Through Lines 089

Letters to the Future is one of those projects that I wish I had come up with. I’m most enamored by the idea of making recycled plastic sheets for printing on — so easy, and I have everything needed already at my disposal.

• Derrick Schultz is again producing a series of cool machine-learning generated yet analog Valentines. These come in pay what you like flavors but I encourage paying fairly for Derrick’s work as he offers up a ton to the world for free all year.
• I am thoroughly enjoying a regular stream of stories about the JWST and it’s mission out into deep space. Nail-bittingly good stuff.
• What Futura Should I Use, an extremely handy guide from Typographica to the complex world of Futura variations, redesigns, and revivals.
• The New Yorker is always full of fabulous editorial illustrations and cover images. Their 2021 wrap-up is no slouch in that department.
• I somehow missed this little Apple Education video with artist Oliver Jeffers whose work my family and I all adore.
• Your attention didn't collapse. It was stolen. Trust me, you should read this.
• As the line goes — “Nothing is impossible if you’re willing to contemplate what is happening.” The same is true for anyone’s vision of a metaverse.
• Nina Simone's Gum is exactly the kind of book I would enjoy. Thanks for the tip Colly!
• Dear supply chain, don’t you dare come for my Aqua Riso ink.

Notable Type Releases

I’m going to experiment with breaking out new type releases starting this week. This is as much to help me find my own notes again as it might be to make these stand out.

• Radius may not be the prettiest typeface but it takes addresses a real typesetting problem in a smart way with variable font technology.
• Mohol from Hungarumlaut — that uppercase M and N!
• Type designers seems to be all over ink traps these days. When done well, as is the case with Pangram Pangram’s Neue Machina, I’m all for it.
• Apparently I missed Bold Monday’s Alterego back in 2018 when it was released, but no time like now to draw some attention to it for all it’s pixel-like weirdness.
• Weird Serif definitely has the right name. Weird indeed.