The best way to descripe this site is SomeECards meets graphic design. A great fun microsite from the people at Aquent. Oh, and the web address is http://www.iameffed.com/. LINK »

Two quick awesome typography links!

First from Systemic AmyC, who sends a link to a set of moustache brackets in a ton of different fonts. Above you see one row of many, but I had to show the Hoefler. It was just to classy.  Check it out and let me know which one is your favorite! LINK »

This one from Systemic Greg is a great ampersand eye chart. Check out all the other photos of the real poster (which you can order), it has some beautiful printing / pressing going on.  LINK »

If you’re an NYC dweller or a big fan of Lennie “Careless Disregard for Human Life” Brisco, you’ve seen the iconic coffee cups pictured above. Unfortunately the designer of this famous cup, Leslie Buck, has passed on to the great coffee cup in the sky. May his bodega keep stocked in all his favorite foods.

BoingBoing had a shout-out to this, as did the NY Times.

If you ever have trouble picking a typeface, check out this handy flow chart that leads you through the process. It’s not just handy, it’s also really funny. “Everybody loves Garamond” and the like.

• Via Inspiration Labs »
• The Designer’s site »
• Link to the big chart »

Also one on the trustworthiness of beards. Thanks to all the people who sent this in!

• Link to the big image »
• Link to the creator »

I’m honored to be a guest speaker at the Day in the Life Design Conference this Saturday, April 24, at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). The talk, Designer and the Community, will focus 95% on my day-job work at Free Range Studios, but also include tidbits from The System and my exploits fighting crime.

This is my first public design conference-type talk, so it is bound to be momentous one way or another. Here’s their writeup on me.

It’s not cheap, with student tickets starting at $85 for the day (though by design conference standards that’s pretty cheap and includes food and drink), but the lineup of talks and speakers looks damn interesting. Ellen “Thinking with Type” Lupton will be speaking for one. Hope I can sell her a HELL Vetica shirt.

Post in the comments if you’re planning on attending! My session is in the morning, so come early. If you can’t make it, check out the Super Art Fight event also in the area at CHS Otaku Fest that day.

I was getting sick of all that Helvetica all the time, thought I’d try a new style to start the new month. What do you think?

A couple days ago I had quite a beard, but instead of just shaving the whole thing off I did so in parts, with pictures along the way. Past the Chester and the Wolverine I made my way to The Cop Stache. What a wonderful reason to send a photo to Axe Cop, right?  Well the brothers Axe Cop deemed it worthy of posting on their Head Choppers page. Call me X-Acto Cop! Click through to see me with a killer ‘stache. LINK »

A couple days ago, somehow, I caught wind of a Twitter contest run by fellow graphic designer / webtoonist Carolyn.  Somehow I won, and this is the resulting piece! A great comic full of graphic design humor and bad puns, both favorites of mine (and most of you). LINK »

Last week in preparation for SXSW I asked for some guest comics to help pad the blow of getting back into the swing of things. Katie Sekelsky of Magpie Luck was kind enough to take me up on the challenge. Her comic is a beautifully drawn tale of a time traveler trying to set the world right, but she clearly knows what it’s like to be a designer. Good on ya, Katie!

Btw, I am generally on the lookout for guest comics. If you do a good one, I’ll probably post it. Send it over to systemcomic at gmail, but be warned that if I don’t like it I may not post. So make it a good one!

From Systemic Brian comes this series of columns over at The Slate all about signage and wayfinding. It covers how standards were formed (Interstate vs Clearview even) all the way through Step 5 so far, about exit signs and their varied forms. If you’re at all interested in the design choices that get made with this stuff and what a large undertaking such a key part of our traveling infrastructure is, I definitely suggest you check out all in the 5-part series. Part 6 will be up by the time you guys see this as well, with something about online maps based on the graphic.

• Part 1: The Secret Language of Signs (Focusing on the highway system)
  
• Part 2: Lost in Penn Station (NYC subway signs!)
• Part 3: Legible London (Trying to navigate London and its Underground)
• Part 4: Do You Draw Maps? (Submit your own!)
• Part 5: The War Over Exit Signs

Thanks for sending it my way, Brian! Damn interesting! If you find anything, send it over to systemcomic at gmail!

Thanks to Systemic Christina for the link.  And it’s even a steampunk book cover! Via BoingBoing. LINK »