April 2012

Love of lettering in the Hallmark kingdom

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[Alyson Kuhn] Until several weeks ago, I hadn’t given much thought to the lettering on Hallmark cards. But then I found out that Hermann Zapf served as a consultant to Hallmark for many years … and designed custom typefaces for them … and began work on a lettering manual for the company. Today, Rick Cusick, manager of Font Development, carries the typographic standard forward.

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‘Paper’ — A new sketching app

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It goes without saying (in this space, at least) that paper can’t be improved on. But a new iPad sketching app called Paper offers a lot of promise. This new offering from a company called FiftyThree — founded by a couple of ex-Microsofties — is free in the App Store. Watch the video after the jump for a demo.

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Mutti makes a memoir

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[Alyson Kuhn] Margarete Aust McNeice celebrated her 87th birthday last week, on March 27. She has wanted to write about her life for a very long time. And now, thanks to a skilled ghostwriter, a generous husband and an on-demand publishing platform, Margarete has a beautiful book to give her two daughters Gabi and Margarete Anne, her grandchildren, and her sister Charlotte, who will turn 90 in a few weeks.

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Fast Company launches a new design competition

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This will be an interesting one to watch. Fast Company has announced the launch of its first Innovation By Design Awards competition. What Fast Company sees as different about this design competition is that it aims “pull design out from the margins.”

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4 days left to help Chicago’s Poster Biennial

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There are four days left to help back the 3rd Chicago International Poster Biennial that we posted about recently. The funding for this public arts initiative is being sought on Kickstarter. The goal of $25,000 has to be reached by Sunday, April 8 in order for this project to be funded.

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The ‘day after’ April Fool’s Day Collection

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Did you fall victim to a practical joke or were you the one doing the pranking on April Fool’s Day? The curators at Felt & Wire Shop were inspired by this lighthearted holiday and put together a fun collection of humorous cards and goofy gifts. [MD]