Wordle to the wise

Tried wordle.net yet? If not, you should. It's a playful typography tool that makes "word clouds" from text you choose. I used text from the Mark Strand poem posted below.

Enjoy.

Go to 'Helvetica'

Finally, the sleeper hit of 2007 has arrived. Yup, it's a movie about a typeface.

"Helvetica" the movie celebrates the typeface's 50th birthday by identifying the relationship between typography and our everyday lives, and does so by pointing out the many manifestations of the popular font, as well as interviewing well-known contemporary designers.

Maybe I missed the boat on this one, since the film seems to have already made the festival circuit (and even stopped by D.C.'s Corcoran Gallery this past September), but, as the holiday season approaches, the DVD will most certainly make a stellar gift idea for burgeoning designers. (Mom, are you reading this?)

More e.e.

I know. I already posted a bit about e.e. cummings. But having recently presented his poetry to the class (and cited him as a typographical influence), I thought I'd tell you why to read e.e. cummings.

Or at least let Billy Collins tell you why you should read him.