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 »

Thanks to Systemic MichaelK42 for posting a link to this awesomeness in the (still raging) comments section of the “Bike Rep” comic from Friday. Too great to not share and bring up. Thanks, MichaelK42!

Next up is an infographic spotted about the overuse of infographics that aren’t really more than a chart or graph with some pretty colors on top. This is only the top section to give you a taste, go check out more here. LINK »

Finally, check out this Awesome Parfait by Carolyn Sewell! It’s pretty awesome. LINK »

It’s now totally too late to enter into the CUPCAKE SANDWICH contest. A whopping TWELVE amazing and totally valid entries have crossed the inbox!  While we are figuring out how to best tally the votes (some special ideas have been planned) here are a few errata that have come up on the topic of cupcakes and sandwiches that can hold you over as we produce some final judgments:

First up is Systemic Rachel “ROFLcon” Mercer’s link to the Cupcake Hamburger Sandwich. It looks amazing and if she’d sent me some of these little goodies, I’d be hers forever she totally would’ve been in the running for the grand prize. LINK »

Next comes a link from Systemic Kate, an article on Jezebel titled Bakery Backlash: It’s A Cupcake, Not A Puppy. Clearly some people haven’t tried THE SANDWICH yet.  LINK »

Finally, via Systemic Cledwyn via Soon-to-be-Systemic Andrew Sullivan (once SOMEONE can find me his address and I mail him a BEARDS shirt) comes a blog called Dudes with Beards Eating Cupcakes. Combines my love for the CUPCAKE SANDWICH with my love of BEARDS. LINK »

The first in a possibly exhaustive series on how to be an expert.

HEY EXPLOSM FANS! Thanks to my good friends Rob (the drinker), Kris (the “Funniest Man on the Internet”), Matt (the other drinker) and Dave (possibly another drinker) for posting The System on their site as “Stuff We Like”. I noticed right off when people started commenting on early comics. That’s generally a pretty good giveaway.

For those of you who are fans of Explosm, while I suggest you bookmark the site and read it religiously, I may also suggest you might want to check out some comics in the past on Jimmy the Murderdog, Explosions, Batman and possibly farts. Of course there’s plenty more on biking, coffee, typography, and (my favorite) rules and terms that may just tickle your oh-so-refined fancy.

A little behind the scenes: Apologies for the late-in-the-day updates, the lack of consistency, etc. While there is always the RSS feed, the comic is still being churned out as fast as I can. A little bit of real life has trickled into the process, but rest assured more are coming and I’m trying to keep to the Mon / Wed / Fri schedule as best I can. Of course with none from last Friday, I’ll try to make that up this week as a show of good faith to you loyal Systemics out there.

He could use some of that "sight beyond sight."

Amazing illustrator / comicker / colorist Dean Trippe has put together a series of images that are pretty much what they sound like. Here’s the first in the series, and pretty much gives you an idea of what you’re in for. LINK »

A lot of you guys are nice enough to send me links to things. They’re generally pretty awesome but tend to build up in my inbox or sitting in a tab to remind me on my browser. Here’s a few of them:

A bad font pun thanks to Systemic Krystyna. LINK »

Systemic Nick sends in a link to a recent episode of The Daily Show. Around minute 4 watch out for a drawing that looks eerily similar to Jimmy the Murderdog… LINK »

Systemic Cledwyn sends word of a typeface that is dynamically generated based on a photo of your face. Sadly not available for download, but the videos seem awesome. LINK »

That’s all for now. See you guys soon! Feel free to send more cool stuff my way, I may just post it.

Systemic Danielle sends in this link to a place that does vanity barcodes in shapes and styles that add meaning and intent to the otherwise boring images. They still scan fine, but now have some intent. As far as design motifs go, borrowing from barcodes has been done a bunch through the years. It ranks up there with light bulbs and eyes as go-to imagery, though normally to make critiques of commercialism. This is actually for commercialism which I guess sets it apart. Food for thought I guess, eh? LINK »

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 »

PRE-ORDER THIS SHIRT! »

Since starting up HilariAwesome.com, there are a series of shirts I knew I wanted to do straight away. Kinda like how Pixar planned out their first 5 movies in one big lunch meeting, here is my Wall•E. The best shirt ever. Based on this comic, here is a shirt for people who have beards, love them, or just like awesome shirts.

Speaking of awesome, I cannot take full responsibility for this shirt. Fellow beard enthusiast and amazing illustrator Bryan Prindiville is the hand that actually drew the final product. How amazing is that?

Right now the shirt is in PREORDER, which means that:

• It’s cheaper.
• It will take a little longer to get it to you.
• Ordering it helps me order more.
• You are in on the ground floor of awesome.
• It helps me afford a better bottle of scotch to “pay” the illustrator.

PRE-ORDER THIS SHIRT! »

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!