I’m working in the School of Journalism’s grad student suite for the first time in a while. It’s so quiet up here. I’m going to try to work from here one night a week. It’s a nice change of pace from coffee shops or the kitchen table.
I really want to use Ulysses or Scrivener for my dissertation, but I’m hooked on Zotero’s citation management integration with Word. And the process of connecting Zotero with Scrivener seems… complicated.
I’ve been in two active shooter situations. One turned out to be a false alarm, but it caused a real stampede in a crowded mall. The other was a murder-suicide on campus that caused a lockdown. While I wasn’t really in danger in either situation, the feeling of panic sticks with you.
An active shooter on the University of South Carolina campus. I know my daughter is safe, but so incredibly terrifying.
According to Facebook, I started grad school seven years ago today. I finished my master’s degree in 2021, and have a single independent study and my dissertation left before I finish my PhD, hopefully in 2026. It’s been a long process – I feel like I’ve been a grad student forever – but I’m thankful for my wife, kids, friends and coworkers who have been incredibly patient with me on this seemingly endless journey.
My PhD research is on how people respond to logos. One factor for a successful rollout appears to be context. How will the logo be used? What’s the story behind the change? More context = better response. Neither Cracker Barrel nor MSNBC gave any real context. Here’s my published study on context.
Excited to see South Carolina switch from Under Armor to Nike next year.
Thanks Cracker Barrel and MSNBC! I needed some more recent logo backlashes for my dissertation.
My daughter and I are discussing the best fictional bands. And now, I’ve discovered Julie and the Phantoms and KPOP Demon Hunters. So what other fictional bands belong on my hypothetical list?
Working on a new typeface design that I started six years ago.
Modern cars have all the problems of a car, plus all the problems of a computer.
Digital permanence
A friend was digging through some college artifacts and found my 32-year-old business card from when I was an officer with Carolina Productions, the University of South Carolina student programming board. She sent me a picture and I noticed something funny: I still have the same email address.
I came to USC as a student in 1993 and got my first email address. I used that email address with a command line system until I graduated in 1997. At some point years later — I became an adjunct instructor and was able to reclaim that address and use it as an IMAP account. When I became full-time staff, I continued to use the same email address, this time connected to Microsoft 365.
I’ve had several home addresses and a couple of phone numbers since 1993. Those were connected to my physical location or my service provider so as I moved, things changed. By contrast, I’ve had two of my three main personal domains — sketchbookb.com and bobwertz.com — for almost two decades.1 I’ve changed my hosting service a couple of times, but the URL remains the same.
One of the benefits of domain-based identity systems used on the web and in email is permanence. Social media platforms come and go, and when you are connected to them, it’s like a physical address. When you move or the service disappears, the address changes. But as long as you renew the domains2, you can maintain your digital identity, even as technology advances or you change providers. I really like the domain-based usernames on Bluesky and I hope other services follow suit. Hopefully in 30 years, I’ll find one of my current Sketchbook B business cards and still be able to go to my website.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
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I added sbbfonts.com a couple of years ago to give my type designs their own site. ↩︎
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I will note that for many people, the cost snd process of renewing domains is a legitimate issue. ↩︎
I love these moments when Team Wertz is all together. Getting all three kids together at the same time is getting tougher and tougher.
Went to campus. Got caught in a rain storm. Now sitting at my desk completely soaked…
I can’t think of a sports parallel to F1 summer break. In the middle of the season, they take 2 weeks off where NO ONE on the team can work. They can’t even send an email. Everyone gets a 2-week vacation by rule. (I wonder if social media teams schedule the posts that appear during break.)
McSweeney’s with a gem: The EM dash responds to the AI allegations
An insightful read from the Nieman Lab on NY Times v Sullivan, the 1960s Supreme Court decision that is the foundation of modern American press freedom. Worth a read to understand how lawsuits were weaponized by politicians, and how NYT v Sullivan changed that.
This blog post about additive and extractive technologies by Cal Newport makes me think about the different tools I use daily. I specifically thought of @manton and some of the choices he’s made with Micro.Blog to be less extractive.
Really enjoyed the Fantastic Four. Fun story with great art direction. I adore anything retro futuristic.
Two new typefaces for my 50th birthday
Two new typefaces: SbB Nineteen 75 is a free download and SbB Certiphica will be available soon at MyFonts
In honor of my 50th birthday today, I decided to release a free font: SbB Nineteen 75.
Fell asleep after working on a paper for grad school. Just woke up to a nightmare that I’d actually turned it in… And it is NOT ready to be turned in yet. So rough. Anyway, been a while since I had a grad school nightmare. 🤣 I’m going back to sleep.
This paper for my independent study is a mess. I’ve read a lot, and I like where it’s going, but combining everything isn’t going well.
Scenes from a roadtrip
When Liz asked me what I wanted to do to celebrate my 50th birthday, I told her that I wanted to go to a Cubs game in Wrigley. I hadn’t been to Wrigley since 1988 when we moved back to South Carolina. Liz and I decided to make it happen, albeit a week before my birthday. Instead of dropping one image at a time, I figured I’d take more of a photo essay approach.
We dropped our kids off at Lutheridge in Arden, North Carolina. Our oldest is a counselor there and the kids have always been Christmas week campers. Once they were settled, Liz and I hit the road.
On the way up, we visited Buc-ee’s for the first time and eventually stopped for the night in Indiana. Liz had never seen Batavia, Illinois where I grew up, so that was our first stop. The next day, we got to Batavia around lunchtime and ate in a pub where the grocery store used to be. Spent some time driving around town and got to see our old house and the church that my dad was pastor. Crazy to see how much has changed and how much is still the same.
In retrospect, this workroom in the church was a great influence for me, filled with copiers, paper, folding machines. Everything a someday graphic designer might love. The door was exactly the same as I remember it.
We found the old windmill by the Fox River where we used to go sledding…
…and even paid a visit to the coolest school field trip location in the world, Fermilab.
Once we got to Chicago, we walked over to Lake Michigan and Navy Pier.
We walked along the Chicago River. And the John Hancock building was a couple of blocks from our hotel. We tried to walk as much as possible, but the heat was pretty bad the last day we were there.
We met a few dinosaurs at the Field Museum. I wanted to visit Sue, the T-Rex. But Liz loved Maximo, the Titanosaurus.
We made it to Wrigley for the Cubs game. I got to see the Cubs beat the Royals 6-0 in a game that included a little bit of everything including Suzuki stealing home.
To break up the trip on the way back, we stopped in Lexington, Kentucky and had an amazing dinner at Dudley’s on Short. I’ve never been to Lexington before and it was great.
We had a wonderful time, even if road construction threw us a couple of curveballs. Really thankful for Apple Maps, which made some time-saving route recommendations. The kids had a great time at camp. And we’re finally back home.
Next week, we celebrate my 50th birthday for real, but this experience was exactly what I wanted.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
I really do think there is something to this: How TV Trained Us to Be Conspiracy Theorists.