The Little Know-It-All provides the fundamental information designers need to know to thrive in their growing field of practice. This updated edition is an indispensable manual of the knowledge currently required of designers as the evolution of media redefines their role and expands the disciplines in which they must be competent.

I was interested to see that a 7-chapter long book could cover the basics of design practice. Admittedly, I like the title. If you need to brush up on colour theory, printing methods, type basics or digital media, the fundamentals are here.

“For people seriously in love with type” comes a new quarterly print magazine named Codex. The first issue features the likes of Christian Schwartz and Paul Barnes, Paul Shaw, Stephen Coles and Erik Spiekermann.

Available to purchase for only US $27, lovingly designed by Working Format, the magazine explores historical and modern topics on the craft of typography, calligraphy, lettering, letters and text.

In the team’s own words:
Codex is a hybrid of magazine and journal. Beautifully designed, visually appealing, an immersive experience with a lively voice, it is also serious about its subject: authoritative, scholarly at times, but not dry in tone. It’s serious, but not stuffy. It loves the people, tools, and type associated with this craft, from the man carving beautiful cherubim into wood blocks in the 1400s to brilliantly formed modern interpretations and departures. It embraces the web and is watchful for the future’s classics.

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Images above © Working Format

I am reading Eli Pariser’s The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You.

It’s a compelling read for anyone active on the Internet and, perhaps, a little complacent about the increasing personalization that’s occurring in that realm.

We all know ads are tailored to our interests and previous clicks, but did you know that Google’s search results will differ wildly from one person to the next? If searching for Egypt, I might get vacation spots and quaint fauna; you might get civil unrest and business opportunities. The so called-personalized algorithmic filters that make this discrepancy possible are in effect deciding for you what you might be interested in seeing.

Even when you’re logged out, Google uses 57 signals—such as browser, device or location—to decide things about you. What’s more, the opacity of this practice has many of us mistakenly believing we have access to a common Internet.

Let’s bring this back to a simpler context. What happens when you spend prolonged amounts of time by yourself, with no one to contradict you or challenge your beliefs, knowledge or habits? You get set in your ways. You become a little self-righteous and a little inflexible. You become leery of otherness because you are rarely asked to exercise your ability for tolerance, understanding and learning.

Eli Pariser contends that what he terms the You spiral—the potentially ever-narrowing circle of personal biases—is a threat to democracy. I agree. Code should not decide what each individual needs to know. I’m not opposed to personalization if I am included in its control but filters to information must be visible. Anything else is censorship disguised as convenience.

In a world where democracy is eroding and the notion of Welfare State an anachronism, it is crucial for us all to better understand or at least acknowledge one another. This requires being exposed to conflicting points of view because it is that constant challenge to our propensity for certainty that makes being human worthwhile.

Is this an over-reaction in your view?
Here is an introduction to Pariser’s stance.

An effort of Pixar alumnus William Joyce and his team at Moonbot, the app illustrates wonderfully how a rich story can be amplified by a judicious use of medium. It’s a wonderful cross between animation and picture books in the already magical world of the iPad.

The app is for iPad only and is available for $4.99; the short film is on iTunes for $1.99.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App Trailer from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

A wonderful diversion for a cloudy Tuesday morning.

How to draw a simple bird from Marion Deuchars on Vimeo.

The amazing thing about design inspiration blog is that there’s a seemingly endless demand for them. I know because, every time I blog about something that’s related to design practice in general, rather than design as a tool for social change, the traffic is exponentially greater.

This site offers Rockport a natural source of qualified leads for their bookstore since almost any story can be linked to a topic for which there is a how-to or reference book but it’s simply a rich, generalist design site with tidbits for everyone, from the established designer to the neophyte. The only common denominator as far as audience goes might be an affinity for “design fanatics”.

The video section includes a selection on a variety of topics, from self-promos to animations. Below, is an old favourite of mine. We needed another place to while hours away gawking at beautiful things, didn’t we?

Part game, part interactive reading experience, part shop, the new site created in partnership with Sony, is generating a lot of buzz and anticipation. If you’re one of the lucky few to be able to “follow the owl” and make your way into the site early, you may be involved in shaping the final experience. Ah, to be a muggle worthy of wizards; you can dream, can’t you?

Lovely short clip about the making of the 33rd issue of London-based film magazine Little White Lies. Incidentally, the website is also full of handy links, interviews and reviews. Thanks to Creative Review for the tip.

I am happily re-reading A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink’s foray into why “right-brainers will rule the future”. Take a look at the video above and you’ll get a sense of how enlightening that might be. Engrossing read.