wisdom

I found a great reference to Larry King's recent interview with Paris Hilton when I was researching a topic for another class. This intriguing summary of the interview is undoubtedly much more enjoyable and entertaining than the interview itself.

Check it out:
http://www.time.com/time/2007/paris_hilton/

My first love

I am completely enamored with beautiful typography, but my love for letter forms began before I ever took a course in typography. I mastered calligraphy first, and I developed a great appreciation for the aesthetics of individual letter forms. I also learned, by very traditional means, about point size, leading, kerning and tracking, and page composition – what better way than to construct entire sentences, paragraphs, even pages, all by hand.

I was passionate about my calligraphy classes. I recall a project with a minimum requirement of 70 words and two different calligraphic styles; the assignment I handed in was an 1100-word book with three different styles of lettering. I don't have the book anymore, because it vanished from either my office or classroom sometime last year. :-(

The example below was done by Arthur Baker, an innovative and accomplished master of calligraphy and type design.

Show & Tell: Inspiration

nest was a funky, quirky, over-the-top Interior Design magazine that lasted less than three years. The stories were unusual and interesting, the design exquisite, and printed on premium quality paper (which is often the first place a publisher will cut costs).

It's inspiring to see a publication that took risks with every issue.

A few of the risks were borderline disastrous. (Note the scorched crosshair in the center of the image on the right.) Imagine the stench that filled the air as the overheated die-cutting machine continued to churn, pages smoldering, and pressmen sweating over meeting the fulfillment deadline.

I often drool (note to Stephanie: figuratively, that is) over the design opportunity afforded to the art director and designers of nest. How refeshing it would be to hear the editor insist that you take more risks and have more fun! Ahhhhhhhhh...

Didn't Show & Meant to Tell: Inspiration

I have two children. Sophia is four years old and Liliana is two. They are a great source of inspiration for me. There is something quite amazing, and amusing, about the innocence of their quips. I keep a journal for each of them, where I document celebrated milestones, silly or poignant stories, and notable quotes. I hope you enjoy these snippets:

"Daddy is 43 and he still can't do hair!"

"Worry about me, not yourself."

"I have an ear confection."

Appletizers: Sophia's version of the word appetizers.

Happy-side-down: Liliana's adaptation of the term we all know as upside down.

Daffy Duck

Here is the first day souvenir for the Daffy Duck stamp that I mentioned in class last Saturday. I designed it for the USPS back when stamps were only 33 cents!

New!

Check out my "good stuff" links. They are highly informational and/or awe-inspiring. Visit often... I'll be adding more!

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