Time out

Completing an intensive phase of work & creativity created a great sense of relief and release today. And gratitude at the opportunity to catch up on some sleep! Later, while driving a route I seldom take at a time I usually avoid (rush hour), I saw a township football team training in the patch of space between highways, running up a green slope in multicoloured shirts. Children noodling on an unkempt verge by pastel coloured houses. Men and women walking home with an easy sense of lightness in their pace, not the urgency of morning. And Table Mountain in the rearview mirror. (I have great big scenic side mirrors on my van, its previous owner warned me against getting too distracted by them.) And all under a rosy golden sky... should be the name of a country music artist. Anyway, it affirmed a sense of love for a place that is a privilege and an opportunity to feel.

So if you want to feel something good my suggestions include:
Throw yourself wholeheartedly into accomplishing or completing something, the relief when you are done can be its own reward.
Be open to going somewhere you don't usually go or at a time you don't usually go there, and see what's happening. What are people doing? What do you see?
My observation (not groundbreaking I confess) is that near sunset is a good time to go anywhere. Softening light. Visible change. Glowing colour.
And notice what's around you. We spend a lot of time in our heads, in memory of the past and projection or anticipation of the future. Come back to earth sometimes and soak in the pleasing freedom between.

Media & the frontiers of Evil

You gotta laugh. Well, I did.

A change of flight today saw me hangin' out in Cape Town Airport for a while when this electronic rallying cry popped up on large screens, among fashion ads of footballers in their underwear and robots chasing cars (unrelated I assume).


"The frontiers of Evil"?
Evil with a capital letter, no less.
What are the frontiers of evil? (Sorry, just can't have a sensible conversation with that capital letter in there) ...and what lies beyond them?
Would that be worse than evil? Or more like the land of Evil?
And what do they do there? Would we like it? It almost makes me curious to visit or explore. Become King of the Wild Frontier.

GaBon Voyage

I'm off on a visit to Gabon at short notice which is enough to make me bollemakiesie. Apart from hopefully ogling some rainforest, I'll be keeping an eye out for signage and interesting things to share with you here. I have some lovely pics and words from Julia Anastasopoulos and will post them on my return - i promise :-)

60's / 70's Design - Sounds Wild

(above) 60's / 70's Album Cover, Sounds Wild.
So grrroovy. Hands in the air everybody. Havin' a good time.

(above) From Inside Spread: Zow!


(above) Back Cover.
Everybody jumping. Frolicking. Gotta love it.

Street Art - Faith47 - bread & land

Just saw this new artwork on Albert Rd today and synchronously see it on Faith's great art blog.
Since the City of Cape Town passed a bylaw making graffiti illegal (and making building owners liable), there seems to be more street art then ever. With beautiful and powerful pieces like this punctuating the city, bring it on.

Typography - Music Video - Eggs & Sausage

Eggs and Sausage from Jackie Lay on Vimeo.

Song by Tom Waits. Design, photography and lettering by Jackie Lay.

City signs and slow sounds. So smooth...
Some images below.

City Lights

This newspaper ad for Charlie Chaplin's City Lights appeared in the Rand Daily Mail, Johannesburg, 1931.

The design & type are classic (bordering on generic) but the copy is a hoot.

Clearly not afraid of hyperbole, patrons were promised "The King of Comedy in the supreme laugh sensation of the century. The greatest cure for blues, gloom and trouble ever concocted by the Sunshine Doctor of good cheer. A series of hilarious adventures to warm the hearts of the world".

The style of the title is synonymous with the 30's but the chunky letters and hand-painted feel give it a fresh feeling.
You can get a similar look with MVB Bovine from FontShop. Or you might like ITC Mr Chuckles, amongst others, from Fontscape. These sites are easy to browse and high quality, though for non-commercial or home use, you might want to do a separate search for free fonts.

BTW I'm looking forward to sharing a whimsical cityscape with you by Cape Town artist and illustrator, Julia Anastasopoulos. Look out for it soon.