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.

iMade an iMovie

I've learned a lot in this class. Especially since I knew practically nothing about design before Words and Images started. Obviously, I'm a long way from being a professional, but Pub Design doesn't seem quite as intimidating anymore. There were plenty of times I felt discouraged throughout the semester, but all along I knew I just had to keep working hard. Before the semester ends, I'll almost certainly feel discouraged again (damn you revisions!), and there's no way I'll breeze through future classes without breaking a sweat. Finally, though, I've created something I'm proud of.

Granted, my iMovie still needs a ton of work--volume levels, timing and at least one "blooper" I know of--but I know how hard I worked on this, and that means a lot to me. True, I've already turned it in and gotten a grade on it, but I had so much fun making this I'm sure I'll edit it some more once the labs open next semester.

Anyway, I know it's not perfect, but enjoy.

Shuffle up and deal

Not only does this blog have a great name, but it's where I discovered this set of cards by Robert Coover, which are actually a short story called "Heart Suit." It's brilliant, because you can read the cards in any order and they should still make sense.

I haven't gotten my hands on a set, but the concept definitely piqued my interest. And, in case you were wondering, Grand Text Auto found out about Coover's story on McSweeney's.

Final show and tell?

I don't really collect much. I have a bunch of CDs and books, I suppose, but I try to avoid collecting things because it often turns to clutter (and I've already got enough of that).

I do, however, keep a bunch of Baltimore stickers all around my desk at work: Charm City Roller Girls, Baltimore Tattoo Museum, Sound Garden and a bunch of others. I guess they help keep me focused. Besides, looking at them is far better than staring at the inside of a grey cube all day.

By the way, I wasn't even close. The "Get In On It" campaign only cost a half million.

Rate hike

Guess everyone saw iStock's raising its prices in '08. It's not that much, I guess, but it adds up. Buying photos is like buying gas: You need it, and you're gonna buy it no matter what it costs. Aren't you?

Dying to show, dying to tell

When asked to bring in something I'd been dying to share with the class, I brought "Selected Poems" by Mark Strand. Many times this semester I've thumbed through the book looking for something that might fulfill the requirements of a particular show and tell. Finally.

Strand is one of my favorite poets because of his vivid use of imagery. I can often "see" the landscapes and situations created by his poems. (To actually see Strand, though, reading a poem, click here.) And though Strand's imagery and metaphor often convey dark themes, his poetry ultimately creates a message of hope. Here's the text for the poem I chose to read in class:

Eating Poetry
By Mark Strand

Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.

The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.

The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.

Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.

She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
she screams.

I am a new man.
I snarl at her and bark.
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.

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?)