The Porch at Sharon United

Back in September I was contacted through a friend about designing a website for an architect based out of White Rock. After meeting with Keith and Michelle, I was really impressed with their approach to architecture, space and light and took on the project. Liz and I did a mini-roadtrip one day to get a better sense of what the churches were like since they were all really quite different in their materials. Some weren’t even completely new buildings, but rather additions to pre-existing churches like the one above at Sharon United in Murrayville (south of Langley). I set out to create a wordmark that reflected the delicate balance of old and new that I saw in the buildings and after some review and discussion the final logo was settled upon. They wanted the background of their site to be taken from the passage of light through amber-coloured stained glass, so I was handed a couple of sample pieces that I photographed in different light. I’m excited to have this project completed and that it matches what they had envisioned when setting out on the project.

Go to the Keith Sullivan Architecture Inc. site

Go to the flickr set of amber backgrounds (creative commons)

The most recent addition to the papyrus hall of shame is James Cameron’s Avatar, which looks infreakingcredible. And as much as the combination of Sigouney Weaver, James Cameron and giant blue creatures gets my heart aflutter, the sight of papyrus in the trailer was enough to make me wretch and STOP PAYING ATTENTION TO THE AWESOMENESS.

Joss, you signed the font crime

This isn’t the first time that papyrus has been used in otherwise awesome context. Joss Whedon’s Firefly used the font repeatedly and the sight of the Kaylee painting it on Serenity just validates the font for other people. Joss, you work so hard to overturn our narrative expectations, but then are victim of the most banal and offensive font crime possible.

Sweet Jesus, make it stop

Even my beloved Batman: The Animated Series used papyrus in the title card for the Tyger, Tyger episode. William Blake has never been so mangled before. And I’m not talking about the quality of the episode, I’m talking about fuglifying of one of the most beautiful poems in the English language by alluding to it with a font that has nothing to do with tigers and is really a slap in the face to Blake’s artistry:

The original plate of William Blake's The Tyger

Speaking of fuglyfied things, Richard sent me a link to what is the most awesome catalog of hideous design. The kind people at Your Logo Makes Me Barf have been posting fuglos (fucking ugly logos) for a while now and their inventory is eye gougingly amazing:

Beyond Words

Here’s a link to my growing papyrus flickr set that has photos from Vancouver, Portland, Seattle and Amsterdam.

sigh.