Font & Typeface Humor

We all have that font or fonts that absolutely drive us crazy. As a designer, my list is probably longer than most. The usual suspects to be included on a most hated list are Arial, Helvetica, Comic Sans, Hobo, Brush Script, Papyrus, etc. Some of these are hated more for their abusive usage than any qualms about their quality. Except for Comic Sans. Fuck that font. Fuck. It.

Helvetica is an incredibly well made font and is extremely useful in a lot of design situations. Because of that fact EVERYONE uses it. Everyone. Every. One. Hence the inclusion on many "Most Hated" lists.

I just had a client request to use Comic Sans on his business cards. On his BUSINESS CARDS! A business card is, in most cases, the first impression that a potential customer will get about your company. You want it to be as professional as possible. Or, at the very least, you don't want it to look like it was done in Crayon by your 3-year-old niece.

In honor of my current twitchiness, I thought I would share a bit of font and typeface humor that I have collected over the years.

Hey, can you use comic sans instead?" - Client

Helvetica Makes Me Sick.

This is for using Comic Sans, you bastard! 

Arial.

Papyrus, Comic Sans, Times New Roman.

Comic Sans

Comic Sans is no joke.

Papyrus is the worst font.

Comic Sans

Comic Sans

Comic Sans

I think you are more perfect than Helvetica.

I shot the serif.

Comic Sans.

Comic Sans.

Hobo, Comic Sans, Papyrus.

Franklin Gothic.

Remember Them.



Remember Them.

Memorial Day. Everyday.

I think the image will speak for itself.



Memorial Day. Everyday.

3D View in Firefox = Mind. Blown.

I normally run Opera browser for my day to day internet use. No real reason, it is just what I am accustomed to. Over the years I have bounced around from IE to Firefox to Chrome to Opera and back and forth and back and forth. Today I decided to try out Firefox again because I hadn't used it in a while.

I was trying to tweak a few things on a site I am working on so I right clicked and selected "Inspect Element". While I was inspecting teh elements I saw a little button in the bottom right corner that said "3D View". So I clicked it. Mind = Blown.

Here is a screen shot of a site in 3D View. Pretty freakin' sweet.




Pinterest in 3D

Dudes Pinterest Too!

So the other day I admitted to my Pinterest addiction. Since then I have paid a bit closer attention to the male:female ratio on the site. While it is still very much female dominated, there are a few men on there making a good show of things. More and more men are joining the site everyday and bringing valued and original content along with them. I think it is a good thing for the site. While I don't see men going for a hostile takeover of the site, I do sense a growing community of men that will bring a different perspective of the things we're already accustomed to seeing there.

Ladies, just remember...



Dudes Pinterest Too

Fantasy Football Season is almost here!

I am a complete Fantasy Football addict. I am not ashamed of this in any way. I wish my life were like a season of The League. Sadly, my friends suck and aren't into Fantasy Football. And they're just not as cool as the folks on The League so it wouldn't work out either way.



Yahoo! Sports - Fantasy Football



I normally play over at Yahoo and just join random open leagues but this year I am also going to try to get a league together at work. A few of the guys here are into football and have expressed interest in joining a league so we'll see how it goes. If nothing else it will give us all something to do once the Fantasy Fishing league is over.

Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing

Yes, there is a Fantasy Fishing league. Seriously. I couldn't make that shit up. Several of the guys, along with myself, have a Fantasy Fishing league here at the office. It provides endless hours of smack-talking and we even do a little plaque/trophy for the winner. Yeah, we get bored.

Anyway, June 1st is when sign-ups are open for Yahoo Fantasy Football. I'm so effin' ready. If anyone is interested in joining a league, holler.

I have a confession to make... I am addicted to Pinterest.

So a few weeks ago I noticed that my girlfriend was obsessively perusing some website that I'd never seen before. My first thought was "Ooooh... Pretty colors..." Yeah, I have ADHD. Anyway, I ask what she is looking at and she tells me about this awesome site she's been checking out called Pinterest.

Of course, I had heard the word but I didn't really have any idea what the site was all about.

Kind of like Google+. All my friends were using it but I had resisted the demons and never checked it out. Once I did, I was extremely disappointed. Google+ sucks. Period. No debate.

But Pinterest... Oh, Pinterest... You crafty vixen. You... You had me the first time I saw a DIY pin about re-purposing wine bottles. Or it may have been the homemade Kimchi recipe...

Either way, I'm hooked. I'm an addict. I admit it and I am not ashamed (much) of it!

Graphic Design-Related Humor

Being a graphic designer can be an awesome job. It can also be incredibly stressful, thankless, mind-numbing, migraine-inducing... Well, you get the picture.

Sometimes we just have to do things to amuse ourselves.

Motorola V551 - The most awesome phone I've ever owned.

So I was checking out Jim's latest post over at his blog, Jim's Fear, about his new phone. He recently upgraded to an iPhone 4 but was singing the praises of his longtime companion, the Samsung Blackjack. This made me reminisce a bit about some of the phones I have owned over the years. I've never been one to use the same phone for an extended period of time but I always have at least one or two backups that stay with me for a while.

The one phone that has been a constant in my life for quite a few years now is the Motorola V551.

Yes, it is a flip phone. Don't judge me! I loved this thing from the day I bought it and I still love it. While I couldn't use it as a daily gadget these days, I still bring it out from time to time if I know there is a chance I might be taking an unintentional fall or swim. Fishing and camping trips are when it sees the most use these days. To me though, it is still the perfect cell phone. Obviously, I don't even put most of the newer devices into the "cell phone" category. My iPhone is not a cell phone, its a damn computer.

But the Motorola V551 is just a phone. And it does its job well. The best sound quality of any phone I've ever owned. It had insane battery life and was just tough. It has been dropped and kicked and thrown and otherwise just generally abused and it has never once had a single operational issue. Sure, it isn't the most beautiful thing in the world, but I still love it.

Letterhead Fonts... Epicness in Typography.

As a designer I am always searching for that perfect font. I recently came across a company that was putting out high-quality fonts on a level that hasn't been seen in the industry for quite some time. The guys over at Letterhead Fonts are making font packages available that can really step your game up when it comes to signage and logo design. Especially if you're looking for that retro look.

I find myself constantly going back to these as my standard go-to fonts for a lot of my design projects. They're definitely worth a look.

And speaking of caffeine...

DO WANT.

Coffee Coffee Coffee COFFEE!

So what kind of geek would I be without a severe addiction to caffeine? I've spent a lot of time experimenting with different methods of brewing coffee to find that elusive, mythical being known as "the perfect cup". While I have yet to discover it, I have found something that is damn close. I'm sure many of you have heard of a new-ish product called the Aeropress. I'm pretty sure there is a cheesy infomercial floating around out there somewhere. All gimmicks aside though, the thing works.

Here is how this little beauty works: You insert the circular filter into the base and screw the water cylinder on. Then you place it over your favorite mug and dump in two scoops of coffee. Pour in the desired amount of boiling or very hot water, give it a stir, then push the plunger down. The theory is that the air pressure used to push the water through the coffee gives you a bit of an espresso experience. While the result is nothing very close to an espresso, you do get a very flavorful coffee "concentrate". Lots of people will then add more hot water for your standard "Americano" or just drink it straight for a really nice "kick".

I go back and forth with it, depending on my mood. The point is, the thing is versatile. I even use it to filter my cold brew coffee instead of waiting for it to drip through a filter. Just pop in a filter, pour your cold brew in and push it through. Really cuts down on the filtering time.

For anyone that is a serious coffee addict, I highly recommend this product.

Guess who's back. Back again. Geek's Paradise is back. Tell a friend.

I know, I know. I'm horrible at keeping this blog updated. But, you know, life gets in the way sometimes. Things are going well though. About to get back into school. Work is going well. Blah Blah Blah. Long story short, I'm back and ready to slap you upside the head with more geekiness.

Stay tuned, kiddos.