This is an old edition of Meanwhile from an inferior, more simian newsletter platform that has unhelpfully severed all the hyperlinks. It’s included here in the archive simply for sake of completion.
Erik Fail
Creative Review looks at Failed It!, Erik Kessels' new book about the fine art of making mistakes. He argues (and illustrates) that imperfections, happy accidents and incorrect jigsaws are all important parts of the creative process. Would make a fine companion piece to the recently re-published A Smile in the Mind. Related: how to design a book by punching yourself in the face.
How can we be sure old books were ever read?
Can we ever be certain? Do they have dog ears? Particular tearings? Illegible but considered notes in the margins? Oily fingerprints? Bookmarks? Stray ribbons? Hapless smudgery? Highlighting? Uncut pages? Chicken footprints? Are there chicken footprints? Are you sure those are chicken footprints? Why are there chicken footprints?
Ace Jet 170
You probably already know about Richard Weston's thoroughly excellent blog, which has been around since the dawn of time, but here's a reminder anyway. If you're not familiar with it, you ignorant fool, it's everything a design blog should be: personal, insightful, funny. Plus there are more lovely photographs of old books and maps and things than you can shake a stick at. There are also photographs of sticks.
70% of nothing is nothing
No matter how financially horrifying traditional publishing might be, Ros Barber explains why for her it's much preferable to the flimsy world of self-publishing. I'm not sure I completely agree with everything here, but Barber raises some interesting points about the hazards of bridging the professional-amateur divide.
Design Facts™
Type designer and illustrator William Addison Dwiggins is credited with coining the term, “graphic design” in 1922 … First copies of the U.S. Declaration of Independence were printed in Caslon, a font designed by a British typographer … Alvin Lustig was an accomplished magician as a teenager and a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians … and so on and so forth.
That is all.