August 2009 Archives

IKEA leaves Futura for... Verdana?

In an effort to unify their screen and print presence, Swedish flat-pack giant IKEA has made the incredulous move from IKEA Sans (a derivative of Futura) to Verdana, the web core font developed by Microsoft in 1996. Ubiquitous on the web, Verdana is rarely seen in print.

According to IKEA’s Ivana Hrdlickova the switch was necessitated by their wish to use the same typeface in all countries as the current typefaces only contain the Latin characters.

Verdana has been with us on the web, where it has served well, since the days of Internet Explorer 3 - but it is probably safe to say that its proliferation has made the typeface more than a little bland. We’ll leave you with the words of Adam Lisagor:

I guess what I’m trying to say is I want a typeface to take control of a situation. Smack me around a little and tell me what’s wrong with my body, then sell me a TV stand and make me assemble it myself without any tools or clothes, all the while throwing meatballs and lingonberry at my problem areas.

1251383880 · Nicklas Persson · Follow Us on Twitter

Mr Chimero's Creative Profession

One of a series of ‘Inspirational Design Posters’ by Frank Chimero (one half of Questionable Characters), Creative Profession amply demonstrates the fact that Mr Chimero’s profession allows him to be as creative as possible. Mr Chimero states:

There’s a designer version of everything now, or so it seems: raps on YouTube about design ‘gangstas’, t-shirts talking about kerning, and hundreds and hundreds of designer in-jokes that get pushed along the internet’s tubes. I consider these posters my contribution to the monologue.

Spot on and available to purchase via his shop.

[Via Swiss Miss.]

1249496820 · Christopher Murphy · Follow Us on Twitter

Glammer Cards

The simplest ideas are often the best. Amply demonstrated by these beautifully designed business cards for the Glammer Education Institute of Hair Design.

[Via Quipsologies.]

1249495620 · Christopher Murphy · Follow Us on Twitter

Top Tip No. 0001

Courtesy of Carsonified’s one and only Mr Ryan Carson, this Top Tip is just one of the (undiscovered until today) reasons we use bit.ly for our tweets.

1249495020 · Christopher Murphy · Follow Us on Twitter

Oxt Weekend

The internet has found a way for you to simply say, “The weekend after this coming weekend.” (Always a little confusing… which weekend exactly?) Try, “Oxt weekend,” instead.

Try Oxt Weekend, as recommended by Lifehacker.

1249424760 · Christopher Murphy · Follow Us on Twitter

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HTML and CSS Web Standards Solutions

Learn how to build hand-crafted web pages using well-structured XHTML and lean and efficient CSS. By embracing a web standards approach, HTML and CSS Web Standards Solutions enables you to create web sites that not only look great in all modern browsers, but are also accessible to a wide variety of audiences across a range of platforms - from those browsing on everyday computers, to those accessing the web on the latest, emerging mobile devices.

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The Authors

In addition to their role as lecturers in interactive design at the University of Ulster at Belfast, where they have been active in promoting a web standards-based curriculum, Christopher Murphy and Nicklas Persson are practicing designers and digital artists. Their work has featured in a variety of design books and magazines alongside numerous internationally respected designers and they are regular speakers at design conferences and workshops worldwide.

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