What did I learn?

After this short break I began posting in a different way, more open mind way, resulting in more discussion at the blog. More discussion means more insights on the topics which was a break through feeling for me. Thank you very much for this!

With this experience things started happening and I created a new way of looking at things. I have learned to act more by the (gut) feeling, allowing me to have a more open mind and to receive and to give more and more, resulting in a state of flow. This is a great feeling and I will continue living my mind-flow in 2009, I created the DWP Circle of life to give a visual presentation of the words and feelings above.

DesignWorkPlan: Circle of life

2009: What’s next →?

My focus with DesignWorkPlan blog will continue to create (at least) one article a week, with an article that could inspire you, might bring educational information, a showcase of (design) elements/typography, it could be an article about what I have learned or have seen. In other words it will be more DesignWorkPlan!

Just before New Year logo design blogger David Airey send me the following note, that says it all:

I hope 2009 brings all you want it to!

What’s next for you in 2009?

Happy New Year and please share your thoughts and plans for 2009!

SignSphere Highlights

In the edition of May 2008 one of the most remarkable mentions was the great Font Game to move to iLoveTypography, still when I play this it just puts a smile on my face.

• Visit the Font Game over at iLT and share your top score!

In the June edition I mentioned the opening of new Dutch Design Musem, Graphic Design Museum Breda. It has proved to be an great place for designers to show their work and come together to enjoy like minds. If you are ever in the Netherlands try to visit this musuem.

• Visit the Dutch Design Museum Graphic Design Museum Breda.

In the July edition there was a mention of a new and exciting website from logo designer David Airey, Iconic logo designers. The website is a huge and complete collection of iconic logo designers and resources of work they have created. A great website if you are into logo designers.

• Visit the website iconic logo designers for more information.

In the September Edition I mentioned the startup of Daily Creattica, by the Envato Network (PSDTuts and more). Daily Creattica is a collection of interesting things that are happening in the field of design on a broad perspective. They have managed to bring the readers every day one or more articles. I always enjoy reading the blog and the quality of the content (links) is very high. Recommended readings.

• Visit Daily Creattica for your daily dose of design inspiration!.

For the October edition I had to share my new corporate website for signage & wayfinding projects and consulting BaumannSign. Since its startup as new corporate website is has been a great succes and hope to grow in this direction for the future to come. Thanks you for the response about BaumannSign.

• Visit the website BaumannSign for signage & wayfinding projects by Sander Baumann.

In the November edition there was a mention of an essay on the NYC Subway and the Helvectia, in this 9 pages counting essay the author writes about how the typeface was chosen and why it is in use for the NYC Subway, an interesting read over at Aiga.

• Read the complete story about the typeface Helvetica and NYC Subway at Aiga.

DesignWorkPlan Highlights 2008

In the past year I have written various articles, some of them got the attention of other bloggers and the discussion started. I am very happy that DWP has evolved to bring information on a broad level of design and visual communication. I could have only managed to do this by the huge support from the (design) community. Thank you all for participating at DesignWorkPlan. Below is a list of articles, highlights of 2008.

• Design case: Shell corporate identity change for the fuel stations in Europe.
• Newspaper restyle: The daily Dutch Het Parool newspaper restyled and started using the typeface MetaSerif from Erik Spiekermann.
• Free vector arrows: The release of a collection of free vector arrows to use in designs as needed designed by Sander Baumann.
• Here at DWP I have collected two showcases of typefaces in the wild, first off was the typeface Meta by Erik Spiekermann which was everywhere… Secondly I spotted Rotis everywhere. Now working on more showcases of typography in the wild, stay tuned.
• Airport Signage showcase: A collection of photos of Airport signage from all over world.
• Branding: Dutch government introduces typeface as part of their branding.
• You can find all the posts in the DesignWorkPlan archive.

Highlights and blogs that I read in 2008

My daily dose of inspiration and news facts on things happening in the design-blog-o-sphere is read in the rss reader. Below are some of the highlights of the past year.

I searched for a best of best article for iLT (iLoveTypography) could not find it, all the posts are great. Visit iLT and subscribe!

A collection of 81 of the best logo design resources by Logo Design Love.

The Paragraph in Web Typography & Design by Jon Tan.

The great type blog The FontFeed, much great information. Visit The FF and subscribe!

Highlights of SmashingMagazine 2008, just amazing! Visit and subscribe!

A great 2008 roundup by David Airey at his personal blog, visit the article.

I have recently discoverd the design website of Michael Surtees, DesignNotes, he covers many topics and has a high quality blog.

Thanks readers

DesignWorkPlan has brought and thought me many wonderful things, I enjoy writing for you and are amazed with the feedback, thank you! I could not have achieved this without you! 2008 was a blast, stay tuned in 2009 here we come…

Share your favourite blogpost of 2008

There are many more articles to mention, but now its time to let hear the DWP readers voice! Please share your favourite blogpost of 2008 in the comments! Thank you very much in advance! Happy New Year.

Identity 2.0

The book has a bright red cover with high contrast lettering IDENTITY 2.0, with this very powerful cover the tone is set for the rest of the book. This is not only a book about showcasing work Total Identity made, it is a book about identity in its broad perspective.
In the introduction of identity 2.0 the managing director Hans Brandt talks about the influence of interaction in working and consumer sides of life, where the individual roles within corporations and environment will become more as one and how do companies play a role in creating an (human) experience to make their ambition. Identity 2.0 is a collections of thoughts from persons within the network of Total Identity, how does the future look like and do we have the power to change this in our own define ways of thinking. A new and fresh perspective for branding and visual communication for organizations.

Communicate through Identity

The book connects identity to social life and economic topics. Many of the written articles are empowered with illustrations and diagrams to explain how identity reflects the inner organization by anticipation. Identity 2.0 looks at the current and future issues that influence organizations. The psychological factor behind identity is published in short articles and will give you insight in branding, human behavior and visual communication. I found reading these parts of the book very interesting and a great learning proces. This is not about designing a folder, website or signage, instead this is about setting a standard for the brand and visual communication of a organization, service or a product.

Essays and cases

Identity 2.0 consists of a hard cover, containing 229 pages all with full color photos, bright colors and strong messages. Although it looks heavy it actually has a nice feel and pages flip very easily. The used typeface is Oneliner, a custom created sans typeface for Total Identity by Aad van Dommelen. The book addresses various topics including:

• The Expressive Organization
• Innovation
• Labour Market Communication
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Entrepreneurship in Service-Oriented Organizations
• Emancipation of the Patient
• Scenario Communication
• Fusion of Brand and Corporation

Design & Branding

Identity 2.0 has several topics on the visual aspect of branding and how design can work in the advantage of creating an social environment. Through adding social elements in design the branding will become a feeling which people can relate to. The book also talks about sustainability and branding and how it will enhance each other for a stronger brand. I very much enjoyed the variety of topics in Identity 2.0 which will give you a broad perspective of branding and visual communcation which can be adapted in your own environment. The book contains contributions from Pentascope, Boston Consulting Group, Twijnstra Gudde and many many more. It is available in both Dutch and English language.

Availability of Identity 2.0

The book Identity 2.0 is published via BIS Publishers in Amsterdam, available for Eur. 65,- Hardcovered with a dust jacket, dimensions 28 x 21,5 cm. The Dutch versions comes with a listening CD.

• Visit the BIS Publishers shop for English, ISBN 978-90-6369-183-7
• Visit the BIS Publishers shop for Dutch, ISBN 978-90-6369-184-4

More information

See more information about Wim Crouwel at this wikipedia page and visit the corporate website of Total Identity for more information about their book and cases.
When you are into branding and visual communication I would recommend reading this book, I found it very useful and full of inspiration. As the previous book, I believe Identity 2.0 will set a new standard in branding and all of its related factors.

As I am searching for words to describe this book only this came up… Identity 2.0!

Win a iPod Nano 4GB

This competition is only for DWP readers, when you are subscribed to the free RSS feed from DesignWorkPlan you will notice a link at the bottom of this text in your favourite RSS reader. Visit this special thank you page and find out how you can win this iPod Nano for Christmas!

When you are not subscribed please use the following buttons to subscribe to the free content of design blog DesignWorkPlan.

Thank you for participating, the winner is announced in this comment.

Thank you DWP readers!

I would like to thank every reader of DesignWorkPlan for visiting this website and adding their voice to the discussion, I have enjoyed reading all the comments and emails. Highly appreciated feedback! Happy holidays greeting from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Next year will be a blast!

Thank you,
Sander Baumann

Subscribe & win!

Designers Quotes

Architecture design quotes

• Organic architecture seeks superior sense of use and a finer sense of comfort, expressed in organic simplicity. Frank Lloyd Wright
• I’ve always believed that architecture is more important than decoration. Scale and proportion give everlasting satisfaction that cannot be achieved by only icing the cake. Billy Baldwin

Design Philosophy

• Design is in everything we make, but it’s also between those things. It’s a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy. Erik Adigard
• Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose. Charles Eames
• Design’s fundamental role is problem solver. Fast Company, 2005
• Good design, at least part of the time, includes the criterion of being direct in relation to the problem at hand - not obscure, trendy, or stylish. A new language, visual or verbal, must be couched in a language that is already understood. Ivan Chermayeff
• Good design is the most important way to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Samsung CEO Yun Jong Yong, 2004
• Graphics is the visual means of resolving logical problems. Bertin
• A design isn’t finished until somebody is using it. Brenda Laurel
• Intelligent design itself does not have any content. George Gilder

Branding

• Brand value is very much like an onion. It has layers and a core. The core is the user who will stick with you until the very end. Edwin Artzt
• Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. Steve Jobs, 2003
• A logo is not a brand. The BrandGap
• You are what you are seen to be. Erik Spiekermann
• [logos are a] graphic extension of the internal realities of a company. Saul Bass
• Accessible design is good design. Steve Ballmer

Business

• If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. Red Adair
• Sometimes there is simply no need to be either clever or original. Ivan Chermayeff
• Invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Thomas Edison
• I don’t design clothes, I design dreams. Ralph Lauren

Typography

• Typography at its best is a visual form of language linking timelessness and time. Robert Bringhurst
• Most people think typography is about fonts. Most designers think typography is about fonts. Typography is more than that, it’s expressing language through type. Placement, composition, typechoice. Mark Boulton
• Writing is not a series of strokes, but space, divided into characteristic shapes by strokes. Gerrit Noordzij, 1931
• From all these experiences the most important thing I have learned is that legibility and beauty stand close together and that type design, in its restraint, should be only felt but not perceived by the reader. Adrian Frutiger
• Faces of type are like men’s faces. They have their own expression; their complexion and peculiar twists and turns of line identify them immediately to friends, to whom each is full of identity. J.L. Frazier
• Great typophile thread with many more typographical quotes.

Favourite designers quotes from fellow bloggers

I have contact various authors from design blogs and asked them their favourite designers quote, this came out as a very positive and inspiring design quotes. Thank you for participating!

Jin Y from design & inspiration blog 8164.org send in the following quote:
• Form follows function-that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union. Frank Lloyd

Comment by Jin Y: I’ve been a long time admirer of Mr. Wright’s work. His designs are elegant, simplistic and comfortable. As a web designer, I often see the correlations between good architecture design and good web design. Both have the elements of form and function. I often hear people talk about form and function as if they were mutually exclusive, or one precedes the other.

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Dmitry Fadeev from Usabilitypost send me the following quotes:
• The two most important tools an architect has are the eraser in the drawing room and the sledge hammer on the construction site.” Frank Lloyd Wright
• To design something really well you have to get it. You have to really grok what it’s all about. It takes a passionate commitment to thoroughly understand something — chew it up, not just quickly swallow it .. .. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. They don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions, without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better designs we will have. Steve Jobs, Wired (March, 1996)

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David Airey from LogoDesignLove and David Airey send in the following quote:
• The real issue is not talent as an independent element, but talent in relationship to will, desire, and persistence. Talent without these things vanishes and even modest talent with those characteristics grows. Milton Glaser

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Dan Reynolds from TypeOff send in the following quotes:
• “Schrift ist nicht alles, denn Schrift ohne Anwendung ist wie eine Blume ohne Duft, ist wie eine ungekorkte Flasche und ein ungeküßtes Mädchen.” This could probably be translated as, “type is not everything, because type without an application is like a flower without aroma, an uncorked bottle and a girl who has never been kissed.” Günter Gerhard Lange (1996)
• “To be blunt, and it is good advice to serious newcomers: do not make the mistake of being afraid to be labelled ‘conventional’, ‘traditional’, or any other such dusty term.” Fred Smeijers, from Type Now: A Manifesto (2004)

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LaurenMarie from CreativeCurio send in the following quotes:
• Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated. Paul Rand
• I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. Pablo Picasso
• Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats. Howard Aiken (not a designer, but rather the main guy behind IBM’s Harvard Mark I computer. Still, this could apply to design!)

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Leon Paternoster, a teacher, designer and blogger send in the following quotes:
• Good design, at least part of the time, includes the criterion of being direct in relation to the problem at hand - not obscure, trendy, or stylish. A new language, visual or verbal, must be couched in a language that is already understood. Ivan Chermayeff
• Colour does not add a pleasant quality to design - it reinforces it. Pierre Bonnard
• Communicative grammar is generally defined by contrast, balance, harmony, and distribution. Andy Rutledge
• The design process is essentially a process of subtraction, organisation and emphasis. Leon Paternoster
• Simplifying design equates to reducing the choices available to the user to a few core, meaningful options. Leon Paternoster

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Adelle Charles from Fuel Your Creativity send in the following quote:
• “Good designers can create normalcy out of chaos; they can clearly communicate ideas through the organizing and manipulating of words and pictures.” Jeffery Veen

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Erik Brandt designer & teacher at Minneapolis College of Art and Design and blogger send in the following quote:
• For after all, a poster does more than simply supply information on the goods it advertises; it also reveals a society’s state of mind.” No posters, no culture? Armin Hoffman
• “Among the few I have indicated, is there no dynamic man of action, the rebel who will help determine the aspect of the collective expression of tomorrow? Ponder this question and know that to make beautiful creations for the sake of their aesthetic value will have no social significance tomorrow, will be non-sensical self-gratification. Every era contains the conditions for providing a rebel.” Piet Zwart

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Thank you all very much for sending in the quotes, highly appreciated! As DWP reader I would suggest checking out the websites of the fellow bloggers. Thanks again.

Share your favourite design quote?

Please let us know your favourite quote or share the quote of somebody that inspired you. Thank you in advance, looking forward reading your favourite designers quote!

The (mostly) true story of Helvetica and NYC Subway

A fabulous article by Paul Shaw for the New York subway graphic system. In a dept review of the sign system, choose of typeface and creation of design manual this nine pages essay describes everything. I have enjoyed reading this article but was looking for some examples of the sign manual, searched Google and found some images of the sign design manual at Flickr.

NYC Transit Authority graphics system

• Visit the article by Paul Shaw at Aiga and take a look at this Flickr set of the original NYC Transit Authority graphics system—designed by Massimo Vignelli and Vignelli Associates in 1970.

Minisite FF Trixie

Dutch type teacher and designer Erik van Blokland released with FontShop the minisite about his typeface FF Trixie, since its release in 1991 Trixie was one of the few good workable typewriter typefaces available.

Erik van Blokland finalized the typeface Trixie with two new variants: FF Trixie Rough, and FF Trixie HD, available each with Light and Heavy weights. At the minisite you are able to see the typeface fontfonts and the new typefaces have much more detail than the original. In the images you can see the effects of the analog look and feel of Trixie, Erik was kind enough to send me the masthead (at the top of the page), text designworkplan, thank you very much for sending it to me.

Example of usage FF Trixie

• Visit the ministe Trixie or see the insight article at fontfeed. Download the typeface Trixie via Fontshop.

Vancouver 2010 Pictograms

Via Iconglobe I spotted the newly designed pictograms for the Vancouver Olympic Wintergames in 2010, as part of a complete brand identity.

Olympic and Paralympic Games designs have a long tradition of creativity and excellence

• Visit the brand identity for Vancouver 2010 and see the article at Iconglobe.

The designers review of Books

A new website about books for the creative minds, written by designers. With designers reviews books the authors review (expensive) design books and allows you to buy or find related information about the books online.

Although there are several good design websites that occasionally have book reviews, there didn’t seem to be a single place online where you could get constant updates and reviews of new (and sometimes old) design books.

• Visit The Designers review of Books website

Thoughtpile

Thoughtpile a website where visitors are allowed to share thoughts about specific (green) topics, users can submit ideas and the most discussed idea will be featured in the Thoughtpile. Crowd thinking and creating ideas and solutions is becoming more and more popular.

• Visit Thoughtpile and share your thoughts and ideas.

PANTONE Sneakers

Today is the last day that you can pre-order special PANTONE SeaVees Sneakers, use the code on the website in the onlinestore to get yours! The collection will be in stores Spring 2009.

• Visit this website to find the information about PANTONE Sneakers.

iPhone App: Font Viewer

OSXWerk released one of the first iPhone apps for font lovers, this free app allows you to select MACOSX fonts and enlarge the typeface. You have the ability of type text and display it in the selected typeface.

It would be very interested to see more type related iPhone apps coming. For instance what I would think will work great is a iPhone version of WhatTheFont. You make a photo of a typeface you are interested in, the iWhatTheFont will recognize the typeface and can view it online or buy the specific typeface.

Please share your ideas or suggestions of type-related iPhone Apps?

• Visit the website of OSXWerk for more information about FontViewer iPhone App.

Not for paper

Not for paper is a website dedicated to bring you some of the most exciting design work for screen. Work best realized away from a printed surface.

• Visit notforpaper for inspiration

Fuel your creativity rebrands

Adelle Charles manages the great design & inspiration website Fuel Your Creativity, she publishes frequently articles for a wide design audience. Recently FYC rebranded with a new logo and website layout. Congrats Adelle for this great achievement.

• Visit Fuel your creativity for more information

Write in Helvetica

If it would work I want one, my handwriting is terrible, so writing in Helvetica would be just great. Visit the website for more information about this pen writing tool.

Is Graphic Design Art?

There has been much talk about this website, Is Graphic Design Art?. When I first encountered this question I was intrigued by the fact people think about graphic design as art. In fact most people think graphic design is art. Lets take a look at the definitions.

Graphic Design: The term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation.
Art: Art is the process or product of deliberately and creatively arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions.

• So tell me is Graphic Design Art?

Submit your news

SignSphere is a montly collection of design related and inspirational topics, use the contact form to send in your materials. Thank you.

The winner of the book Letterrijk

All the comments until Friday 21st of November 2008 on the article about the Rijksoverheid participated in winning a free copy of the book Letterrijk. I have used random.org to choose the winner, see here for the complete list created by random.

Congratulations Jarret Fuller for winning the competition

If you want a copy of the book be sure to buy it quickly because of the low quantity available. You can find more information about the book Letterrijk at the website of the publisher.

• More information about Letterrijk at the publisher Uitgeverij de Buitenkant

Get your post stamps

As part promotion of the 1 Logo identity a special edition of december zegels has been printed and will be available to use during the upcoming holidays. Get yours and spread the identity!

Additional information about Rijksoverheid Sans/Serif

Fontshop published an extensive article about the Rijksoverheid typeface, written by Yves Peters. A thorough article with many examples of the typeface creation and printed results.

• Visit fontshop for this great article about Rijksoverheid

Upcoming articles at DWP

As things are evolving quickly at the moment I will continue regular posting on Monday, if you enjoy the content please subscribe to the free RSS feed to get the update in your favorite RSS reader.

Thanks again for your visit and have a great weekend!

Typeface: Rijksoverheid Serif / Sans

From the beginning of 2008 Peter Verheul was asked by studio Dumbar to take his typeface Versa and transform the typeface usable for a larger audience. He changed the look and feel of the Serif version of Versa Serif and created a complete new set of letters for the Sans version. The fonts are named Rijksoverheid Sans and Rijksoverheid Serif. The name of the typeface is recognizable as “government” and will be used in every way of visual communication. The Rijksoverheid Sans will be used mainly for headings of text and in signage or wayfinding systems. The Rijksoverheid Serif is used as bread letter for reading text. In just under nine months Peter Verheul managed to finalize the fonts and released them in four different variations, from Regular, Italic to Bold.

Designing the Rijksoverheid typeface

During the time of creation Peter Verheul did not have much time to take pictures (as said in his introduction speech) but he kept a note book full of drawings and notes of creating and designing the typefaces. After finishing the typefaces he donated them to Bijzondere Collecties, a Dutch important collection of valuable work from Dutch graphical, typographical- artists. The Bijzondere Collections hosts the booklet, first printouts and everything that is related in creating the typeface Rijksoverheid.

Letterijk book

Letterrijk Book is a story about the birth and why of creation the typeface Rijksoverheid written by Mathieu Lommen, published by De Buitenkant Publishers. The booklet covers everything from the start of the project and the combination with project 1 Logo, a story about how the typography started working together, with many drawn examples of early stages of letter design. It also covers the complete glyphs of the typeface variations, with over 700 glyphs each this typeface is multi-language proof. With the design of the typeface several key factors of demands where given to Peter Verheul and Studio Dumbar. The typeface should be easy to read, should not be too wide in order to reduce printing costs, it could be used for all forms of visual communication of the Dutch Government and every department will use it therefore it will reduce the costs of different typeface licenses. The typeface will function as a bridge between society and government, a typeface that everybody will feel comfortable with.

RijksoverheidSans

In this example above you can cleary see the use of Rijksoverheid Sans, an easy to read typeface with a large x-height. This allows maximum legibility for heading text, signage, wayfinding and other forms of visual identity. In the introduction speech Peter Verheul mentioned that he was impressed by the way the Sans version would be used for bread letter. He is interested to see the further development of Rijksoverheid Sans in this field.

RijksoverheidSerif

In the example above the Rijksoverheid Serif is the bread letter for reading text, I have read the booklet a couple of times and it seems to be a very legible typeface. Which will form the basis of the whole brand identity of the Dutch Government.

Project: 1 Logo

The Dutch government brand identity was not concise or consistent, with over 200 departments and ministries costs were rising of each department havigd their own logo, typeface, print materials, signage and everything that involves the visual communication of that department. There was not a direct link to society and confusion about the identity the government wants to presents themselves. Project 1 Logo was born to bring back all brand identity of the Dutch government and give one signal to society about what the government stands for. In a pitch several design studios participated in order to create 1 Logo, 1 brand, 1 identity, 1 way of communicating between society and government, coming all together as 1 government. From 2009 until 2011 every department should use the new logo and typeface in all forms of visual communication, a huge operation which involves many parties. I believe there will be a brand guideline from studio Dumbar to lead everything into the correct, concise and consistent use of the brand identity.

1 Logo Signage

We have been pleased to work on a mock-up signage nameplate for 1 logo project, the Rijksoverheid logo was engraved into an stainless steel nameplate.

Availability of Rijksoverheid Sans / Serif

At the moment only the parties involved in the brand identity process have access to Rijksoverheid typefaces, as the project 1 Logo evolves more designers will come across the typefaces and will give new direction to the look and feel of the Dutch Government.

Related information

• Studio Dumbar, the designer of 1 Logo identity.
• Dutch government website about project 1 Logo, Communicatieplein.
• Website of designer Peter Verheul

Comment and win Letterrijk Book

I have a free copy of the Book Letterrijk waiting for you, just comment in this post and random I will select one person who wins a copy of Letterijk Book. Closing in one week, Friday November 21st.

Signage systems & Information Graphics

The 336 counting pages book has a hard cover and is 28,5 x 24 cm. The pages read well and quickly you can find what you are looking for by the index. The text layout and choose of typography fits well and reads great, designed in a grid way (similar to how signage is designed). Andreas Uebele is a well known designer with the design identity agency in Germany “Büro Uebele”. They have managed to design many signage & information graphics projects in the last years, from airports, offices, library and more. The author describes the following elements of signage design:

• Signage design, typography and how to choose a typeface
• Production, planning and sign management
• Projects from sign designs from all over the world
• Extensive drawings and photos from sign projects

Typography & Signage

A key factor in signage design & information graphics is the choose of typography, with the choose of typeface you are able to make or break a design and its functionality. In the book is explained how to choose a typeface and what characteristics a certain typeface needs to have in order to be used in signage systems. Andreas Uebele mentions different typefaces that they used in projects and explains the differences between the mentioned typefaces. A good introduction into choosing a typeface for signage & information graphics. Further on in the introduction the book goes deeper into designing for signage and which methods to use in order to achieve an effective signage & wayfinding system. With various examples and drawings you quickly read how and what to design.

Sign Design

The book explains how to use proper color systems and how to place them into a environment to create a good working signage system. The author explains why they have chosen the color combination, typography and size of the airport signage project described in the book. A great insight in learning more about signage design. Further on there are more projects described and explained with extensive photo material and the actual production drawings. By the drawings you can get a good view of how the signage systems are designed and produced.

Signage projects from other designers

In the book are also described many other projects from different designers and design agencies than Buro Uebele, for instance Schiphol designed by Bureau Mijksenaar. There are various images and concept drawings aswel as the detailed information about typography, color use and more. By adding more information from other designers makes this book a must have reference guide into graphic design and signage systems. You get a clear insight of signage projects which control people in various fields of visual communication and showing them the way.

Availability of Signage systems & information graphics

This extensive signage graphics book is available from various resources, see the links below.

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (October 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500513791 and ISBN-13: 978-0500513798
• Buy from Amazon, Thames Hudsen and visit the corporate website from Büro Uebele.
• Available from around $65,-

Rulerplus

RulerPlus is a simple application for your iPhone / iPhone 3G / iPod Touch, providing you with a simple 7 cm / 2 inch ruler. Ruler+ let’s you take measurements quickly and easily. Ruler+ also allows you to extend the ruler. Simply move your iPhone to the right and press ‘+’ to create the extended ruler. Supports centimers / millimeters and inches.

OMNI Focus

OmniFocus for iPhone and iPod touch works great as a stand alone application or in conjunction with OmniFocus for Mac. It’s easy to sync your OmniFocus data between multiple Mac computers and your iPhone using your iDisk if you’re a MobileMe subscriber or a by using a generic WebDAV server.
Available for $19,99

AIR Sharing

Mount your iPhone or iPod touch as a wireless drive on any Mac, Windows, or Linux computer.
Drag-drop files between your iPhone or iPod touch and your computers.
View documents in many common format. Familiar Finder-like file browser. Prominent display of available space. Check the developers website for more info. Available for $ 6.99

OpticsCalc

OpticsCalc is a handy optical calculator for the iPhone and iPod Touch for everyone from students to engineers who know optical theory, but need a quick and efficient way to perform common calculations. It frees your mind from having to remember all the equations, and lets you concentrate on solving the problem at hand! Available for Eur 2.99

10base-t interactive

Mrmr is a technology that enables you to use ordinary cell phones and PDAs as controllers in audio-visual performances, or to participate in interactive museum exhibits, or to use your mobile device in the place of the mouse or trackpad from your full-size computer.

Airdesign Chair

Home Sizer is the perfect tool for anyone wanting to estimate the size and function of their dream home, or to just calculate the square footage of an existing home. Currently only provides for measurements in feet & inches. Available for $0,79

Palettes

Palettes is a productivity tool for creating and maintaining color palettes. You may create any number of palettes. Create palettes from images and web sites. Add colors from several color models, web sites, color lists, images, or by entering CSS color strings. Available for Eur 3,99

ZeptoPad

ZeptoPad changes as you add your ideas: sketch; mindmap; design; planning; and so on. You can scribble on the iPhone screen and also type text from the virtual keypad. You can drag and move text or picture elements at any time, cut, paste, and resize. When you meet other users of ZeptoPad, you can send a worksheet to another iPhone directly. ZeptoPad - the only limit is your imagination!
Available for $7,99

Things

Other task managers either oversimplify or are too difficult to use. Either way you are not getting stuff done. Things instead has the right balance between ease of use and powerful features. With Things’ elegance and beautiful design, procrastinating never looked less attractive.

BeamCalc

Enter the light’s height above the target and distance across the floor. BeamCalc shows the resulting throw distance and elevation angle. Enter the light’s beam size in degrees to calculate the pool width. Adjust beam size or location to achieve required pool size. BeamCalc works with any units: feet, inches, centimeters, … even miles. Available for Eur 1,59

ColorExpert

Color Expert contains powerful tools to help artists and designers identify, translate, capture and showcase color. Designers know inspiration can come anywhere at anytime. Just look around. Some of the best ideas are waiting for you in the real world away from the studio. Now with Color Expert, you’ll have the tools to capture the moment, the moment a color captures you. Available for $9,99

Files

Files allows you to store and view files on your iPhone or iPod touch. You can connect to Files from any Mac or PC and drag and drop files straight from the Finder or Windows Explorer, as you would with any other shared folder. In fact any client which understands the WebDAV protocol can connect to Files, available for £3.99.

BeamMe

beamME allows you do send your personal or business card from your iPhone to any other mobile device or computer, including BlackBerries, Android phones, Treos, Macs, PCs and more.

i41CX+

Advanced programmable and expandable RPN scientific calculator with virtual thermal printer/plotter suitable for a wide variety of scientific, engineering, mathematical, financial, and technical applications. Available for Eur 11,99

iBlueSky

BlueSky is a brainstorming and mind-mapping solution for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Collect and organise ideas you have at odd moments, then email the complete project in PDF and PNG formats to any contact. You can even print a hard copy of your work from the PDF file. Availabe for Eur 5,99

Equivalence

Equivalence is the last conversion tool you’ll ever need. Designed from the ground up by engineers and for engineers, Equivalence makes your tedious, day-to-day conversions between unit systems a breeze. Less intensive conversions are even easier, which makes it great for simple and advanced users alike. Available for Eur 3,99

Units

Units is a simple unit conversion utility for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Unlike most other unit converters, Units looks and works a lot like a calculator. You punch in digits and Units does the conversion on the fly. Easy for converting typographic points to milimeter or inches. Available for $0,99

Scale Rule

The app is essentially a caliper, the top and bottom jaws can be freely dragged while the distance between them is constantly updated in the middle. White areas are being measured, black areas are not. You can switch between metric or imperial measurements with one click. Selecting the scale button will give you a list of over 100 commonly used scales to choose from. Available for $0,79

Caliper

Adjustable caliper jaws for pixel-precise measurements
Multi-Touch control - move upper and lower caliper jaws simultaneously. Available for Eur 0.79

Google Calender

View your schedule from anywhere. Check your Google Calendar schedule from anywhere on your iPhone. Browse any day to see all scheduled events at a glance. Add events on the fly. Type event details, press “Add now” and you are good to go. Google Calendar will add the event to your schedule.

Order Design Work

Looking for a designer? Now you can get quotes on graphic design work directly off your iPhone/iPod touch. You can choose from iPhone pages, widgets, websites, logo design, postcards, business cards, brochures, 3D images, and even flash and 3D animation. 18 years of experience with clients such as a PGA tournament, Miller Brewing, NBC Universal, Snap-On Tools, Johnson Wax, American Heart Association and many small and mid size companies.

Dexigner News & Events

Dexigner application delivers latest design news, events, exhibitions, conferences, and design competitions. Get latest design news, current & upcoming design events and design competitions from Dexigner Design Portal on your iPhone/iPodTouch.

Show me your favourite iPhone Apps

Please let me know in the comments about your favourite iPhone app that changed the way you design have another workflow or any other purpose your want to share. Thank you!