The Eyes Have It

Talk about great third-party support. This 1995 Robin Williams (no not that Robin Williams) classic from the long-gone Adobe Magazine, has helped me convince more than one client that you don’t have to double space after a period and that all caps really don’t make headers easier to read. Seeing these basic guidelines in print can help a client to feel little more confident that graphic designers aren’t making this stuff up as we go along. The tricky thing is using it diplomatically so no one is alienated.

This NASA document provides terrific third-party support when you are trying to influence some of your client’s less fortunate typographical decisions. Also serves as a good legibility primer.

I’ve been a big fan of Edward Tufte for a long time. His one-day seminar and his books about information design are extremely useful resources for anyone concerned with the clear, concise presentation of complex ideas and data.

Favorite quote: “Good design is clear thinking made visible.”

I’ve made no secret of the fact I prefer working in InDesign. Stumbled across this rant on designweenie that leads me to believe James may just possibly feel the same way.

“People can think only in images. If you want to be a philosopher, write novels.”

–Albert Camus, Notebooks 1935-1942

I bought this book almost 25 years ago and haven’t looked at it in at least a decade. It’s interesting to go back and look at what you paid attention to when you were young. I keep scratching my head trying to figure out why I underlined some of the passages I underlined. I can only assume it made sense to me at the time. It’s also interesting to find out what you forgotten about.

The Eyes Have It is on vacation until Monday. Have a nice holiday America.