I signed up to test the beta webfonts from fonts.com. I was very excited with the prospects of jazzing this blog up with some funky fonts but I can’t seem to get it working, it may be due to it still being in beta stage. I’ll try again soon at it.

I think the introduction of these web font services is an exciting time for the web, no longer are we limited to Verdana headlines, opening up limitless options for web designers.

I would expect there will be lots of interesting experiments with type emerging from this. I can’t wait to play with this new type playground that is our web.

So got my early bird ticket for Offset 2010 the other day. So looking forward to it, I really got a lot from it last year. And it’s on in the Grand Canal Theatre so I’ll get to see there, I hear it’s quite impressive.

The line up is yet to be announced but going on the credentials of last years speakers I’ve no doubt that this years line up will be just, if not even more inspiring as last year.

So my Ian Stevenson Best wishes get well soon arrived finally from Concrete Hermit, after some issues with my address and an inpatient postman.

His work cracks me up, I think it’s the ridiculousness of his characters that gets me. I’ve showed some friends his stuff and I’ve yet to meet someone who shares an appreciation for his derranged characters.

How can you not find them funny?

Down in Dun Laoghaire market last Sunday I fell in love with an Ugly Doll called ‘Deer Ugly’ I renamed him ‘Dugly’. He’s not in the above pic as he’s in my bed.

I’d come across the dolls on the web before so when I saw them in the felt I just had to get one.

He’s been a lovely new companion in my bed… no tossing or turning or dutch oven!

Just ordered It’s Nice that issue 3. Yay. It documents the best of the work featured on the site from November ‘09 to March ’10.

Really liked issue 2. And the Rob Ryan print that came with it. With issue 3 comes a print by Parra. Can’t wait to get both.

Be quick Mr. Postman.

So I booked my flight to go over to London just for the day for the Decode exhibition in the Victoria and Albert on the 10th April, day before it finishes.

It has been on my mind for so long now I just had to book it. I couldn’t miss it.

The exhibition includes works by Johnathon Harris and Karsten Schmidt (one of my heroes), Golan Levin and Daniel Rozin.

“The exhibition explores three themes: Code presents pieces that use computer code to create new works and looks at how code can be programmed to create constantly fluid and ever-changing works. Interactivity looks at works that are directly influenced by the viewer. Visitors will be invited to interact with and contribute to the development of the exhibits. Network focuses on works that comment on and utilise the digital traces left behind by everyday communications and looks at how advanced technologies and the internet have enabled new types of social interaction and mediums of self-expression.”

Ahhhhhhhhhhh I can’t wait!

yesterday.

It was such a lovely bed-time read last night. You can’t beat a little book full of nice illustrations before you sleep.

There’s a nice interview with Gemma Correll. I’ve gotten lots of comments from friends about her pic hanging up in my flat. Love it!

Lisa Hassell and Michelle Turton talk about Inkygoodness. I cam across their site couple of weeks ago, some nice illustrators featured there, no here. The site provides a platform for artists to promote and display their artwork.

Featured also is Karen Cheung. I really like her style and humour in her illustrations.

I look forward to Ammo 3!

Just got my ticket for OFFF in Paris this June, 24th – 26th.

Can’t wait to see Non-format, Wooster Collective and Craig Ward – I missed him last year.

Joshua Davis is holding a workshop ‘this intimate one-day course, internationally-renown and award-winning artist Joshua Davis will lead students through the concepts of rapid-prototyping creative work in Adobe Flash.’

I found his talk highly entertaining last year but unfortunately wasn’t hugely inspired by his new work.

I loved OFFF last year in Lisbon. So I’m really looking forward to this year.

And I’ll get to see Paris too.

I’ve picked my topic for my final project for college.

‘Futurist Typography’

The typographic experimentation of the early Futurists brought about a ‘new, more intense and expressive language of communication, neither literary nor graphic, but a synthesis of both.’

So going to look at:
Filippo Marinetti (his pic above)
Fortunato Depero

And I need to get this book Futurist typography and the liberated text By Alan Bartman

Piece of (really interesting-can’t wait to get stuck in) cake!

Look what I found! Well I actually went looking for just the tool, last time I tried getting the co-ordinates from Fireworks it took far too long.

With the css-sprite tool you can upload a group of images and it compiles them into the one sprite AND gives you the css co-ordinates for each image. It also allows you to upload an image and with a view finder cut out the different images and then you the css co-ordinates.

Still a bit buggy though but works fine, actually coded in jQuery!

Right get sprite slicing

css-sprit.es