Meanwhile #071
Berthold Wolpe and the wonderful world of Tupperware.
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 completeness.
This weekend, the Type Archive is opening its doors to the public. Visitors will get to view its immense collection of type and experience a range of processes, from casting type to letterpress printing. I had the privilege of delving into the archive last year when I worked on Monotype’s Berthold Wolpe exhibition – it’s an absolute treasure trove, a must-visit for all designers. It’s open for one day only, so grab a ticket if you can.
Umberto Eco’s Antilibrary – why unread books are more valuable to our lives than read ones. In short: we should surround ourselves with what we do not know. Also, when amassed just so, all those old Pelicans make very pretty insulation. #antilibrarian4VR
An intimidatingly enormous archive of book covers by Spanish designer Daniel Gil (1930–2004).
What of the lowly page number? Far from being a utilitarian afterthought, an astonishing number of design choices go into pagination.
Ethan Marcotte has some thoughts on Duplex, Google’s horrible new human-impersonating-thing. Or maybe he doesn’t. Maybe his fridge wrote a simulacrum of his thoughts because it thought that’s what people might like to read and it was only trying to be helpful and yes this is the beginning of the end.
AI needs Dungeons and Dragons, not chess. Do we need a new test for intelligence, where the goal is not simply about clear paths to victory or defeat, but storytelling?
A trip around the world’s subway typography. Any design article that begins with a warning about how big the images are has to be worth a look.
The Prince Estate website – essentially one big annotated discography – is really rather good. I wish all great artists’ legacies were handled this well.
Napflix streams content to fall asleep to, but it may also be of interest to those who like to have something on in the background while they work. Current shows include Tour de France 1992, The Wonderful World of Tupperware and the classic Matthew McConaughey Watching Rain.
The art of war – disguised in pearls and a suit, Jill Gibbon goes to weapons fairs and covertly draws the attendees, revealing the hidden faces of those hawking the tools of mass destruction.
I found my old Myspace page and then got to thinking about Trigger’s broom and the impermanence of everything. Everything. Except newsletters, obviously.
That is all.