Weekly Design Recap 20

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Things I’m working on

Good news! The Baja California flag project has been green-lit and I’m over the moon at the opportunity to create a new piece of cloth that will eventually flap away in the air. In order to keep things civil and professional, I sent work and licensing contracts, which either will make or break the deal; they are are taking the time to revise them which makes me think people aren’t used to this level of seriousness in design projects when it should be the norm.

Reached a new milestone with Radiographista and landed 3,000 followers on Tumblr. That’s more than all my followers on every social network I have combined and somehow it’s a weird feeling.[/text-with-icon][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”icon-heart” color=”Accent-Color”]

Things I’ve enjoyed

Finished Girls and Westworld is all cool and creepy but it got so slow I stopped watching. So I switched to Big Little Lies and damn, was I hooked at once. It’s definitely not as profound and philosophical as the show’s I’ve been watching but the cast is fucking good and the editing has really invested me in the story and its deeply flawed characters. Reese Witherspoon is one of my spirit women.

I buy more stationery than I ever use and I don’t really want to change my ways so I wanted to give Aaron Draplin’s Field Notes a go, you know, so I always have somewhere to write on and doodle and play with lines and whatnot, and I really tried but at 12 € plus shipping to this side of the Atlantic I find it excessive, if not ridiculous. A very inexpensive alternative is the set of 3 Moleskine journals for less than four euros each, so they’re practically unbeatable considering they serve the same purpose. Not sorry in the slightest.[/text-with-icon][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”icon-remove” color=”Accent-Color”]

Things I’m struggling with

When designing book covers you must consider the book’s spine, right? That’s kinda tricky since unless you have a physical copy to compare it to, you can only guess if you were to get an approximate page number from a reputable editorial house —kerning, spacing and all those typography-related details would be sorted out— and a measurement of sorts, if not the specific weight of the kind of paper the final product would use.

In other matters, the fake eclipse photos drive me up the fucking wall.[/text-with-icon][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”icon-book” color=”Accent-Color”]

Things I’ve learnt

We tend to overrate and idealise the cities we love. I love London but I wouldn’t imagine it being so endearingly flawed and poorly planned if it were not because of a hilarious and eloquent local. The Youtube algorithm led me to the Jay Foreman channel and since I happen to love everything public-transport related, I watched his vid on how the tube Northern line is unfinished.

The video is nine years old, mind you but I think it presents a super interesting perspective into all the factors that influence urban design. Extra points go to the witty presentation and his Every Tube Station song. Kudos to you, mate.[/text-with-icon][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”icon-headphones” color=”Accent-Color”]

Things I’m listening to

I got a few new podcasts!

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4, which is fairly new but well worth listening. Eagerly waiting for Frankie Boyle’s contribution, whatever it may be.

The Rewatchables is about films we watch over and over again and these people geek out on their favourites.

Women of the Hour by none other than Lena Dunham. I boarded the Girls train only a month ago and I’m already done with the show, so this is a continuation of her empowering writing and Lena doesn’t disappoint.[/text-with-icon]