YES.

Scientists have not been content with just calling the human face “beautiful” if it meets certain ideals, or “ugly” if it doesn’t. They had to go out and measure proportions of nose to jaw, forehead to chin, and so on to establish why some faces are more appealing than others.

Typographers and graphic designers often choose typefaces for the very same reason they might fancy a person: They just like that person. For more scientifically-minded people, however, there are specific measurements, components, details, and proportions to describe various parts of a letter. While these won’t tell you what makes a typeface good, they will at least give you the right words to use when you discuss the benefits of a particular face over another. You can say “I hate the x-height on Such-a-Gothic” or “These descenders just don’t work for me” or “Please, may I see something with a smaller cap height?” and you’ll know what you are talking about. - Explorations in Typography

filed under /awkwardbutfun

fool proof.

via jessica hische. (not-so-secretly would love to have her talents.)

"So culture might feel like a soft idea, but it's the stuff that formulates how you get things done. Thus it's a key driver of results and its importance should never be underestimated."
- BusinessWeek on Apple's Startup Culture

“I really believe that the lens of your friends is fast becoming the most powerful way to discover things on the Internet.” 
- NYT

"[The] new saying is: 'An idea that doesn't generate more content isn't a very good idea.'" 
-Edward Boches, CCO and chief social media officer at Mullen

in 'x' number of years...

On a lovely Sunday afternoon shopping rendezvous, I mentioned to my friend Josie that if I ever started my own business I would call it 'Ampersand.' I love the idea of having a brand that stand for infinite possibilities. She shared with me her desire to open her own shop one day. And the following series of connections unraveled...

The ever-informative Wikipedia filled me in on my favorite word and symbol:

An ampersand (&) is a logogram representing the conjunction 'and.' The symbol is a ligature of the letters in et, Latin for 'and.'

And that's just the beginning of it. I'm a history junkie, so the origination of this twisty wonder in the first century A.D. is an intriguing quality.

As such a recognizable symbol, there are endless possibilities for design innovation. Designers often get bored with their own identity (visual identity - not themselves) so the convenience to morph a standard form any way you want is great. My mom is celebrating her graphic design company's (Ruzow Graphics) 25th year in business and it's been so entertaining to see her refresh her logo based on a season or holiday – whatever moves her. Note to mom: you should archive these on your website like Google does with their logos. Bottom line: the ease of refreshing a business's logo while maintaining it's core identity is incredible. Hence, the attractiveness of Ampersand as a company name.

The idea of creating your own brand to establish and grow is incredibly exciting. Having seen the growth of Ruzow Graphics, I've seen the perks of creating on your own terms. Anything that pops into my head could be considered 'on-brand' because it would be my brand! Ah, to dream...

Josie and I discussed this as we browsed Crate & Barrel for the umpteenth time, admiring the endless colors and cool way everything is set up in the store (which Josie informed me is called merchandising design). This led to the idea of how perfect a name Ampersand is for a home decor store. Think about the mental to-do lists of things you want to do in/to your home. 'I want to re-do the bathroom and decorate my bedroom and  revamp the kitchen table.' See the trend? And, and, ampersand. 

So in 'x' number of years, Josie hopes to open her own store. I hope to have a business called Ampersand. Maybe we'll merge these ambitions with a store named Ampersand! Something to ponder about the future. 

decorative arm art.

Shantell Martin was one of the more captivating and engaging speakers at the PSFK 2010 Conference yesterday (more to come on that). Shantell 'creates delicate, intricate, other-worldly landscapes' and 'expands conventional definitions of drawing.' The global attraction to her work is incredible, having shared her art in her native England, Japan, US and more. After her chat about 'Rediscovering the Creative Seed' she demonstrated her approach of just creating what your body feels by drawing on conference-goers in the lunch room. Clearly I had to get in on the action and spread a little Gawker Artists hype at the same time. Enjoy the final masterpiece below and check out Shantell's work (@shantell_martin).