I Shot the Serif

Dear readers, you may not know this, but I wasn't always a gift/book seller.

Nay, many moons ago I was but a student, earning my BFA in Digital Media. When I tell people this, I usually get a look that's a combination of interest and confusion: "Oh, that's interesting! So... what is that, exactly?" Basically, I learned a little bit of everything artsy that you can do with computers. Photoshop, of course, and graphic design; but also a bit of animation (2D with Flash, and 3D with Autodesk Maya), print design, virtual reality design, web design and HTML/CSS, and interactive interfaces of various natures. I am now what you may call a geek-of-all-trades.

I also learned how to draw adorable robots.

As a requirement for my major, I had to take three courses of typography. That meant that not only did I have to learn how to animate a convincing walk cycle, but also the nuances of various typefaces. When I heard of this, my response was both dread and incredulity. Three semesters to learn how to make pretty letters? Who even cares about that stuff?

But, over the course of Typography I, II and III, my relationship with type changed from loathing it with all my being to sorta kinda loving it in spite of myself. It's the sort of thing you don't think about until you're forced to. Typography is all around us--in our books, yes; but also our posters, signs, web sites, TV advertisements, iPhones, journal covers... everywhere! And most of us are blissfully unaware of its presence in our lives.

Thinking with Type was required reading for my typography classes, and I keep coming back to it no matter what type-oriented situation in which I may find myself. It was this book that made me start seeing the printed word as a living, breathing being. It has personality (bold or soft, elegant or funky), and fonts even have families like we do.  Letters have arms, spines, shoulders, and ears, as do human beings



Albeit, their body parts look a little different from ours.



The history of typography is equally dynamic, and the origin of many fonts can be (at least, to me) fascinating. Take Comic Sans for example--the font of choice for all pre-teen girls and family-friendly event posters. This highly-ridiculed font was never really supposed to exist. It was designed by an programmer who wanted a particular Microsoft software program (MS Bob, which failed spectacularly) to seem more approachable to younger audiences. The font didn't make it into this ill-fated program, but it was dug up by later programmers and now holds a sacred place in the palace of of every personal computer's Default Fonts folder.

Consider, also, Helvetica: the anti-font. Helvetica (which can be found most famously in the NYC public transit system) is a typefaces so ubiquitous that it is almost invisible. How did this rather plain and unimpressive typeface become the default font for practically everything? Simon Garfield's fairly recent book Just My Type explains this and many other facts and stories about typography that most people just don't know, but in reality are actually pretty cool.

But Mr. Garfield is not the first person to write about our friend the printed word. Designers and typographic theorists (yeah, they exist) have been thinking about typography for decades--nay, centuries, since Gutenberg invented the printing press. In 1955, Beatrice Warde asserted in her famous essay "The Crystal Goblet, or Printing Should Be Invisible" that all typographers should aspire to create their own Helvetica. Print should not be loud or call attention to itself; instead, it should be as a clear crystal goblet, only displaying the message of the words.

Warde's words are considered sacred by many traditional typographers. But in the present day, typography has taken on a different role in our society. Gone are the days when typography was as simple as creating an elegant layout for a book. In this day and age of pop-ups and tweets and instant everything, type has to catch people's eye, else it be ignored.

Take Quotable Cards, for instance. The cards made by this company (and its magnets and mugs) are hugely popular here at Booksmith. But there are no pictures, no pretty artwork here; what makes these products so popular is simply the typography. Yes, the quotations are important, but no one would buy a magnet or mug with Ghandi's "Be the Change" quotation set in 12-point Times New Roman. It's the designer's choice in typography that really make these images great. Not only the typeface itself, but the color, layout, kerning (space in between the letters), leading (space between lines of type), and a multitude of other factors that make up just a few words on a square white or black background. This typography is not invisible, it is loud and proud. Instead of just displaying the words on the page, it is enhancing them: it is the ornate throne for the king, the flashy case for your iPod, the cute print on your purse. In a world where image is everything, Quotable Cards has gotten the hint and caught up with the times.

Many designers of greeting cards and book covers have gotten the hint, too. Notice how many book covers out there are composed of simply typographic imagery. Take this Zadie Smith book cover: there are no images to hint at the subject of the book, but the typography (clean, thin, uniform lines, no serifs but swirls extending from the letters) can already give you a hint of its theme and mood. I, personally, have never read this book and don't know anything about it. But something about the typography makes me want to do so, even without a picture to entice me.

The next time you're in Booksmith, or anywhere at all, take a look at the words around you. How does typography impact how you see things? If something was set in a different font, would the meaning itself change? When you start actually seeing the printed word as its own living art form, your perception of the words they convey might just change.

Saving the World, One Accessory at a Time

I admit it: I like stuff. I like to pretend I'm not a materialistic person, but come on, I spend the majority of my time surrounded by awesome things; it's hard to not want at least some of it. Yet in this day and age, it's important to know more about your stuff than just how cool it is: where it was made, what it was made from, the philosophy of the company producing it… it's a lot to keep track of!

Luckily, Booksmith here is a pretty environmentally aware place. We use biodegradable shopping bags, are highly involved with our community, and are pretty intense about recycling. We also carry many vendors in our gift room that make the world happy. Let me highlight a few of the many vendors we carry that make awesome stuff, and are doing it responsibly.

Bungalow360 is a company that creates high-quality purses, totes, wallets, hats, and even umbrellas--all with adorable patterns. I have owned many a Bungalow bag over the years, and I've been happy with every one of them. They're sturdy, easy to clean, and fit way more stuff than I should be allowed to put in them. The only reason I keep buying more is because they just make cute and cuter designs and I just can't help myself sometimes because omygosh. Seriously, can anyone resist these adorable otters holding hands?!

But Bungalow360 is a responsible company, too. Their website has a page dedicated to their work at the Yucaipa Valley Animal Placement Society, a no-kill animal shelter in California. Bungalow donated a 5 kilowatt solar power system to the shelter, as part of their "Powered By Love" program, which provides solar power to non-profit organizations. On top of this, all of their bags and accessories are vegan, made of 100% natural cotton canvas and printed with water-based inks. So now, every time you buy a Bungalow360 bag, you're helping save kittens with solar power! Awesome!

Now I shall spotlight BlueQ, a company that I just think is awesome. It's clear that the people at BlueQ put a lot of effort into making detailed, fresh, and well-designed products, but they're also pretty darn green. I mean, look at these bags--all made of 95% recycled material. Super-sturdy and super-fun, these things will last you forever while showing your signature style, whether it be vintage collage, funky designs, or adorable little critters.

BlueQ is responsible for many great products besides their bags. Their little boxes of gum make me laugh every time, and it's pretty good stuff to boot. Lip Sh*t is hilariously named, comes in great packaging and offers a variety of unusual but appealing flavors (I'm partial to Coconut Basil and Cucumber Mint, myself). It's also made of 23% beeswax for extra moisturizing power, and a number of other natural ingredients that make for some quality stuff.

I will finish off today's post with Seltzer Goods, a vendor whose products I have fallen in love with during my time here at Booksmith. Their designs are fun, clean, and modern, without being overly hipster. As a design school grad, I appreciate these things. At first, I only knew about Seltzer greeting cards, but--gasp!-- now we carry even more awesome stuff, like tote bags and journals! I think I need the Nerd tote, don't you agree? Although, that mustache is very tempting as well... And I do love cats, and bicycles... Gah! I'm terrible at decisions. Oh, and notice the adorable wooden tags they use. Is that awesome or what?

This is not the limit to our earth-happy gift vendors; nay, we have many, many more. But that is too much to cover in one little blog post (I didn't even start on our jewelry!). So come in sometime, and ask one of us about our products. We'll be happy to tell you all we know about the source, materials, and green-ness of our merchandise.

So now, I can feel a little happier knowing that the stuff I buy from Booksmith will be hurting the earth a little less. That, unfortunately, cannot be said for my wallet.