cinemax

Check out the logo before and after:

Launched in 1980, Cinemax is best known for its roster of action movies and after-dark softcore porn movies and series with really bad plots, which have earned it the nickname of “Skinemax”. Originally a single channel, Cinemax, owned by HBO Inc., is now a premium (meaning you have to pay extra to get it) network of eight channels and it counts with more than 12 million subscribers — by comparison, HBO has more than 28 million. Within the last few months a new logo has been popping up here and there and in early August, to coincide with the launch of Cinemax’s app, MAX GO, the channel has fully implemented its new logo and look, rolling out across all channels. There is no press release or credits. {opinion by Armin}
Variations on the new:

Why Should You Care About Typography?

If you think typography is simply about personal whim, you just haven't been looking at it the right way.

I have a confession to make. There was a time, many years ago, where I thought that typography was fashion by another name. I didn't really appreciate how different typefaces function, and how the discipline evolved over time, under pressure from aesthetics and technology. And it makes me particularly red-faced to remember that I once flaunted that ignorance, going so far as to tell a noted creative director that bit about type as fashion. If only I'd known! If only I'd had this infographic!

Created by someone who only calls themselves Noodlor, it does a pretty superb job laying out the basics of typography, such as the common types of faces, ranging from regular to condensed, and the anatomy of letterforms. There's also the very keen nugget of wisdom that 95% of graphic design is actually typography. But where it gets really good is in the "What It's Saying" section — which should serve as a slap in the face to anyone who thinks like I once did:

From there, we get into more subtle territory: The basic principles of layout, which begins with the basics of direction, contrast, and rhythm:

"Don't try to be original, just try to be good" — Spoken, originally, by a master of typographic clarity, Paul Rand. And one to remember, always.

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{by Cliff Kuang, the editor of Co.Design, and in the past has written regularly for WIRED, Popular Science, and GOOD.}

words to live by

I have lots of collections—just ask my husband. One of my favorites = quotes. Like typography, where every letter form must be considered, I enjoy reading the words of others, in their smallest form. Quotes are like snippets; brief strolls through the halls of one's mind.

The following are some design-based quotes that meant something to me.

Pro-bono doesn't mean for free.

Pro-bono means for good.

—Ric Grefé

 

Be a good listener.

Your ears will never get you in trouble.

—Frank Tyger

Any activity becomes creative

when the doer cares

about doing it right, or better.

—John Updike

 

Accept the challenges

so that you may feel

the exhilaration of victory.

—General George S. Patton

 

Your time is limited,

so don't waste it living someone else's life.

—Steve Jobs

 

 

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Design is knowing which ones to keep.

—Scott Adams

Inspiration is for amateurs.

I just get to work.

—Chuck Close

Designers design

because they want to improve

the human experience.

—Ric Grefé

 

 

Subtle is a cousin of beautiful.

—Seth Godin

 

Make sure you hone your communications skills—

it's not just about your portfolio anymore.

—Kiyo Toma

 

 

To design

is to communicate clearly

by whatever means

you can control or master.

—Milton Glaser

 

 

White space

is to be regarded as an active element,

not a passive background.

—Jan Tschichold

The ability to simplify

means to eliminate the unnecessary

so that the necessary may speak.

—Hans Hofmann

 

Quality is more important than quantity.

One home run is much better than two doubles.

—Steve Jobs

 

Perfection is achieved,

not when there is nothing more to add,

but when there is nothing left to take away.

—Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Does anything here inspire you? Discuss.

preface

I have a personal blog. I have a couple, actually, but sometimes I let my personal and professional blend. Sometimes I can't tell the difference between the two. However, there is one main difference and that is in the professional sense, I must be censored. When addressing the masses, I might bite my tongue and choose my words with a lot more care. When I'm casually talking with family and friends I can be a lot more fluid with my thoughts and feelings (thus a private blog).

On another note, I've often considered having a professional blog but wondered how I'd find the time or material to include. I've come to realize the material isn't a problem as we are exposed to constant and continual information via the web, et. al. The time? Well, I've decided to treat this as my collection, a hobby if you will; the one place where I gather design content for inspiration. I'm doing this for myself but if what I share provides someone else with inspiration, an idea, or the like, I will have more-than succeeded.

I hope you enjoy...