Happy Holidays, Friends! Here's issue #64 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday. This week's issue is an abbreviated one, while we're recovering from holiday shenanigans and festivities. I hope you're wrapping up 2025 with good vibes and peace.

📡

After finishing the season, I'm still not really sure how I feel about the Apple show, Pluribus. Episode 1 was fantastic, and if a movie or show begins with interstellar messages being decoded here on Earth—I am 100% in. The pace then becomes incredibly slow, which was frustrating and felt like entire episodes were focused on unimportant, mundane things. Having had some time to think about it more, perhaps we need more shows that just slow down without feeling the need to satisfy our short attention spans. In hindsight, maybe that was refreshing? Spoiler Warning: This interview with creator Vince Gilligan and actor Rhea Seehorn helped me make sense of the show and appreciate it more.

🛹

Daniel Barousse makes beautiful art and furniture out of recycled skateboard decks. I want it all.

🏎️

One of my favorite toys when I was a wee lad was a Tonka A.J. Foyt IndyCar and action figure. I remember watching Foyt in the Indianapolis 500 on network TV and then trying to recreate the race with my BMX bike doing circles in the driveway with friends (long enough to make big rubber track marks from the tires). That memory is likely why this 80s-era Formula 1 toy car from Playforever was one of my favorite gifts I received this year from Mel. I love the simplified designs and focus on quality.

• • •

We'll see you back here next week—in 2026! I don't usually make concrete resolutions, but I do always love the optimistic, Fresh Start Feeling™ of a new year. I'm looking forward to making more things, growing this tiny little business and community, and being present as much as possible. Wishing you a Happy New Year, and continued thanks for following along here 🙌✨

Cheers,

Happy Friday, Folks. Here's issue #63 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

✍️

This website is marketing-y as heck, but I have to imagine I'd have a lot of fun with an engraving pen. Drawing on glass bottles and guitar picks and...Macbooks? Chopsticks? Car windows? This could get dangerous. Like a mini Dremel tool you can easily draw/write with.

🖥️

Let the year-end, wrap-up posts begin! This one is a seemingly endless scroll of awesome book covers released in 2025. Tons of type and illustration inspiration. The art of the book cover is such unique thing to design and I always learn a bunch from studying them. (Hat tip to bon vivant Jason Santa Maria)

🧱

If you're in need of a timeline cleanse today, might I suggest this quick little video for you: Making homemade Lego ravioli from scratch.

🍦

Operation Ivy was one of those legendary bands that put out just one studio album, yet had such a massive impact. I was a big fan. The raw energy, melodies, imperfectness...ska/punk at its best. Fast forward to reading Kottke's excellent 2025 holiday gift guide and seeing perhaps the best t-shirt ever made for a small ice cream shop. I'm also a giant fan of ice cream and need to visit Gracie's, which is nearby in Somerville, MA.

• • •

• • •

I was putting the forthcoming Clauthbound typeface through its paces with some more specimen testing and realized one could design an entire deck of simple playing cards using nothing but the glyphs in the font. I'm going to investigate getting some printed of course—however, I hear it can be prohibitively expensive. So, perhaps that's just a dream at this point. But I can see the gold foil debossed tuck box and it gives me life this week.

I hope you have a great week ahead and have a chance to recharge. See you back here next Friday!

Cheers,

Season's Greetings, Friends. Here's issue #62 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

🍝

I don't make fresh pasta—but I certainly eat it. If I was going to make it from scratch though, I would absolutely pay attention to Mateo Kitchen. If the recipes are as good as the branding and design of his website, then, well, we should all make them. The ravioli-serrated-edge motif and M mark is such a cohesive victory. The design here is not trendy, or trying too hard—it just works so perfectly.

🗽

Loved reading the storied history of the Gotham typeface on its 25th anniversary. Originally a commission from GQ magazine, hearing that Tobias Frere-Jones' inspiration came from a limited set of letters found on NYC Port Authority signage hit home for me. I love type projects that aim to "fill in the blanks" from historical, in-the-wild subjects. Trying to imagine what the rest of an alphabet might be from a small set is such a fun "puzzle" to solve, and one of the reasons I've come to enjoy type design so much. Anyhow, congrats to Tobias on creating such an instant classic that has gone on to represent so many important things.

🍺

This is a few years old, but made me smile. Guiness Foot Pints are (were?) winter boots that create perfect pint icons in the snow to lead you to the pub. Brilliant marketing.

🏒

Trent Buhler builds Old Time Table Hockey games with an incredible amount of detail and nostalgia. Even recreating the old Boston Garden in its entirety and famous scenes from classic NHL matchups. Photographed beautifully. I loved those tabletop twist hockey games as a kid. The Bruins vs. Flyers edition when no one even wore helmets and the puck would constantly get stuck in the corner.

• • •

• • •

What are you working on?

I had been playing with our latest typeface, Turbeau, riffing on some Grand Prix puns for probably too long and ended up ordering some decals. Coming soon to the shop for the approximately half-dozen people out there that love the cross-section of motorsports and typography.

Also! Today at 1pm ET the Secret Club™ is holding its 2nd-Friday-of-the-Month Secret Meeting over Zoom. We'll be talking about our favorite typefaces released in 2025. There's still time to join us 😄.

Have a fantastic weekend, and we'll see you back here next Friday ✌️

Cheers,

Greetings, Crafty Crew. Here's issue #61 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

📏

I wasn't familiar with Dimensions, but it's a sort of like a giant, visual Wikipedia for, well, the dimensions of things. The measurements of anything. Things like a Steinway grand pian0 or the iPhone 17— but also things like...Wes Anderson or a potted rubber fig plant or a Bernese Mountain dog. With facts about each, and downloadable drawings (with a paid subscription) which are especially useful for architects, interior and product designers, or anyone curious. It's one of those websites that reminds you to be glad the internet exists.

🚂

I went into watching Train Dreams with a lot of hopeful anticipation. I've read a lot of positive reviews of the movie (as well as the book it's based on). I'll start by saying I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a beautiful film. And it's perfectly shot using, I assume, only natural light—which perfectly marries the Pacific Northwest forest-y landscape often at sunset with the early twentieth century time period. Joel Edgerton's acting was superb (I enjoyed him in Dark Matter and The Gift). But I wasn't prepared for how utterly heartbreaking the story is. That shouldn't prevent watching it, of course, but I wish I was in the right head space for it. Also, I wish I had seen this in the theater. At home, the boxy aspect ratio felt restrictive. What was on screen looked beautiful, I just wish we could see more of it. ★★★½

🔡

If you're interested in typography, I hope you're following Ellen Lupton. Her books and talks are invaluable—she breaks down type concepts in such a relatable way. I hadn't realized she's also been sharing little short videos explaining different typography topics and they are fantastic. A must-follow for designers.

🌱

I've realized I love parsley. For most of my life I didn't think that was possible—for anyone. But it's great. And I'm not entirely sure why. It adds something fresh I suppose. And the green makes dishes look more elevated. But let's face it, I'm not chopping parsley for the everyday meal. Gourmet Garden's Chopped Parsley is a game changer. A little plastic tub of pre-chopped, fresh parsley that lasts for weeks (they call it "lightly dried" but that's a misnomer—it's fresh, folks). Now I sprinkle it on everything. If using this makes me lazy, then so be it. Boil some spaghetti, heat up some Rao's Marinara in the microwave, but then sprinkle a ton of parsley on it. Now you have the real deal. Yes, chef!

• • •

I'm extending the Black Friday sale another week (or more?). All of our fonts and goods are still 25% off with code BF25 at checkout!

• • •

What are you working on?

Well, I had been traveling the first half of this week and found some inspiring type in the wild. Can you guess where I was? A hint: It was an epic location ;)

Now that I'm back from that mysterious place, I'm continuing to wrap up our next font release, Clauthbound, which is getting very close. I'll be sharing a free pre-release soon with the Secret Club™.

Have a great weekend, and I hope it's warmer than the 10ºF we have here in Massachusetts today.

Cheers,

Hello E-Commerce-Email-Wading Friends. Here's issue #60 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday. I realize you're getting emails from every single company you've ever corresponded with today. I apologize, but here's another one 😄

Everything here is on sale as well! Details after this week's quick bits...

🖌️

Illustrator, Zara Picken, has an incredible searchable archive of mid-century modern illustration from c.1950-1975. It's a goldmine of graphic, type, color, and texture inspiration.

🧨

Speaking of inspiring illustration, these Japanese fireworks catalogs from the 1880s (!) are fascinating. I confess I had no idea the history of fireworks goes all the way back to the 1600s. The way the artists chose to depict the way each exploded firework appears is beautifully artistic. (Hat tip to Robb Knight)

🏎️

I was obsessed with Tyco racetracks in the 1980s. Most of the time they worked horribly. The cars flying off the track every time you tried to push it a little around a corner. And having to use a pencil eraser to rub off the metal residue on the underside of the cars to make them work properly. And then there's the aromatics of the throttle gun remote—which I will never forget. It would visibly spark when the trigger was pulled, with a wisp of smoke emanating from the vented, yellow plastic that smelled of "toasted magnet". If that were a thing. (Ed. note: Toasted Magnet is a great band name).

Anyway. I loved seeing this little article about the art of old Tyco racetrack catalogs. Can we bring back painterly illustration that does its best to represent a physical toy; that itself requires a massive amount of imagination to immerse yourself in? Gorgeous stuff. And really, that infinity racetrack-infused Tyco logo from the 7os/80s is one of the all-time greats on its own.

🌙

The Sheraton Boston Hotel has a Goodnight Moon Suite, which is modeled after the seminal children's book. It appears they nailed much of the vibe from the book's illustrations, which is impressive. And maybe slightly nightmare-inducing? I have nothing but fond memories of the book and its insane color palette, but sleeping in that insane color-palette would either be wonderful or terrifying. The hotel will even serve you their take on "goodnight mush", which I'm hoping is just oatmeal or apple sauce or something.

• • •

Unsurprisingly, stuff is on sale!

Use code BF25 and take 25% off all of our fonts and goods (tees, decals, hats, books, etc. for designers and creative aficionados).

Also! We're using this "season of the sales" time to do a little Secret Club™ membership drive. It's a great time to join the club at a nice discount: Use this link to take 25% off your first year's subscription.

• • •

I hope you're taking it easy this weekend. I'm very thankful for you reading this, supporting my endeavors, and generally being awesome. See you back here next week!

Cheers,

Hello there, Type & Design Friends. Here's issue #59 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

📽️

I'm loving the behind-the-scenes look at these stop-motion shorts from Snotmotion (great name). Within a minute or two they expose some magical DIY animation techniques. And the best part is that they made these little films about funny sports moments just for fun.

📕

Citizen Printer looks like a fantastic book covering the work of letterpress artist, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. It includes over 800 reproductions of his “type-driven messages of social justice and Black power, emblazoned in rhythmically layered and boldly inked prints made for the masses”. Important messages made beautiful with handmade printing.

🍫

Even before I knew the backstory, I've been hailing Tony's Chocolonely as the best chocolate bar out there. Not to mention the pleasing, uncoated paper packaging with its handmade-esque lettering. But who knew “Tony” is actually Teun van de Keuken, a Dutch journalist that was upset by the forced labor practices in the cocoa industry who set out to make some Fairtrade bars in a better way to prove a point. It turned out, the chocolate was so good it grew into a permanent business. And I'm glad it did.

My only complaint about the bars is the uneven, random scoring they have which makes breaking off pieces difficult and messy. But now that I know it's meant to symbolize the inequality in the chocolate business, I have come to love it.

🧪

I don't know if this is real or not, but I sincerely hope it is. Brilliant and amazing reactions when combining specific chemicals within a single drop of water. The results look like miniature Big Bangs or supernovas exploding or other cosmic events that, let's face it, I don't know how they would actually look in real life but it's how I imagine they would.

• • •

It's that time of year, folks. I don't make the rules of commerce. So, for the next week or so, everything in the shop is 25% OFF—that includes all fonts, all goods (tees, hats, decals, books, etc.). Use code BF25 at checkout.

Also! I'm including our Secret Club™ membership in the sale as well. It's perhaps the best time to join the club by taking 25% off the annual subscription for your first year. You'll get community access, FREE fonts, and more. Use this link to get the 25% off discount.

• • •

What are you working on?

I ended up banging out a large-ish update to our Parkly typeface—an all-caps display sans inspired by old WPA National Park posters. This new version 2.0 fixed a lot of things that were bothering me, but also now spans four widths, adds many more glyphs including diacritics and expanded language support, National Park signage arrowhead arrows, and more. It's a free update for folks that previously purchased a license. If you've bought Parkly in the 2 years or so, you already received an email with the update. If not, feel free to reach out and I'll get you sorted out. And of course, Parkly (and all fonts) are on sale right now (see above).

I hope you have a fabulous weekend, and we'll see you back here next Friday.

Cheers,

Greetings, Design Pals. Here's issue #58 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

🗡️

Artist Julien Curi is making another animated film called Knight and the Snail made entirely out of paper. His stop-motion work is mind-bogglingly detailed and incredible, and you can contribute to the project and get your name in the credits when the new film is released.

📚

I have a few other Standards Manual books and they never disappoint for inspiration. They've just announced a new Compact Edition of Identity: Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv covering the legendary design firm founded in 1957. C&G&H is behind so many iconic brands like Chase Bank, NBC, Mobil, Pan Am, and hot damn that PBS logo. Not to mention omnipresent identities for local Boston institutions like WGBH, JFK Library, and the T. Their body of work is dense. Looking forward to learning more about their process in this book.

📖

Speaking of books, I went to a great talk by paper design wizard, Kelli Anderson, about her new incredible pop-up book, Alphabet In Motion. It's a bewildering book for anyone—especially typography aficionados. Behind the impressive paper engineering are essays about each letter, covering the history of type design and the letters themselves. A fantastic resource and well of inspiration for any designer.

📻

I actually enjoy SiriusXM. Even in an era where your phone can play anything you'd like at any moment, in the car I prefer to let someone else decide what I'm listening to most of the time. Maybe growing up with terrestrial radio has something to do with that. Anyway, I occasionally hear new artists this way on XMU and their Discovery channel. The latest? A band called Peel Dream Magazine, whose latest outtakes collection, Taurus, and last year's album, Rose Main Reading Room remind me of a combination of Belle & Sebastian combined with Eric Matthews' whispered vocals. I'm digging the sparse pop production and vocal-less choruses. It's pretty chill for working to as well.

• • •

• • •

What are you working on?

New in the shop! The Helvetica Tee. We chose a random, made-up word to feature our modern blackletter typeface, Dragönsteel. We love the way the word sounds and how it fits in with the rugged, medieval lettering. Anyway, this comfy t-shirt may generate looks and questions from the public. Distressed, light gray ink on a garment-dyed, almost-black, 100% cotton shirt. Embroidered logo badge on the left hem.

I hope you have a great weekend, and we'll see you back here next Friday.

Cheers,

Hello, Compadres. Here's issue #57 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

🐸

For their 70th anniversary, The Jim Henson Company is auctioning off hundreds of amazing puppets and props from various Muppet shows and movies. Prices are, of course, insane already—but it's fun to browse through. A genuine puppet from Emmet Otter's Jugband?! Uncle Matt from Fraggle Rock?! If you have deep pockets, let us know if you end up with the Goblin Helmet from Labyrinth or the literal crystal from The Dark Crystal. (Hat tip to Jan-Paul from Secret Club)

👾

Prixel looks to be a cool way of creating lo-fi, DIY stamp art. The magnetic baseplate and clear acrylic so you can see where you're stamping looks pretty ingenious. Pixel art vibes.

✍️

Mega photography YouTuber, Peter McKinnon on how handwriting letters can change your life. Nothing beats tactile in-hand communication. I wish my handwriting was better than it is. All-caps scrawler over here that needs some practice and a broad nib fountain pen.

🥪

Visited Chicago last weekend and tried something new this time. I'm already a fan of Portillo's hot dogs, and Giordano's deep dish from previous trips (I'm sure there are others that locals would recommend) but this time had Al's Italian Beef. I ordered it sweet (green peppers) and dipped (whole sandwich briefly submerged in the thin gravy the beef stews in). It was outrageously good. Here on the North Shore of Massachusetts we have dozens of “famous” roast beef sandwich shops, but I never really got into them, as the meat is always essentially raw. Or it at least appears that way. If you order “well done”, they'll grill it a little and make it edible. However, none of that matters as Chicago beef is far superior in my humble opinion.

• • •

• • •

What are you working on?

Tomorrow is the 2 year anniversary of the release of Wilco Loft Sans. Still one of my favorite projects. In a serendipitous coincidence Mel and I did a quick trip to Chicago last weekend and—after deep dish and the aforementioned Italian beef—we were grateful to visit The Loft (Wilco's recording studio and HQ) to see the infamous GUITAR sign in person. Seeing the letters up close that inspired the typeface that we made was an amazing experience. Thank you Mark and Crystal for letting us peek into where the magic happens.

I love that G even more after seeing it up close.

Have a great weekend, and see you back here next Friday.

Cheers,

Hello, Spooky Friends. Here's issue #56 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday. Happy Halloween from Salem, Mass.

🏁

I still love paper. Books, magazines, prints, cards, etc. Anything tactile that holds information and design. As a new-ish F1 fan, I was happy to come across Esses, a quarterly print magazine that covers Grand Prix racing and the culture surrounding it (“Esses” derived from “S-turns” on a racetrack). Great ph0tography, design, and writing with a more gritty, less slick perspective on the sport. Subscribed.

✂️

The mixed-media collage art of Fries Vansevenant stopped me in my tracks. It started with this one of Marty McFly. Such a fresh take on proportions to create dramatic, 2-dimensional caricatures. I love these. I also wish they were published on their website, but alas I'm linking to their Instagram out of necessity.

🧩

This is my kind of project. Type designer, Ty Finck, was making specimens for a monospace typeface and created a word game out of stacking letters. He took it a step further and created an iPhone app for the game from all the tinkering called Sixtep. As a fan of word puzzles, I can say it's fun and simple, and a great example of how type design can be more than just making letterforms.

🏚️

I may need to re-buy a vinyl copy of New Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House. It came out in 1979 and was a favorite of mine when I was a kid. Disney's sound effects masters creating just the right amount spookiness. I'd throw it on even if it was a random rainy day in April just to get into the ghost vibes. It reminded me of my favorite ride at Disney: The Haunted Mansion, of course. But the first time I went on the ride when I was probably 5 years old, I closed my eyes the entire time. When you do that, your main memory from the ride is when the chair spins around and tips way back (which is still my favorite part).

• • •

Just barely not-in-time for Halloween, our Vowels of Hell dice game is back in stock! And it's just $12 bucks. Custom D20 and D6 dice featuring our Dragönsteel typeface, game instructions, sticker, and pencil. Is the game we made up for this...fun? Well we can't guarantee it.

• • •

What are you working on?

Earlier this week, we moved our Secret Club™ from Slack to its own dedicated Circle community. I had evaluated several Slack alternatives and landed on Circle due to its customization, feature set, and its out-of-the-way UI. Most community/forum interfaces overwhelm me (maybe it's my age), but Circle's was easy to whittle down into something simpler and more on-brand. As the little club gets settled, I'm hoping it helps foster and grow things.

The Secret Club has been a really fun learning experiment, where I'm folding in lessons learned from the old Dribbble days on a micro scale. It's a great time to join us! I'll be starting monthly virtual meetings in a couple of weeks. It's become a really supportive group focused around type and design.

Have a great Halloween, and see you back here next Friday.

Cheers,

Hello, Amigos. Here's issue #55 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

🌶️

I like hot sauce. But not if it's too hot. There has to be a good balance of heat, acid, and then the taste of the actual peppers. Ten years ago I went to New Orleans, briefly, for a design conference. It was there that I noticed Crystal hot sauce at a lot of the local restaurants. It's hard to find up here in the Northeast, but I ordered a few bottles and it's become my favorite over Tabasco, Frank's, Cholula, etc. Not too hot, great pepper taste. The stuff is good on just about anything. And just three ingredients: Aged red cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar, and salt.

🏔️

Huckberry's profile of the Patagonia brand is an interesting short watch. I've long been a fan of the way they operate, and this little tour of their headquarters shows how they started (by making rock climbing equipment they themselves wanted to use) and how they've evolved (now a non-profit that donates profits to fighting the climate crisis). Wild to find out their adoption of fleece for lightweight warmth started with the discovery of toilet seat covers as the perfect synthetic fiber.

🍎

In 1992 I spent my high school graduation money on an Apple Macintosh Classic II. A few weeks later the Color Classic was released for the same price. But whatever. I loved that little monochrome machine. And I still have it in a box in the basement somewhere. So, it's nostalgically-tempting to grab the Maclock— a mini Mac-esque digital LCD clock that looks just like the original. If you're also thinking of buying one, I'd do it soon before Apple's lawyers get wind of this one.

¶

Everything you ever wanted to know about the pilcrow (¶). A typographic character with a long, storied history and more than just a "paragraph mark". I love the thoroughness of Keith Houston's writing on punctuation and typography.

• • •

What are you working on?

I bought a new mailbox last week. Researched the heck out of it. Then watched approximately 452 YouTube videos on how to install the post into the ground; digging a hole, concrete, etc. I can do this! Got everything I needed at The Home Depot. Started trying to dig out the old one and almost immediately knew I was in way over my head. There are roots everywhere, irrigation lines, old post concrete...the videos made it look so easy. I felt defeated. But just then, a landscaper pulled up to my neighbor's house. Someone I know who's helped me with a few small things before.

“Uhh, how much would you charge to remove the old post and put in the new one?”

“$150.”

Now, that was almost exactly the bill at The Home Depot for the concrete, post hole digger, spade, magnetic levels, etc.—all things I didn't have but are required for setting a post.

“Okay, I'll have you do it.”

I'll return the tools and break even. I need to concentrate on things I'm good at, and not sweat that, while it may appear easy on a video, it's okay to let a specialist handle the task.

About an hour after the landscapers started digging, they were almost done.

“That would've taken you a week,” he said.

He was wrong. It probably would've taken me two.

Anyway, I have a new mailbox now. And I drew a mailbox icon for the Clauthbound typeface that's in progress (pictured above). Onward and upward.

I hope you have a great weekend and choose only the tasks you can handle and nothing more ;-)

Cheers,

Hi, Good People. Here's issue #54 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

🎹

Mike van der Sanden answers the question, What melodies can be found in typography? The result is surprisingly soothing tones. Mike takes letterforms and creates a "piano roll" type of graphical shape that he then hooks up to audio software to create music. Fascinating merge of art and tech. (Hat tip to Sarah Kuehnle via Secret Club™)

💳

Wallets are an annoying necessity. I wish I could get by with just a couple of cards, but credit, debit, business credit, license, health card, etc.—I still need them with me most of the time. Plus a little cash and some SimpleBits stickers. So, the never-ending hunt for the perfect, space-saving wallet carries on. Though, I think I may have found a candidate after using it for years, then trying a few others only to go back to: The Apex Slim Sleeve by Bellroy. It's so compact and has a super-satisfying magnetic closure—thinner than most because of its stitch-less, heat-sealed construction. It fits everything I need yet sits stealthily in my front pocket, and sometimes perfectly in the extra coin pocket that most jeans have. But that magnetic closure...Can we talk about how magical magnets are, in general? Like, they have unlimited energy. Someone should look more into that.

🥏

I apologize, but I'm still on a Tron high from last week. Ignore the negative reviews and see this one on a big screen. A bonus of the new movie coming out is more content being surfaced about the original films. This little video about how the TRON music was made in 1982 was a cool homage to Wendy Carlos, the synth legend and composer of the original score (which I've always loved). If you're into vintage synths and/or Tron, you will enjoy this one.

🎙️

I had a great time chatting with Rory and Matt at Font Awesome about the creative journey, making type, learning new things at middle age, solving little puzzles everyday, and making stuff. I've long been a fan of how FA has been operating over the years, so it was an honor to be on their podcast. You can listen to Part 1 of our conversation now (with Part 2 coming in a couple of weeks).

• • •

What are you working on?

It rained this past weekend, so we're rescheduling the first Type Walk Boston for Secret Club™ members. It'll now be on November 9th. Secret details to follow. The current plan is to walk part of the Freedom Trail with cameras and capture what interesting type we might find. Then retire for a beverage or two. If it rains again, well, then maybe we look into branded umbrellas.

Have a powerful weekend, friends. See you back here next Friday.

Cheers,

Hey there, Buddies. Here's issue #53 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday. 

🎨

Captivating scenes from Marina Minis. The artist meticulously handcrafts miniature diorama "sets" and lights them like a film stage. The level of detail and the mood they create is tremendous. Little things that look like believable, life-sized things are always so impressive.

🥏

I was obsessed with Tron since it came out in 1982. I even took a blue marker to the indentations of my hockey helmet and a Frisbee and pretended I was on The Grid when I was 8-years old. The nerdy nostalgia for early computers, lo-res games, and analog synths is real. I equally loved Tron: Legacy, and it was because of that film that my son Jack and I have had a bond about Tron in general ever since. So, tonight, the whole family went out to see Tron: Ares in 3D IMAX. We were nervous having seen some of the early reviews. But Tron movies have never been great critical successes. They fill a "feeling" of digital geekery and tech that's not exactly universal. I can say, without spoilers, that I really really enjoyed Ares. It has plenty of subtle and not-so-subtle connections to the previous films, but also branches out on its own with incredible visuals and score. Highly recommend seeing this in 3D IMAX for maximum immersion. Hopeful this one does well so we can visit the grid a fourth time. ★★★★½

🎹

And speaking of Tron: Ares, its director, Joachim Rønning, was just announced to direct an upcoming documentary called Keys of Life. It'll document the life of a C. Bechstein piano that songs like "Hey Jude", Bowie's "Life on Mars", "You're So Vain", Elton's "Your Song", and more were recorded on at Trident Studios in London. A documentary about a very specific instrument from its creation to its mysterious vanishing sounds right up my alley.

🏷️

We recently visited the Vermont Country Store in Weston, VT—a place I have many memories of growing up nearby. The place is a time machine! Some of it untouched for decades, except for the goods it sells, of course. But something worth noting if you're ever in the area of Southern/Central Vermont: The store is an absolute goldmine for vintage typography. Posters and signs hang on the walls throughout the massive store, often great examples of wood block type from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It's worth the visit for that alone if you're into historic lettering.

• • •

What are you working on?

Still chipping away at Clauthbound and started on adding a sizable collection of extra glyphs that fit in with the style of the letters. Common typographic symbols as well as some classic icons that could feel right at home being foil stamped in a clothbound book cover along with the text. Going to make this a bit more expanded than usual!

Have a great weekend, friends.

Cheers,

Hello, Superb Folks. Here's issue #52 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday. A whole year of weekly dispatches! Thanks so much for reading and sticking with me here.

🧽

Yet another reason everyone needs a 3D printer: A sponge holder that creates the legendary "Homer Simpson disappearing into a hedge" scene for your kitchen sink. It needs to be the green, grassy-like Scotch Brite sponge for maximum effect. I'll bet someone out there is selling these as well, but I love that recipes for things like this exist in the 3D printing world.

🎥

It sure has a lot of hype surrounding it, but after seeing it on the big screen, I think it's warranted. What I like about One Battle After Another is that it's a new, original story. And a great one at that. In a world of reboots and sequels and prequels, it's refreshing to get a fresh new story. Apparently Paul Thomas Anderson has been working on this film for 20 years, yet the subject matter is so prescient to what's happening in this country right now. Other things I like about the movie: The score. There's a long, intense, chase-like scene in the middle of the movie that's brilliantly accompanied by this insane, angular jazz that feels like a part of the action rather than accompaniment. Also, perhaps the most obvious, was DiCaprio's comedic performance. He doesn't do comedy often, but this character was so frustratingly funny—like a hyper version of The Dude Lebowski in the best way possible. ★★★★★

🎧

Are dedicated MP3 players making a comeback? Either way, this little retro music player that looks like a cassette Walkman is interesting. The screen animates as if a tape is playing, but it also has analog buttons, headphone jacks, etc. Lo/hi-fi in full effect here.

🦘

I mentioned New Zealand band, The Beths, in an early issue, and this week I've been digging the two newly-released songs from Australia's, The Belair Lip Bombs. Start with Hey You if you need a pick-me-up today. Reminds me Don't Change by INXS mixed with The National and Kate Bush. Or something. Catchy, guitar-centric indie rock is still alive with the young people of the planet—particularly in Oceania of late—and that gives me hope and makes me happy.

• • •

What are you working on?

Putting the test to more letters in our WIP typeface, Clauthbound, with this famous quote from John F. Kennedy. I still believe kindness, when combined and multiplied by the masses has the ability to make positive change. I'll be chasing that feeling for the next 52 weeks of this little newsletter.

A reminder! We still have a big sale at the shop going on: 30% OFF all fonts and goods in the shop (use code NOTES). I'm going to extend the sale another week because that's why savvy marketers do to make it seem like they're doing you a big favor when all along they planned on the sale lasting longer. Ahem.

Stay safe and salty,

Hey, Friends. Here's issue #51 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday. Next week will be the 1-year anniversary of these weekly dispatches and we're celebrating early with a big sale on goods and fonts. More on that further down.

🏠

Sarah (my best friend in Vermont when I was 5 or 6) wrote in to recommend The Last Wright, a new show on HBO Max that follows the building of RiverRock House in Ohio. The house was the last design by Frank Lloyd Wright that was never built. The designs, spec book, and location were all finalized just before his death in 1959. The series follows Sarah and Deborah Dykstra, a mother/daughter team that inherited the plans from the Louis Penfield House—a Wright-designed home they already owned on the same property. Their dedication in building RiverRock to the exact specifications from Frank's original plans of 66 years ago is a fascinating process to watch. And Sarah and Deborah's humorous dynamic makes it all the more enjoyable. The show is currently airing, with 3 episodes released so far.

🪵

Speaking of Frank Lloyd Wright, did you know his son, John Lloyd, invented Lincoln Logs in 1916? It's an ingeniously simple toy that's still being sold today, and apparently was inspired by FLW's notched timber design for Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel, which was designed to sway with the earthquakes in Japan.

🚗

And speaking of Japan, I've half-watched the documentary, One of One, which follows the Tokyo mechanic company, Naito Auto Engineering, a secretive but world-renowned shop that restores super-expensive, classic cars. If you're into cars, great. But it's not really about cars. It's about a family business that started after WWII, artisanal restoration, attention to every detail, generational lineage, artistry in the everyday, etc. I need to finish it, but can already recommend.

🧶

Photographer Joseph Ford's Invisible Jumpers project sparked some joy for me. He worked with camouflage knitting artist Nina Dodd to create optical illusions with models partially blending into the backgrounds. It was even a book, but unfortunately it's sold out. It's one of those projects that, when you discover it, you're just simply glad it exists.

• • •

Thanks for reading, as always! Next week, it'll be a full year of doing these little weekly newsletters and the structure and accountability has done wonders for my sanity. It seems the occasion is a good enough reason to have a little sale at the shop. All goods and fonts are 30% OFF for the next week. Use code NOTES at checkout.

I hope your first weekend of Fall is a crisp one and see you back here next week!

Cheers,

Hello, Marvelous People. Here's issue #50 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

🕹️

Why are videos of people cleaning things up so satisfying? Rugs that go from solid brown to their original, jewel-toned art; mowing lawns, washing cars, etc...Maybe it's the feeling of accomplishment we get without having to actually do anything. Whatever it is, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this complete restoration of an original Spy Hunter arcade machine from 1983. I loved this game as a kid, and was pretty terrible at it. The level of care put into making one of these classics new again is inspiring.

🌊

Artist, Leo Jones, creates stunning wood-carved ocean wave pieces. Realistically capturing the motion, light, and randomness of moving water from a block of wood is pretty darn impressive.

🍅

You probably won't see this on many EDC lists, but if you're really into ketchup, Heinz made a keychain that cuts and squeezes ketchup packets for you so that no condiment is left behind. The bigger win is keeping your fingers free of ketchup. They made this back in 2021 and I have no idea if it's still available, but the fact that it was designed and manufactured for real is giving me a real boost this morning. And I only enjoy ketchup a normal, average amount.

🎙️

I knew it would be sad, but didn't anticipate the level of sadness it'd stir up. It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley is a proper documentary about Jeff's life (which was too brief) and his music (which was extraordinary). I didn't realize how fractured his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father was, and just how tormented he was toward the end (likely from untreated mental illness). But also how little that had to do with how he died, which sounds like just a horribly tragic accident. On top of all that, we hear glimpses of what that second album was shaping up to be—and man...that's tough. A highlight for me was the footage from his solo live shows at NYC's Sin-e club, shocking the audience with those early version of his songs. And hearing about his vocal inspirations that make so much sense after learning them (e.g. Nina Simone, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan). ★★★½

• • •

What are you working on?

Secret Type Club members! We're going to do a little type walk in Boston on Sunday October 12th. The current plan is to meet and walk the Freedom Trail with cameras and hunt for interesting type. Then retire in a pub for a beverage. In the Boston area that weekend? Join us! Details will be shared in the STC Slack (which you can access as a Gold member—I know, sneaky :)

Hang in there, and hope you get to do something just for you this weekend.

Cheers,