AisleOne Essentials

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I’m big on books, not only for their aesthetic value but also for their educational value. Duuuuhhhhh!!!!!

Anyway, it think it’s important for any designer to have a good collection of design oriented books from which they can seek inspiration, ideas and knowledge.

So I’ve put together an Amazon store called AisleOne Essentials to act as a single place for all designers to find the most essential books on graphic design, typography and grid systems. These are all “must reads” in my opinion.

The collection will grow over time so keep checking back for the latest books and I also welcome you all to send me suggestions. If you know of a book that should be included please let me know. Thanks.        

Doane Paper Giveaway has Ended!

The giveaway has now ended and the winners have been contacted by email. Thanks to everyone for the great response and for participating. I definitely plan to do more of these so stay tuned for more free goodies!

I want to thank again Chad of Doane Paper for supplying the notebooks and making this possible. Thanks!        

Doane Paper Utility Notebook Giveaway

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I’m proud to announce the very first AisleOne giveaway! This site has generated a great following and it’s time for me to give back to you guys so in partnership with Doane Papers we’re giving away 3 packs of 3 Utility Notebooks!

What is Doane Papers and what are Utility Notebooks?
Doane Papers is a company by Chad Doane that makes pads and notebooks featuring his patent pending Grid+Lines stationery design that combines the benefits of grid and ruled lines onto a single sheet of paper. The Utility Notebook makes use of Grid+Lines pattern in a small and portable notebook.

How do I win?
There are 3 easy ways to win:

  • 1. Leave a comment on this post. (Make sure to supply a valid email address when submitting a comment.)
  • 2. Subscribe to the RSS feed (Click the link or you can subscribe below.)
  • 3. Subscribe to daily email updates below.

Do all three and increase your chances of winning.

***On Sunday December 7th I will randomly select 3 winners and will announce them on Monday December 8th.***

I want to thank Chad for supplying the notebooks and good luck to everyone. Please make sure to use a valid email address when adding a comment or subscribing that way I can contact you if you win.

Utility Notebook Features
Constructed by Portland’s Pinball Publishing
Notebook Size – 3.5” x 5.5”
Grid Size – .125” (.3175 cm) x .125” (.3175 cm)
Wide (Legal) Ruled Line Spacing
48 Pages per notebook
100 LB Cover Stock covers
80 LB Text Stock content pages
Rugged 3 staple saddle-stitch binding
Made in the U.S.A.        

The Brilliant Work of Jean Widmer

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I have no clue how I’ve never heard of Jean Widmer. I’m disappointed in myself but I’m also giddy from the discovery! This morning I came across this brief article over at Grain Edit that includes some of Widmer’s work. I was instantly blown away and had to know more about this talented designer. I spent most of the morning researching Widmer and his work. Here’s what I’ve found.

Jean Widmer is a Swiss graphic designer who is responsible from introducing Swiss modernism into French graphic design and who eventually became a leader of the graphic design community in France for more than 40 years. Up until recently Widmer ran an agency in France called Visuel Design.

Unfortunately, much of his work is very difficult to find, online or in print. Pictured above are posters he designed for the Centre de Creation Industrielle which are just breathtaking. A few years back there was an massive exhibition of Widmer’s work at the Centre Pompidou in France. You can see some photos of the event here, here and here.

There was also an exhibit at the Herb Lubalin Study Centre of Design and Typography at Cooper Union in New York that was held from Autumn 2002 to 2003. The exhibition, “Jean Widmer, a devotion to modernism, itinerary of a designer from Zurich to Paris” featured a large collection of Widmer’s work and was accompanied by a 96 page catalogue. Gotta see if I can get my hands on that one. Anyway, here is a small gallery of the Cooper Union exhibit.

And finally, here is an interview with Widmer conducted by Graphis. Apparently Josef Müller-Brockmann was a big influence on him. Nice!        

80 20 100 Catalogue

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Eye Magazine just posted some images of the Crouwel 80 20 100 exhibit catalogue designed by David Quay. Very nice indeed. I love how all the pages have a visible grid. One unfortunate thing about catalogue is that a good chunk of it is in black and white. Bummer.

You can download a PDF version of the catalogue to get a good look at it or you can order a copy for yourself and enjoy it in the comfort of your home.

The Vivid Gallery site has a small photo gallery of the event. I wish I were able to attend. Did anyone get to go? How was it?
       

Sneak Peak of a New Typeface

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I recently started working on a new typeface. I’m still in the early stages but I do like where it’s going with the curved edges and slightly condensed design. The plan is the do a full upper & lower case set in bold and regular with a large x-height for the lower case characters.

You can see a few more shots on my Flickr page. I’ll be updated this page as the work progresses.