personalize it

I happened across a new site with special sales and what to my wondering eyes should appear but one of my first loves: typography! Combined with the personalization....and the idea for Christmas gifts...unique...made in the U.S.A....the list goes on and on. See for yourself:

photos courtesy: AntiqueFarmHouse.com





See what I mean?

Check out Jami Clune's blog: Freckled Laundry | DIY vintage chic or if you're like me and your wheels are turning with ideas for gifts, visit the Antique Farm House to purchase some clay tags of your own. But do it soon...I'm not sure how long their deals last and know the individual tags are already sold out.

Joy!

new ways to say 'thank you'

in many languages

Give thanks.

much ado about...not much

On Thursday there were a bunch of suits that gathered at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Among those were the Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President and Vice President of Brand Management Charlotte Jones Anderson, and Xavier Director of Athletics Mike Bobinski (Chair of the Division I NCAA Men's Basketball Committee).

On the agenda: the reveal of the 2014 NCAA Final Four logo.

With it being only the seventh Final Four played in Texas (second in the North Texas region and after a nearly 30 year hiatus), obviously the Big 12 along with close by fans in the Midwest are happy with the news. Said Bobinski: “As we kick off the next 75 years of March Madness, Cowboys Stadium will get to host its first Final Four.”

Yes. I, too, am thrilled with the news of a venue that certainly feels more like home. But that's not what this blog is about....it's about design. Duh. So here it is...the logo.

courtesy: Big12Sports.com

What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Or are you lukewarm like me? The bevels, embossing, and metallic effects of the 'Final Four' are really quite nice. And that's about all I have to say about that. I was very much looking forward to the unveiling but to say the results were disappointing is an understatement.





courtesy: @Big12Conference [twitter]


I am much more impressed with this photo that @Big12Conference tweeted! Of course, who wouldn't be impressed with a 160 foot video screen?

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And for those of you basketball fans out there: you can apply for tickets to the 2014 Men's Final Four through the NCAA's random selection process March 18 - May 31, 2013. Visit www.NCAA.com for more details.

Cowboys Stadium is also the site for the 2013 South Regional, which takes place March 29 and 31. Tickets to those Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games are available by visiting www.NCAA.com/mbbtickets.

attention Kansas drivers

Are you heading to the DMV? If so, I wish you short lines, helpful and friendly employees, and a photo that resembles more of you, less of the haunting-form-of-self that you wouldn't recognize even on a bad day.

Even if all the above wishes were to come true, there is yet another thing that would be new to this visit—the overall design of the license itself.




BEFORE
Courtesy Kansas Department of Revenue





AFTER
Courtesy Kansas Department of Revenue



The new license design boasts numerous security measures which make it even harder for fakes to be produced. According to a news release from Fox 4 News KC, those updates include:        

• Ultra-violet image of the cardholder’s portrait and date of birth on the back of the card (viewable with UV light)
• Multi-colored, highly detailed holograms
• Highly detailed ultra-violet (UV) image of the state flower (viewable with UV light)
• Two ghost images of the cardholder’s portrait in addition to the conventional photograph
• Tactile printing that you can feel

You had me at tactile printing!

As mentioned before, Kansas’ driver’s license and ID card design was last changed in 2004; states typically change their designs every four to six years.

"The new Kansas driver’s license card is among the most secure in the country," said Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Dean Reynoldson, who also oversees the department’s Office of Special Investigations, which investigates driver’s license fraud. "The card, combined with a new more secure driver’s license and ID card application process, makes Kansas one of the most difficult states to commit driver’s license or identification card fraud."

One thing hasn't changed—the format for printing cards for drivers who are under 21 years of age. Those licenses will remain in a vertical format so it's easier to tell if the cardholder is of a legal drinking age or not.



the 'under 21' license
Courtesy Kansas Department of Revenue



pumpkin type

Freshly Carved Pumpkin Typeface

by Jessica Kuhn for How Magazine Blog

One Kentucky-based advertising and branding agency combined their flair for creativity and love of Halloween to create a typeface carved from pumpkins. Intrinzic, the firm that brought this ghoulish typeface to life, carved each letter and character from slabs of ripe pumpkins, which were gathered from a family farm in the rolling hills of Kentucky.

In a true collaborative fashion, each employee created a letter of the alphabet for what they call Pumpkin Face. Check out the results below!

Read more: Freshly Carved Pumpkin Typeface | HOW Magazine Blog http://blog.howdesign.com/typography/pumpkin-typeface/#ixzz2Au0lBrk6

looking back

This Dutch windmill in Lawrence, Kansas was photographed between the years of 1890 and 1899.

This is a cyanotype showing the old Dutch windmill, which stood on west Ninth Street in Lawrence, Kansas. Construction on the windmill started July 1, 1863 by A. Plum and G. H. Wilder. Fourteen men were brought from Sweden by Plum to build the windmill. It was destroyed in Quantrill's Raid and rebuilt in 1864.

It was octagon shaped, four stories in height, and the basement had walls of stone six feet thick. The mill had four millstones, two for wheat and two for corn. The capacity of the mill was twenty bushels daily each of flour and meal. With the wind blowing at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour the mill would have eighty horse power. The mill ceased running in July 1885 and a fire destroyed it in 1905.

photo courtesy of  Kansas Historical Society
Item Number: 227455 Call Number: FK2.D4 L.7 *23
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 227455

hold on tight, Kansas

According to the Associated Press, Kansas driver's licenses are about to get a new look and some new features.

The Department of Revenue is unveiling the new design at an event Tuesday with Governor Sam Brownback and Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan.

Motorists will begin receiving the new licenses this week. Among the elements are new security features to protect against identity theft or illegal duplication.

Revenue Department spokeswoman Jeannine Koranda says Kansas updates its driver's licenses every four to six years as technology changes.

Stay tuned for the results...

colorful San Antonio

Thanks so much to everyone who participated via Facebook, twitter, or blogger direct. The location of the photos that I shared in where in the USA? and where in the USA? more hints was San Antonio, Texas. What a beautifully, colorful city.

Congratulations to Amanda Eilders & Amy

for correctly guessing the location!

Here are a few more favorites that didn't get posted for fear of spoiling the game completely.

Mi tierra Cafe & Bakery



Quarry Market

What's a San Antonio post without a mention of the River Walk?

I plan to share more photos along the way and hopefully I'll get even more people to participate.

where in the USA? more hints

So not a single person has guessed the location of previously posted photos/game. Which got me thinking: maybe I made it too hard. Here are a few more pictures from the same location that might help get your guesses coming...



so this definitely narrows down the selection of U.S. cities

too much information?

I feel like I'm giving it away now for sure.

...that's assuming that people are actually reading this. Am I the only one having fun with this game?

where in the USA?

Let's play a game.

I apologize for those of you who hate games but to be honest, I just want to get a little dialogue going and to get a feel for my audience (or if no one at all is reading). So here's how to play: I'll show you some photos and you guess where in the USA the photos were taken by leaving a comment below. Then check back next week for results.

Guess the city, give your feedback on the photos, let me know if the photos make it too easy or too hard, tell me what you want to see from this blog.

I look forward to hearing from you. Someone, please.

honey

I've been on hiatus but I'm back now.

Thanks for checking in.

new colors!

Pantone has added 336 brand new colours to its Pantone Plus series, giving designers more choice and flexibility when it comes to creative work

The 336 new colours - which range from pale pastels to intense deep tones - bring the total number of hue variations in the Pantone Plus series to 1,677 in both coated and uncoated formats. Pantone Plus is the relatively new name for the 50-year-old Pantone Matching System, which, was extensively revamped in March 2010.

Pantone says the new colours were inspired by the Pantone Goe System, which brings new ink combinations and depth to its colour library. “The Goe System represents important technical improvements in the area of ink film consistency and coatability and these benefits have migrated to the 336 New Colours,” Pantone said in a press statement. “Formulated for consistent ink-film thickness, the 336 New Colours can be easily reproduced by printers worldwide.”

Pantone guide updates

To help designers and other creative pros discover and use the new colours, Pantone is updated its range of colour guides, both as standalone volumes and as supplements to existing guides. It’s also rolling out updated versions of its Pantone Colour Manager Software (May 4th) and myPantone iPhone and Android apps (early June). The company’s Capsure system will be updated with the new colours by the end of May.

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source: Robert Mead-Green  |  As Computer Arts' deputy editor, Robert writes, commissions and edits a whole bunch of content for the magazine, ranging from cover features and studio profiles to tutorials and our 16-page Manual section. He's also a frequent contributor to the Computer Arts blog. When he's not doing his day job he also writes for several other Future Publishing titles including MacFormat and Tap. In the little spare time Rob has left he tries sleeping, toying with his Mac and iPhone or playing Harry Potter and the Peppa Pig Pirates of the Star Wars Caribbean with his kids.