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Bob Wertz

Type designer, researcher and Ph.D. student in Columbia, South Carolina

Long Posts

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    Reflections on a DIY Dryer Repair

    Our clothes dryer died on Thursday when my wife Liz was home sick trying to get some rest. She searched the web and diagnosed the problem right away — a broken belt. After finding a YouTube video showing how to fix it, she decided that we could fix it on our own.

    This dryer is old by modern standards — 14 years old. We bought it before our youngest child was born. The store we purchased it from, H.H. Gregg, has long since closed.1 The washing machine that we bought to go with it died years ago. I wondered if it was even worth repairing, but I watched the video and agreed that it looked pretty straightforward. Our local Lowe’s had a compatible belt in stock and it was only $16.99. I figured if we couldn’t make it work, we’d invested less than $20 in the repair.

    This afternoon, we watched the video together on the Apple TV and got to work.

    The disassembly process wasn’t too hard, but was made more complicated by the limited space to work in the laundry room. We got the dryer disassembled and Liz kept track of all the parts and screws and where they went. This was critical, because some of the screws in each step were different.

    The amount of lint and dust inside the dryer was a little insane. We took the time to vacuum in the inside and wipe down all of the surfaces. And in the process, we found 94 cents and a couple of small Legos.

    We reassembled the dryer, remembering to reconnect all of the electrical connections and slid it back into position. It started right up. Total elapsed time was less than an hour.

    Liz and I couldn’t have done it without working together. When we were first married, I was trying to fix some blinds in the apartment. It wasn’t going well until Liz started working with me. And from that point forward, we decided that we needed to work together on things like this. Better together. This repair was definitely a two-person job, especially getting the belt around the drum. We could have called an appliance repair person, but chose not to. I haven’t had great luck getting appliances fixed. The cost to repair is usually as expensive as purchasing a replacement.

    We tend to live in an era where appliances like these are simply disposable. So I’m glad we were able to do a DIY repair. We couldn’t have done it without YouTube. It really does help to be able to see the process. I need to remember to think repair first, instead of mindlessly replacing something that still has life left in it.

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    1. In fact, the whole chain declared bankruptcy in 2017 and closed all of its stores. It lives on as an online retailer. ↩︎

    ∞

    Is it unusual that Columbia doesn’t have an Apple Store?

    Back in 2016, I had a blog about retail developments in the Columbia, South Carolina area. And one of the most popular topics was why there wasn’t an Apple Store in Columbia.

    Yesterday I was at Columbiana Mall and realized that the large Forever 21 is closing.1 I’m always interested in Apple Store-sized vacancies in Columbia and I thought back to an analysis that I did almost 10 years ago2 and wanted to see if anything has changed. Is it odd that Columbia doesn’t have an Apple Store?

    Comparing MSAs

    I needed to look at some population data and decided to start by looking at Metropolitan Statistic Area (MSA). An MSA is a way of classifying an urban core and its surrounding population. It’s better than using city population because it includes suburbs and outlying areas that are closely connected to the urban core.

    For 2025, Columbia is the 70th largest MSA in the country. For context: Greenville-Anderson-Greer ranks 57; Charleston-North Charleston is 71; Augusta is 92. You can see the full list at Wikipedia.

    I cross referenced all of the MSAs with the Apple Store list. In the top 75 MSAs in the country, only two do not have an Apple Store: Columbia (70) and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas (65).

    McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is a geographically large area in South Texas that has a slightly larger population than Columbia but is spread out over a wider area.

    Many MSAs that are smaller than Columbia have Apple Stores: Boise, ID (74); Greensboro, NC (78); Colorado Springs, CO (79); Little Rock, AR (80); Akron, OH (85); Madison, WI (87); Toledo, OH (97); Lexington, KY (109); and many more.

    I looked at Combined Statistical Areas (CSA), too. CSA is similar to MSA, but includes a wider geographic area. Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg CSA ranks 58th and is the largest CSA without an Apple Store.

    So what does this mean?

    Yes, it’s strange that Columbia doesn’t have an Apple Store. Most cities similar in size to Columbia have Apple Stores. Lots of cities smaller than Columbia have Apple Stores.

    But why?

    I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s a combination of three factors:

    1. There isn’t an ideal location for an Apple Store in Columbia. In most markets, Apple locates in established shopping malls. That leaves Columbiana Mall as the only option right now, but Apple’s had plenty of opportunities to locate there and they haven’t. I assume that it’s just not centrally located enough… Maybe someday, Bull Street or whatever is taking the place of Richland Mall will be an option, but it isn’t today.

    2. Greenville, Charlotte, Augusta and Charleston all have stores. These stores are a drivable distance from Columbia. Apple may assume that Columbia customers are covered by these stores.

    3. Apple isn’t adding new markets any more. Apple will occasionally put an additional store in a market they are already in. Or remodel an existing store. They will build large flagship stores in international metropolitan areas. But they aren’t really adding new stores in the U.S. markets they aren’t already in. Columbia simply missed the initial expansion rush and is now just out of luck.

    Columbia is big enough to support an Apple Store. We’ll see if it ever happens. I think a future location near downtown — Bull Street or Forest Acres — makes the most sense.3

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    1. If I’m wildly speculating, that really strange mall Barnes and Noble that opened before Christmas might move to the Forever 21 space which would give them a more space and an external entrance for extended hours. ↩︎

    2. That analysis isn’t online anymore, so I figured it would be worth updating and republishing here. ↩︎

    3. Random aside… I kinda miss blogging about retail in Columbia. ↩︎

    ∞

    Slightly melted

    We’ve been visiting a new Lutheran Church since Christmas. Today during the children’s sermon, Pastor Emily was discussing the changing of the paraments to purple for the Lenten season. She then mentioned that the cross on the altar had changed, too. I noticed the paraments, but hadn’t noticed the different cross. It was black and very slightly warped on the right side. Turns out that the church had burned down in the 1940s, and this altar cross survived. During Lent, the blackened, slightly melted cross replaces the shiny cross that’s on the altar the rest of the year.

    I love this. I love that they didn’t throw it out, or try to “fix” it. The cross was changed, and they found a new, appropriate use for it. I love how our worship space changes with the liturgical season, but this felt especially poignant.

    We’ve been through a lot over the last decade or so. And I feel often like I’m changed. Different than I was. Slightly melted? And I’m not always sure where or how I fit in. This cross is a reminder that sometimes, after the drama and trauma, we are changed. Maybe we have a different purpose and place. Still valuable, but no longer the same. And that’s something to celebrate.

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    ∞

    Five lectures

    I mentioned earlier this week that the Edward Tufte workshop in Atlanta eight years ago was a driving factor in returning to graduate school, but that’s actually a partial truth. There were actually five lectures that sparked an interest in design research and grad school. All of them held in vast hotel meeting rooms with hundreds of attendees, but each of them connecting with me on a deeper level.

    Jonah Lehrer, AIGA Gain Conference, October 2008, New York City

    Gain was AIGA’s “Business of Design” conference1 and there was a roster of big wig, influential speakers. Jonah Lehrer was there to talk about his best-selling book, Proust was a Neuroscientist. Lehrer connected creativity with neuroscience advancements, arguing that artists often figured out how the brain worked before scientists did. This concept that neuroscience and creativity could be linked was fascinating to me. A few years after this talk, Lehrer was found to have plagiarized and fabricated quotes in his later works, making this a strange choice to start my list, but after his talk, I started to think about design work a little differently. There is a recording of the talk, but sadly, no audio for some reason.

    Malcolm Gladwell, AIGA Gain Conference, October 2008, New York City

    Same conference as Jonah Lehrer, but one day later. Malcolm Gladwell spoke about his forthcoming book, Outliers. People often criticize Gladwell for oversimplifying the research he builds on, but in that moment — combined with the Lehrer speech the day before — I could see connections between social sciences and design. I read Outliers afterwards and really enjoyed it, but could honestly never really get into Gladwell’s other work. Hidden somewhere on the AIGA servers is a complete recording of the lecture.

    Kevin Larson, Typecon, July 2009, Atlanta

    I loved Typecon Atlanta. Looking back at my notes and blog posts, I wrote about the inspiring speakers, the networking and the creative exploration of letterpress and hand lettering. I did not specifically note a lecture by Kevin Larson, which is really funny, because that’s the one that ended up being most influential for me. Larson is research scientist working for Microsoft and I remember his talk about the science of readability. How does the human brain process letterforms? And then form words and meaning? His general idea was that designers think they understand how readability works, but research shows that other factors are involved and room for improvement. There isn’t a recording around that I’m aware of, but I did find a 2013 talk with Larson and legendary designer Matthew Carter discussing collaborating on the design of a typeface using letter recognition testing. Like the Lehrer and Gladwell talks, the idea of using science to better understand type design was exciting to me.

    Edward Tufte, Presenting Data and Information, February 2017, Atlanta

    In 20172, I was becoming interested in how information is structured and I’d read a little bit about Edward Tufte’s work. I drove down to Atlanta for a one-day workshop, expecting to learn how to design better presentations. In actuality, I left pondering the difference between designing to persuade and designing to inform. Too often, we don’t try to communicate information and let viewers come to their own conclusions. Instead, when we make presentations, we’ve already drawn conclusions and are trying to persuade people that those conclusions are correct. After the lecture wrapped up, I hopped on I-20 for the normally a 3.5 hour drive. That night, however, it was a 6 hour drive because of an accident on a bridge on the interstate. I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted out of my career.

    Khoi Vinh, AIGA Leadership Retreat, June 2017, Dallas

    The AIGA Leadership Retreat is a strange event. Part conference, part pep-rally, part-training… chapter board members from all over the United States converge on a conference hotel in a random AIGA city. The 2017 confab was in Dallas and seemed almost entirely focused on IBM’s push into design thinking.3 So I was really surprised when Khoi Vinh showed up to talk about the importance of criticism in the design industry. I’d been a fan of Khoi Vinh for a long time since his days at The NY Times and I’d even used his short-lived app, Mixel. For me, this brief talk contrasted with the heavy design thinking push and made me question many of the assumptions I’d made about the design industry on a macro scale. I found a longer 2018 talk that covers many of the same themes.

    At the end of that summer, I started to talk to people around campus trying to figure out which Master’s program I wanted to apply to. As an employee benefit, the University of South Carolina allows staff to take up to four classes a year. In January 2018, I connected with Camea, the graduate school coordinator in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications and learned about their research-focused MA program. I crammed for the math section of the GRE, applied and was accepted. I started the program in Fall 2018 and I fell in love with process of research. When I finished my MA in 2021, I rolled right into the Ph.D. program (which I’m still trying working on).

    I’ve been to a bunch of talks, lectures and conferences over the years. Years later, I still think about these five and credit them with laying the groundwork for interest in MA and Ph.D. level research.

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    1. The AIGA Gain Conference was held at Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. During COVID, that hotel ceased operations, but was later opened as a shelter for immigrants seeking asylum. That shelter has now been ordered to close… https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/nyregion/roosevelt-hotel-migrant-shelter-closing.html ↩︎

    2. There’s a gap of eight years between the third lecture and the fourth… why? Our third child was born in that gap. I researched going back to school part-time, but I couldn’t figure out what to study and how to make it work. I actually took a graduate class in Architectural History in Spring 2016. I loved the class, but didn’t think art history was the right path for me. ↩︎

    3. I think around the time of this conference, AIGA National lost its way. But that’s a story for another blog post. ↩︎

    ∞

    Nicknaming places

    I realized the other day that our family tends to give places nicknames and that to an outside observer, our place names would be undecodable. Here are a few of my favorites.

    • St. Mary Ashley. In reality, this church is St. Mary Episcopal Church, but our former babysitter, Mary Ashley got married here. It’s on my drive home and when my wife would ask where I was, I’d say “I’m by St. Mary, you know, where Mary Ashley got married.” Eventually, I shortened it to St. Mary Ashley.
    • The Honeybaked Ham Plant. Not far past St. Mary Ashley is sprawling industrial facility. Once owned by Honeywell, it’s now operated by Shaw Industries and makes carpet fibers.1 It obviously does not “make” hams, but I guess at some point, Honeywell became Honeybaked. If I told my wife I was near the Shaw Industries plant, she’d have no idea where I was.
    • The Ballerina Gas Station. It’s in Ballentine, South Carolina and when Norah was very little, she misunderstood where we were stopping to fill up. It stuck.(I found out recently that at least one of my kids thought it was really called the Ballerina Gas Station.)
    • All the Starbucks. We have nicknames for all of our frequent Starbucks stops. “Neighborhood Starbucks” is by our house and is a typical new Starbucks. “Grad School Starbucks” is where I did all my grad school studying when I first went back to school. It was the closest to our house until Neighborhood Starbucks was built. It is also an icebox so it’s important to let the kids know if we are going to Grad School Starbucks because they will need a sweatshirt. “Ballerina Starbucks” is in Ballentine, obviously. (See above.) A Starbucks without a nickname is a Starbucks that we don’t visit.2

    There are others. Are we the only family that does this? Or does your family have informal names for places that you visit?

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    1. It was also recently cited for dumping chemicals in the water. ↩︎

    2. I’m currently writing this post in a no name Starbucks near where my wife is getting her hair done. I don’t come here often, so I’ve never given it a name. ↩︎

    ∞

    Nine years ago, I wasn't in a mass shooting

    I still have Facebook, primarily to check my memories. Usually, it’s something funny that the kids said, or some family pictures. But today was different:

    “Just left Columbiana in a stampede. Rumored shooting. Scary.”

    We’d gone to Columbiana Mall near our house to do some shopping and stopped at the Red Robin near the exit to get some dinner before heading home. After dinner, we stepped out of the restaurant into a stampede of people running toward us. A woman yelled “Go! There was a shooting!” as she ran past. We darted back inside Red Robin and left through their exits. I had Norah and Jill, and we got briefly separated from Ryan and my wife, Liz as we left through different doors. We found each other, ran to the car and got the hell out of there as police and first responders poured into the parking lot from all directions.

    That is one of Ryan’s earliest memories. Four years old. Being separated from his sisters. He actually brought it up the other day and commented that he still hates going to the mall.

    Here’s the weird thing. The mall locked down, but a shooter was never found. In fact, there was no evidence of a shooting at all. Best guess was that there was a fight, and someone fired an Airsoft gun. It was enough to set off the panic and the stampede. And so there wasn’t a shooting, but there was a panic. (Sadly, in 2022, there actually was a shooting at the mall.)

    So thanks for the memory, Facebook. That’s one I’d rather forget.

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    ∞

    AI and Design: It’s what you make of it.

    I attended a lecture tonight at the University of South Carolina with Helen Armstrong, professor and researcher from NC State. The talk was well attended… mostly students with a handful of professional designers sprinkled in. I didn’t take notes, but figured I’d share some quick impressions.

    • Designers need to learn to use AI. Think of artificial intelligence as a tool that we can wield to design more effectively. The point isn’t that AI will do the whole project, but that we can choose how to implement AI tools most effectively.

    • Designers need to partner with data scientists to maximize the impact of AI tools. Helen talked about the importance of partnering with data scientists to understand the tools and help focus AI products.

    • Designers can craft the interface to AI. Right now, we think of most AI tools as text prompts, but designers can work to help build the interfaces that allow people to get the most out of the tools.

    • Students are nervous. During the question and answer session, several students wanted to talk about the role of AI in hiring and worried that employers who might value young designers less because an AI can do it. The nervousness surprised me a little, but it shouldn’t have. The tasks that young designers are often given are likely easier to automate. But I thought Helen made a great point… AI in the hands of a designer will be more effective that AI in the hands of non-designer.

    • A great homework assignment. My friend Kris asked Helen for a homework assignment” for experimenting with AI and I loved her response. First, spend 15 minutes a day playing around with a large language model to familiarize yourself with the possibilities. Second, subscribe to a range of AI newsletters to keep up with advancements.

    I purchased Helen’s book, Big Data, Big Design: Why Designers should care about artificial intelligence, from Amazon during the Q&A section. I’m looking forward to reading it.

    I tend to be skeptical about the ability of AI to completely automate the creative process, but I agree completely with Helen that artificial intelligence is a tool that is here to stay. And that tool will make us more efficient as designers. She drew a comparison to the popularization of computer driven design in the 1990s. Desktop publishing changed what we designed and how we designed, but there was still an important role for designers.

    I pay attention to developments in AI and play around with tools, but I think I need to get more serious about trying to find opportunities to incorporate AI into my creative process. And I probably should start to think about academic research topics into user perception of AI.

    Unrelated to the topic of AI… it was so nice to be in McMaster 214 tonight with a small crowd. Back when AIGA South Carolina was rolling, we had a bunch of great lectures in that space. While AIGA SC didn’t survive COVID, I’m glad to see USC’s School of Visual Art and Design leading the way with some great programming and bringing the creative community together. I’ve missed it.

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    ∞

    Reflections from 1.19.2025

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    My first “Now” update of 2025. The start of the year has been chaotic. Cold weather and threat of snow, but only a couple of flurries. Then, last week, both kids had the flu. The semester started and I’m taking two classes. Work remains busy. Tomorrow is MLK Day and it’s a holiday for us. Hoping to use the day off to recharge and reset.

    Feels

    • Anxious. A car accident before Christmas. Wildfires in California. Insane political news. Sick kiddos. The general state of the world. It’s just one thing after another.
    • Optimistic. While the state of the world is depressing, I’m excited about the direction at work. And I’m moving toward finishing my Ph.D.

    Health

    • Still stalled. Had hoped to hit reset after the new year, but alas, things are just too chaotic. I was looking to start walking more this week, but the weather looks terrible. So maybe I’m heading to the gym until the weather improves? Don’t know, but I need to kick my fitness routine into gear.

    Projects

    • Typeface design. Spent a little time working on my new typeface design. Happy with the little prototype that I built.
    • My blog. Thinking about some things I might want to change here. I’m more sure than ever that my Micro.Blog hosted site is the best possible option.

    Entertainment

    • Skeleton Crew. So good. I enjoyed the show from start to finish. And the finale briefly shows my favorite ships of all time. I won’t spoil it for you.
    • South Carolina Women’s Basketball. Go Gamecocks. They are ranked #2 because of a loss to UCLA, but they look like they will fight for another national championship. They are so much fun to watch.
    • NFL Playoffs. I didn’t watch a lot of the regular season, but I’m tuned into the playoffs. I’m not pulling for anyone in particular so it’s just fun to enjoy the games without a rooting interest.
    ∞

    Then: Reflections from 12.31.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    The last day of the year. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks leading up to Christmas and before New Years. A minor car accident complicated the already busy season. Everyone is fine, and it was the other driver’s fault, but now we are just waiting to find out if the damage is repairable. Thankful for good auto insurance.

    Normally by now, I have a plan for the next year. And I guess I have some ideas, but I haven’t written it out yet. I probably need to go ahead and do that today or tomorrow, since, you know, 2025 starts tomorrow.

    Feels

    • Drained. So many things to do at the end of the year. I was productive, but have not rested enough over the last couple weeks. I have two more days of vacation before I head back to work in 2025.
    • Frustrated. We had a car accident before Christmas. The other driver ran a red light, although she swore she had a green light. Her passenger was incredibly aggravated and belligerent. Thankful for the helpful police officers, insurance agents and others that have helped us. But it’s just a complicated time to deal with a rental car and repairs.
    • Optimistic. There are things I’m dreading about 2025, but personally, I’m optimistic about so many things. Finding that balance is challenging, but I’m going to keep pushing forward.

    Health

    • Still stalled. I had some good progress late in the year, but I’ve been in neutral for the last couple months. Need to kick it into gear starting tomorrow.

    Projects

    • Typeface design. I’ve got some sketches for an experimental typeface. It’s not something that’s going to sell so it’s been on the back burner, but I feel like I really want to spend some time on it.
    • InShow. Do I need another project? Not really. Is InShow 23 coming in 2025? Maybe…

    Entertainment

    • Skeleton Crew. Still loving this show. Looking forward to an episode tonight and then two more in this season.
    • What if…? I know a bunch of people thought this season was weak, but I enjoyed it. Storm as Thor is wonderful. And I always love Captain Carter.
    ∞

    2025: Incremental Progress

    My themes for 2025 are essentially the same as they were last year. And the year before. I need to get healthy. I want to write and be creative. I need to stay organized.

    It’s somewhat boring that my major themes have stayed the same for three years. I’ve made progress, but I still have a ways to go. I thought about changing them up, but these four goals still reflect what I need to work on so I’m sticking with them. Just some slight modifications…

    • Get healthy. Once again, this needs to be my top priority. I made some good progress late in 2024, but I need to carve more time out for walking and exercising. And I need to continue to make better food choices. I turn 50 this year, and I’d like to be healthier at 50 than I was at 40. To pull that off, I need to put a lot of work in between now and the beginning of August. I’ve got some more specific plans for getting more active.

    • Write. In Spring 2025, I have two Ph.D. classes. And then, from there, I’m writing until my dissertation is done. If I stay on the current pace, I have a year and a half until I finish my Ph.D. And that means that by the end of 2025, I’ll need to have made significant progress on my dissertation. I feel like I’ve been in grad school forever – I started working on my MA part time six years ago – so it feels strange and unbelievable to finally have the end in sight.

    • Explore creative endeavors. In 2024, I launched a bunch of new typefaces and built a new website for my fonts. I’m really proud of what I accomplished creatively this year. For 2025, I want to finalize an experimental typeface design that I’ve worked on for years, but never really worked on seriously because it isn’t something I think will sell. However, I enjoy playing around with more unique, experimental concepts and plan to focus on that design this year. I also may resurrect InShow, a Columbia-based design show, but we’ll see if I can find the bandwidth and recruit a team.

    • Get organized and stay organized. Continue to refine and evolve my methods and tools for staying organized. With so much going on, task management is vital. I especially want to work on keeping my finances more organized this year.

    And that’s the rough plan for 2025. Admittedly not that exciting. Stay the course. Keep improving slowly, but surely.

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    ∞

    Then: Reflections from 12.15.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    First up, Happy birthday Norah! My oldest turns 20 today. Two decades is a long time and so much has happened… and yet, it feels like it has flown by.

    I’ve seemed to settle in writing these updates every other week instead of weekly. Since they are mostly for me, I going to be okay with it. But if you happen to be reading along, just a heads up.

    Feels

    • Excited. I’m excited for the Christmas season. Yes, most people started planning for Christmas early, but we have three family birthdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hard to focus on Christmas when we are still celebrating birthdays!
    • Proud. Of my kiddos. All three of them are growing up to be amazing people. I love them so much, but I’m also incredibly proud of who they are. I’m also very proud of my wife who is excelling in her Ph.D. classwork.

    Health

    • Stalled. I ate two donuts for breakfast this morning… I’m going to have to hit reset after Christmas.

    Projects

    • Typeface consulting. Waiting on feedback a draft I provided. Refining some of the smaller things.
    • InShow. Do I need another project? Not really. Is InShow 23 coming in 2025? Maybe…
    • A history of media branding. In 1997, I wrote an honors thesis about media branding. I’m thinking about pulling the ultimate academic stunt and resurrecting it. I’d have to completely rewrite it – I’m sure it’s terrible – but I think I want to write a history of media branding.

    Entertainment

    • Skeleton Crew. I love it. The mash up of 80s Spielberg nostalgia and Star Wars. Incredibly well done, and not just fan service.
    • Lower Decks. Star Trek’s animated comedy is coming to a close and it’s just brilliant. I think next week is the finale and I’m looking forward to how they wrap things up.
    • Gamecock Football. Heading to the Citrus Bowl to play Illinois. No way they were going to make the playoffs with three losses, but this is a wonderful consolation prize.
    • McLaren wins the Constructors' Championship. A great finale for Lando Norris and McLaren to win the Constructors' Championship. This is my first season watching F1 and it was excited down to the last laps.
    ∞

    Tracking down a copy of my thesis from 1997

    I want to find a copy of my 1997 honors thesis.1 I wrote it on a Power Mac 7500 in Word Perfect 3.5 on the classic Mac OS 8. It probably fit on a floppy drive, but I know I saved a backup copy of it on a Zip drive. At some point, I decided that I needed to move things off the Zip disks and consolidated all of my old files from college onto DVDs. I’m not 100% sure where that DVD is now, but I’m guessing it’s in my attic. Even if the disc hasn’t been ruined by the South Carolina heat, I don’t actually have a DVD drive to read it.

    And then I remembered that the University of South Carolina library has the official copy in the off-site annex. I can request that they pull the physical copy for me to review in person at South Carolinina Library. It’s a bound copy of the actual sheets of paper I printed and turned in at Harper College almost 30 years ago. I’m going to request it next week and we’ll see how long it takes to get it out of storage.2

    I suppose the moral of the story is don’t trust your archives to digital formats. A lot can go wrong.

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    1. To graduate from the University of South Carolina Honors College, you had to write an undergraduate thesis. Mine was on media branding. ↩︎

    2. I’ll share some pictures when I get to see it. ↩︎

    ∞

    Then: Reflections from 12.01.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    Thanksgiving week was busy. I worked Monday and Tuesday, took Wednesday off and the university was closed for Thursday and Friday. It was a much needed rest. We had Norah home from college so it was nice to have all of Team Wertz under the same roof for the first time for a while.

    Hard to believe it’s December. I need to switch into gear to finish up the year strong. We’ve got my wife’s birthday this week and it’s her last week of graduate classes.

    Feels

    • Good week to be a Gamecock. The marching band was in New York for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. The women’s basketball team returned to form and won two games in dominating fashion. And the Gamecock football team got the win against arch rival Clemson.
    • Thinking. I have one last task to do for my graduate class, but essentially, my semester ended a couple of weeks ago. I’ve had time to think about some new projects and ponder where I want to spend my time an energy in 2025.

    Health

    • Fine. Still in neutral. Need to get more active. Still eating pretty well…

    Projects

    • Typeface consulting. Really dove into some specific tasks on my typeface design project and happy with the direction.
    • InShow. I’m thinking about resurrecting a Columbia-based design show that’s been dormant since 2017. I’m currently thinking about how to create a new and sustainable version of InShow. Coming in 2025? Maybe…

    Entertainment

    • Gamecock Football. If you’d told me at the beginning of the season that this team could be this good, I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s been fun. We’ll see what bowl they end up in. (It would take some massive chaos for them to end up in the College Football Playoff.)
    • F1. Good lord. The Qatar Grand Prix is wild. I won’t pretend I understand the issuing of penalties. Pulling for McLaren to pull off the Constructors Championship next week.
    ∞

    Reflections from 11.24.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    So I accidentally skipped last week. I wrote the post, but never actually uploaded it. So I’m incorporating some of what I wrote last week to cover the last two weeks.

    Happy birthday to my youngest, Ryan. He turns 13 today. For another three weeks, I have three teenagers. Time flies.

    Feels

    • Grateful. On Ryan’s birthday, I’ve got to reflect on just how amazing and wonderful my kiddos are. I’m biased, but I think they are pretty phenomenal.
    • Rearranging. My wife and I decided to move everything around. Furniture from the master bedroom is in the kitchen. We moved a bookshelf into the master bathroom. A cabinet into the laundry room. A chair moves from the living room to the master bedroom. Really happy with all the moves, and hopefully it will help us be more organized.
    • Optimistic. I have a new boss at work. I got a chance to meet with him this week, and honestly, I’m excited and hopeful about the path forward. I’m going to be very busy. I’m happiest when I very busy.

    Health

    • Fine. Still in neutral. Need to get more active. Still eating pretty well…

    Projects

    • Typeface consulting. Got back into typeface design this weekend on the consulting project I’ve been working on. Happy with how it is turning out.

    Entertainment

    • Gamecock Football. Shane Beamer’s team is doing far better than anyone expected, and holding their own in a wacky SEC.
    • Bluesky. Now, I know lots of people on Bluesky. Even my high school German teacher is following me over there. So there is more of a reason to be there.
    • F1. Woke up in the middle of the night to watch the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Great win for my wife’s favorite driver, George Russell. And a championship for Max. Hopefully, the last two races will be at better times.
    • Quartiles. Still enjoying the Apple News+ game.
    ∞

    Then: Reflections from 11.10.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    I skipped last week’s post. Sunday, I was busy with schoolwork and didn’t have time. I planned to post something later, but the election happened and I just didn’t feel like posting at all.

    Favorite Picture of Last Week

    Our oldest, Norah, joined us at the polls to cast her first vote in a presidential election. And while most of the races didn’t go the way we hoped, I love that I was able to share this experience with her.

    Three people smiling in front of an 'I voted' sign.

    Feels

    • Nervous. I’m worried for the future of our country and the future of democracy in general.
    • Optimistic. I had advisement this week and feel like I have a strong path forward toward finishing my Ph.D. I’m planning on taking two courses in the fall, one in the summer, and then, I’m pretty much just writing from there to the end of my dissertation.
    • Reclusive. I don’t really feel like being around anyone right now. It’s don’t feel like sharing on social media. I kinda just want to be a recuse for a little while.

    Health

    • Fine. This week wasn’t the best week for my health.

    Projects

    • School work. I’ve got to talk about my research on Wednesday. And then finish up my project for class. Very doable.

    Entertainment

    • Not much. I’ll be honest. Pretty much avoiding all media right now. Just not feeling it.
    ∞

    Then: Reflections from 10.27.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    This week was busy like the last couple, but felt much more manageable for some reason. I have an insanely busy week ahead of me and as the semester wraps up, I have a lot of school work to do. But emotionally, I feel a little more focused.

    Favorite Picture of Last Week

    My son, Ryan, is a lacrosse goalie. He played four games this weekend and did amazing. Probably his best week in goal ever. I also try to capture the action and yesterday, a kid made a great move a slipped the ball past Ryan. Great shot, and a fun picture.

    Youth lacrosse player jumps in front of a goal with a goalie defending.

    Feels

    • Motivated. I have a lot to do this week. And I’m feeling good about getting it done.
    • Deep in thought. I need to make some decisions on my dissertation that I’ve been putting off. I think I’m starting to figure out what I want to do — and it’s a little more ambitious than I originally planned. But if I’m staring off into the distance, that’s what I’m thinking about.
    • Frazzled. Less than two weeks to the election. I know I should vote early, but it’s my oldest’s first presidential election and I want her to get the full experience of going to the polls.
    • Tired. We dropped off Jillian very early this morning to go on a school trip to DC. I should be trying to get some sleep right now, but the cat woke me up and I so figured I’d be productive and knock this out. Honestly though, I should be asleep right now.

    Health

    • Still stable. Not much progress this week. At some point, I’ll kick back into high gear soon, but this week is not the week.

    Projects

    • School work. I’ve got some projects to finish up for the class I’m taking this semester.

    Entertainment

    • Welcome back, Lower Decks. Star Trek Lower Decks is back for it’s fifth and final season. Loved the first two episodes of Season 5 and excited to see where it goes. Sad that it’s wrapping up, though. It’s been a wonderful addition to Star Trek.
    • Formula 1. In the middle of a three week stretch of F1. Mexico City Grand Prix is today.
    ∞

    Then: Reflections from 10.20.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    Another busy week. I feel like a broken record at this point. The kids' schedules are busy. We went to the South Carolina State Fair. I was thankful that I didn’t have class this week for Fall Break, but I’ve still got a bunch of grad school deadlines to handle. We are actively looking to buy a car — which is a process I do not enjoy. It’s all quite overwhelming, but we manage to figure out how to fit it all in.

    Favorite Picture of Last Week

    I’ve decided to add this weekly feature to my Now page to encourage me to take and share more pictures. We went to the State Fair to see my daughter’s papier-mâché giraffe. While I was there, I caught this Ferris wheel against an impossibly blue sky.

    A large Ferris wheel with colorful gondolas is set against a clear blue sky at the SC State Fair.

    Feels

    • Overwhelmed. October has been a little bit of a whirlwind. Ryan is doing lacrosse. Jill has hit peak homework. We’ve got school events and volunteer events. It seems like we never have free time.
    • Grace. Recognizing that I need to give myself some grace. I’ve been too hard on myself, and realize that I’ve been a bad model in that regard for my kiddos and Liz. There isn’t enough time in the day to do all the things I need to do. And I need to be okay with that.
    • Frazzled. Still nervous about the state of the nation, but encouraged that I see more and more people standing up and expressing their support for Harris Walz. Several friends in Georgia recently shared their stance on Facebook challenging their conservative family members. My neighbors have Harris Walz signs in their yard in a corner of conservative Lexington, South Carolina.

    Health

    • Stable. October has been a holding pattern. I realize how much a busy schedule works against my efforts to be healthier. I’m choosing to give myself some grace…

    Projects

    • Accepted. My journal article was accepted for publication. A couple more editing hurdles and it’ll be ready to go. I’ll share more here when it’s out.

    Entertainment

    • SEC football. Big win for my Gamecocks over Oklahoma. Georgia beating Texas. Tennessee beating Alabama. There really isn’t a more exciting conference in college football.
    • F1 is back. Watched some of the sprint race yesterday and qualifying. Watching the United States Grand Prix this afternoon.
    • Quartiles. I’m really enjoying the Apple News+ game Quartiles. It’s pretty much replaced The NY Times games like Wordle and Strands that I had been playing daily.
    ∞

    Then: 10.13.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    Tough week to summarize. It was a challenging week for several reasons. Work wasn’t great. We were busy at home. Running constantly. And in the middle of it, I had a little bit of a professional realization. We got to see my nephew play football finally. We’ve been to games that he hasn’t played in, but this time we got to see Brady play and hear “Brady West on the tackle.” Ryan had four lacrosse games on Saturday, which was exhausting for everyone. And I got a chance to take Liz to one of our favorite restaurants for a much needed date night.

    Feels

    • Running. So many commitments. Always on the move. I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world, but it can be exhausting.
    • Pondering my career. I came to the realization that I don’t love design any more. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to change careers in the short term, but it’s led to a bunch of soul searching.
    • Nervous about the upcoming election. But also optimistic.

    Health

    • With all the running around, I didn’t prioritize my health this week. I need to do better planning for when things go wrong.

    Projects

    • Yeah, I got nothing much done this week, but I’ve got a couple of hours scheduled today to get some work done.

    Entertainment

    • I didn’t really have time to read anything this week. Or watch TV.
    • Looking forward to F1 being back next week.
    ∞

    Next

    Many years ago, I was having coffee with a successful designer. We were discussing career challenges and he just offhandedly commented “I just don’t love design any more. In fact, I’m thinking about winding down my business.” I was still a pretty young and ambitious designer and left the meeting stunned. How could a successful designer get to this point?

    Fast forward to about six months ago. My oldest is in college and took a digital art class… basically the first design class. She did really well and thought about changing her major to graphic design, but she didn’t. “I don’t want to do what you do.” In fact, all of my kids are incredibly artistic, and none of them want to be designers. I shared this observation to my wife, who matter of factly commented “You don’t love design. You haven’t for a long time. They’ve watched you. Why would they be excited about it?”

    Yesterday, I was in a work meeting and I found myself far more interested in data and far less interested in creative execution. I was thinking about all the different ways I could study a problem and understand it better.

    I’ve been in graduate school for what seems like an eternity.1 I went back to school to get a Master’s degree and fell in love with research. Specifically research surrounding design and visual communication. Mostly quantitative analysis. I’ve written journal articles and conference presentations. I finished my MA and rolled right into Ph.D. work. Grad school is literally what I choose to do in my “spare” time. It’s a grind and sometimes, it’s overwhelming, but I love it.

    There are still aspects of design that I enjoy. I love creating typefaces and working on personal projects. Many of the things that made me a successful designer — asking questions, identifying problems and crafting creative solutions — are the same skills that I use as a researcher. Career wise, I’m still a creative director and designer, but the passion for the craft isn’t there like it used to be. I just don’t love design anymore.

    I’m at peace with this revelation, but it’s a strangely emotional moment when you realize that the career you’ve built over the last 27+ years no longer fits you.

    Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    1. I’ve been a part-time grad student for six years at this point. ↩︎

    ∞

    Then: 10.6.24

    Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.

    This week provided confirmation of how bad Hurricane Helene devastated the people and places that we love in Asheville. We’ve heard from all of our friends and they are fine, but the destruction is almost incomprehensible. Asheville is a 2 hour drive from our house, and we make day trips up there all the time. Many of the stores, restaurants and spots we visit are quite simply gone. Lutheridge — a camp very special to my family — is okay, but with a lot of damage. The pen store in Biltmore Village is destroyed. So is the little bakery next door with the amazing Ginger cookies and the restaurant across the street with the pea salad that my wife loves. It’s hard to process all the loss.

    Feels

    • Off balance. Last week was a dance of improvisation. School schedules were changing and shifting, normal rhythms interrupted. But still thankful that our family and house are fine.
    • Busy weekend. Ryan had his first lacrosse game of the season and it went well. Jill had her homecoming dance. We’ll be at the coffee shop later to work on homework.
    • Where has this year gone? How is it already October?

    Health

    • Still doing pretty well with my diet. Still on track for my goals. Giving myself a year to get healthy was a good plan, but it’s hard to stay motivated over such a long span of time.

    Projects

    • Didn’t really make much progress on projects this week.
    • Got a revise and resubmit with minor changes this week. Excited to see this work get published.

    Entertainment

    • Didn’t watch any college football this weekend. Which means I missed my Gamecocks struggling against Ole Miss. And Vandy’s shocking upset against Alabama.
    • Looking forward to F1 being back next week.
    ∞

    Parker 25B: My first vintage fountain pen

    My dad texted me one afternoon that he’d found some fountain pens at a local auction and asked if I wanted to bid on them. He’s shared links in the past and I’ve never seen anything that looked interesting. From the look of the pictures, most of the listings looked well worn. But one of the pens was actually in the original packaging — a Parker 25B. It was impossible to tell what condition the pen was in, but I decided to take a shot on it. Dad placed a $7 bid. And won.1

    When I got the pen, it was in great shape. The package contained two dried up ink cartridges and a squeeze converter.2 The pen had been used — there was dried up black ink in the feed — but I was able to clean it up fairly easily. I inserted a modern Parker black “Quink” cartridge3 and the pen started writing immediately.

    Parker 25B box

    The Parker 25 was an entry level metal pen that the company introduced in 1975 and sold until the late 1990s. My new acquisition was a Parker 25B, a matte black version that was only sold between 1979 and 1983. The body of the pen is a little bit thinner than many of my favorite pens with a stepped down section at the back that allows the cap to be securely posted while writing. Apparently the matte black finish can be easily damaged, but the surface of this pen looks like it’s barely been used.

    Parker 25B pen with cap posted.

    The nib section is simple and beautiful, with no markings to indicate what thickness it is. The 25B was only available in a fine or medium nib, and this one writes like a medium nib.

    Parker 25B nib.

    The Parker 25 was designed to look modern and that’s how Parker marketed the pen. In one ad, they referred to the pen as “Space Age Design.” One major shift from traditional Parker pens was the clip design — squared off with a Parker badge on it instead of the traditional Parker arrow.

    Parker 25B clip.

    The pen is stamped “Made in England,” but I don’t know what year this pen was manufactured in. Many Parkers have year codes etched into them, but I can’t find one on my 25B. Given that it was only manufactured between 1979 and 1983, I know the pen is between 41-45 years old.

    Bidding on this pen was a gamble because we couldn’t inspect it in person. I’ve been intimidated by vintage pens, worried that I’d overpay or get something that doesn’t work. My dad loves these kinds of auctions and has been looking for pens for several years. This is the first I felt good about. If you are interested in picking up a vintage pen like this, my best advice is to be patient and know what you are looking for.

    My Parker 25B writes beautifully and fits my preference for modernist fountain pen designs. I haven’t decided if I’m going to add it to my daily carry yet, or just use it at home. But I’m thrilled that I have it in my collection and look forward to using it.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

    1. Dad has found some some great stuff over the years, like 100-year-old litho stones and a tiny Hamilton Type case. ↩︎

    2. The squeeze converter didn’t work well, so I ordered a twist converter from JetPens that should fit it. ↩︎

    3. One benefit of the Parker brand is that cartridges are available everywhere. I picked up the ink cartridges at an Office Max near my office. ↩︎

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