Bob Wertz Profile Photo

Bob Wertz

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

Long Posts

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    Inherent. Indestructible. Permanent.

    Almost 100 years ago, in the middle of the Industrial Revolution, typographer Eric Gill 1 wrote “An Essay on Typography” and addressed the tension between art and industrialization:

    “But tho’ industrialism has now won an almost complete victory, the handicrafts are not killed, & they cannot be quite killed because they meet an inherent, indestructible, permanent need in human nature.”

    I’ve been thinking about this as the internet fills with AI-generated garbage and popular social media sites are monetized by hate.

    Inherent. Indestructible. Permanent.

    While Eric Gill never imagined the internet, I think his statement applies just as much to our modern world as it did in the Industrial Revolution. Much of the internet might become cheaply-produced, AI-generated, SEO-approved content, but people all over the world who care about creativity and writing will still produce great work and share it.

    I’m probably being naive, but I’m still hopeful that the human need for creativity will overwhelm the capitalistic urge to industrialize content.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    1. Eric Gill was insightful about human nature, but was, himself, an awful human. ↩︎

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    The Jobification of Volunteer Work

    Almost 20 years ago, I was in San Francisco for my first AIGA Leadership Retreat. AIGA is a national organization for design1 and I was a first-time president for the South Carolina chapter. I’d just finished attending a session on leadership and one of my new friends who’d been a president before pulled me aside and gave me some advice: “This is supposed to be fun. If it stops being fun, ask for help. You are giving up a bunch of your free time and if you aren’t having fun, it’s not worth it.”

    I’ve been thinking about that advice a lot lately and I’ve come to a realization. Our volunteer “opportunities” have become unpaid part-time jobs. (Maybe they always were…) We are saddled with job descriptions and expectations. We dedicate our time and energy to a cause because we believe in it, but we manage volunteer organizations following the only model we have: business.

    I see it in churches, who are looking for people to fill roles and run programs to keep the organization functioning.

    I see it in our professional organizations, like AIGA, where we expect a level of excellence and professionalism on par with what we would expect from our corporate colleagues.

    I see it in academia, where professors do a massive amount of additional service work in reviewing journal submissions and organizing conferences.

    I see it in recreational youth sports, where people dedicate nights and weekends to coaching kids year-after-year.

    I see it in our organizational boards that are increasingly trying to recruit people with particular backgrounds and skill sets to provide professional guidance.

    This problem is compounded by how we talk about these volunteer positions:

    • You are giving back, not using your free time.

    • You are offering your skills and abilities, not providing free labor that other people would pay you for.

    • You are providing service to the community, not working for free.

    We talk about this volunteer jobs more like a calling, not a job. And that makes it so much harder to separate from a position that is overwhelming.

    The result of this structure is almost always burnout. Frustration. We often become stuck in our volunteer positions, unable to find someone to take over the incredibly complex structure or programming we have built or maintained. Unsurprisingly, most people — even if they care about deeply about an organization or cause — are unwilling to step up and commit massive time and energy to a cause when they are already juggling their own jobs and family commitments. The volunteer opportunity that you were excited about is now weighing you down and causing stress and anxiety. It’s no longer fun.

    This situation isn’t good for the organizations either. After someone manages to escape from a volunteer position, how often does that person significantly decrease their involvement? I can’t tell you how many people I know who disappear after a long stint on a church council. Or how many former AIGA presidents I know who now have nothing to do with AIGA only a couple of years after their term is over. How many board members step away completely after their service is complete?

    The mission of the organization then shifts from serving the community to finding the volunteers to sustain the organization.

    We need to rethink volunteer leadership.

    The realignment starts at the top. If the leadership of an organization is overworked and burned out, the other volunteers will assume that’s normal. Some will try to emulate the behavior. Others will leave knowing they can’t commit that much. Our presidents, executive directors and other leadership need to model an appropriate work/life/volunteer balance. Working around the clock isn’t always the long-term, sustainable answer.

    We need to spend less time crafting our job descriptions and more time building relationships. We’re following the model we know, based on how our business organizations are structured, but I’m not sure that model works in today’s volunteer organization. While we need to make sure expectations are clear, we also need to worry less about the business-like hierarchy and spend more energy on engaging our community. Focus on doing good work, aligned with the mission of the organization.

    We need to be realistic about what we are asking people to do. Recruit more people to do smaller jobs instead of asking one person to commit a massive amount of time. Maybe in the past, you recruited one or two people to run an event. Maybe you should instead recruit 5-10 to cover the same amount of work. And if we can’t find the needed volunteers, it is time to scale back the project or event to be more reasonable.

    We need to be thankful for the contributions of others, no matter how small. Too often, we thank volunteers by presenting them with opportunities to embrace an ever-increasing volunteer workload. We need to actively discourage overcommitment… and never ask for more than anyone should rationally be able to give.

    We need to be thoughtful to fellow volunteers. It’s easy to get frustrated when people drop the ball. We need to check in on each other, be supportive and remember that we are all doing this for free, in our spare time, because we support the same cause and the same mission. We need to be understanding, not judgmental. We need to offer support, not criticism.

    Understand the difference between governance and micromanagement. Yes, we need boards to make sure that the money is being handled properly and the mission is well-defined. But the board shouldn’t micromanage everything. We need to let people do the tasks we ask them to do.

    Be flexible. Life can change in the blink of an eye. Be flexible with expectations. Be understanding when things don’t turn out the way you wanted. And realize that every volunteer is balancing life and work and family.

    And finally, we need to remember to have fun. These organizations and boards that we support, love and commit our time to… they should be enjoyable. And if they aren’t, it’s time to fix them.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. Bob is currently taking a break from board service and volunteer opportunities, after getting burned out.

    1. AIGA used to stand for American Institute for Graphic Arts. Now, it’s just the organization for design. ↩︎

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    How big is the Rivian R3?

    Rivian R3 profile image

    Electric truck and SUV manufacturer Rivian announced their new R2 SUV today, but surprised everyone with a smaller R3 version as well. I love smaller cars and I’ve been waiting for new smaller EVs to hit the market, hopefully at a lower price point. The R3 looks adorable and it reminds me of a VW Rabbit, which I used to drive.1 But Rivian didn’t publish any specs so it’s hard to gauge how big R3 is.

    Thankfully, they provided high res imagery and it’s easy to see the tire details — Pirelli Scorpion MS 235/55 R20. So based on a 20-inch rim size, and with a nice profile shot,2 it’s possible to estimate the size with a little bit of simple math.

    These numbers are rough, obviously. But here’s what I got:

    Rivian 3
    Length: 149 in.
    Height: 55 in.
    Wheelbase: 102 in.

    That length looks a little short, but as you can tell from the picture, there is very little overhang in front or behind the wheels. For a point of reference, I compared those numbers with the specs of another EV model that I like a lot:

    2024 Hyundai IONIQ 5
    Length: 182.5 in.
    Height: 63 in.
    Wheelbase: 118.1 in

    The Rivian R3 looks to be a good bit smaller than the IONIQ 5 in all dimensions. In fact, the R3 looks closest to the size of a four-door gas-powered Mini Cooper:

    2024 Mini Cooper Four-Door
    Length: 158.5 in.
    Height: 56.1 in.
    Wheelbase: 101.1 in

    Of course, there are lots of caveats to this comparison. My numbers are rough, the car is a prototype, and things can change as the car moves to production. Who knows when it will be available to purchase, but I’m excited about the Rivian R3. I’m not in the market right now, but my next car purchase will be an EV. That size is actually perfect for what I want – a small EV to commute back and forth to work. Now we’ll see where the price falls.3

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. And Bob likes small cars.

    1. And loved. ↩︎

    2. Which they thankfully provided. ↩︎

    3. And maybe they will offer it in green. ↩︎

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    That time my 89-year-old grandmother “helped someone old”

    I used to dread calling my grandmother on her birthday. My mom died on that day and so every time I’d call, she’d start with “Well, you know, I wish Nancy was still here.” And that always bothered me and usually made me tear up, so I would wait as long as I could to call. I was pretty sure that I was the last grandkid to call each year.

    Twelve years ago today, I called GiGi1 to wish her happy 89th birthday. She answered the phone upbeat and excited, telling me about all the people who had called her earlier in the day (including my siblings and all of my cousins, letting me know that I was, in fact, the last grandchild to call.) But she closed with a surprising statement, subtly mentioning that she “helped someone old today.” I was intrigued and asked for details.

    GiGi was at the gas station filling up when she noticed an “old” man struggling to take the money up to the cashier. She took the money up for him and they struck up a conversation. The man was recovering from a double knee replacement. He was upset with his doctor that they’d done both knees at the same time, and told him that “next time, we’re doing them one at a time.” The doctor told him “Mr. Jones. You are 99 years old. We aren’t doing another knee replacement.”

    I tell that story often, but realized I’ve never written it down. I love how many lessons about attitudes, expectations and perspective are packed into one story. GiGi passed away a few years ago, living to the age of 98. Today would have been her 101st birthday. There are many stories to tell, but this is the story I tell about her most often and wanted to share it on her birthday.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    1. Growing up, I called her “Grandmother Caldwell.” My cousin called her “Granny.” But once the grandkids arrived, she became “GiGi.” ↩︎

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    Retiring “International Bob is Grumpy Day”

    March 3, many years ago, my mom died unexpectedly. In perhaps one of the greatest understatements ever, I struggled with her loss. Some days, I still struggle with her loss.

    I discovered that on March 3, every year, I was grumpy. Kinda pissed off. And in general, not a fun person to be around. So I declared the day “International Bob is Grumpy Day.” Gave it a silly name. Explain to people how I’m feeling. I told coworkers that it probably wasn’t the best day to ask me challenging questions. Or rely on me to be particularly tactful. In short, March 3 was the one day a year that it’s best to leave me alone. It worked. People left me alone, and I, predictably, was grumpy.

    March 3 was also my grandmother’s birthday. I’d call her and she’d mention how much she missed mom. And usually, I’d tear up. Maybe the anticipation of the call was what made me grumpy. I don’t know. Over time, I became less grumpy on March 3. Still sad, but I was able to understand the grief a little better. Decades heal. In my most recent job, my coworkers understood, but also didn’t let me sit in my office alone.1 They worked hard to keep my spirits up.

    This year, I’ve decided that it’s time to retire International Bob is Grumpy Day. Instead of sulking, we are taking a day trip with the whole family — my oldest is home from college on Spring Break — and I’m going to enjoy the company of the people that I love. And take pictures. Because honestly, that’s the way mom would have wanted it.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    1. Mostly because I didn’t really have an office. Open floor plan… ↩︎

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    The end of the Apple Car: This isn’t the revolution they thought it was…

    Apple has canceled its decade-long program to build an electric car. And while I think it’s probably the right call to end the program, I do understand why Apple tried.

    Ten years ago when Apple started the project, it was the perfect moment to rethink the automobile. With the change to battery powered electric powertrains, many of the traditional constraints of car design were no longer relevant. You no longer need a motor, or a gas tank. Cars are more reliant on their technology stack. There were very few competitors and they were almost all selling cars at the high end of the market. It seemed like a perfect time for Apple to step into revolutionizing the design of cars, questioning the established conventions of the past. Changing how cars were designed, manufactured and sold.

    And yet, today, that’s not what happened. In general, electric cars today look like gas-powered cars, but without the tailpipes. There are reasons for this, I think — consumer buying habits, aerodynamics and federal safety laws — but the result is that this isn’t the revolution that it looked like it might be. Couple that with the fact that the no-steering-wheel, self-driving tech that Apple was rumored to be pursuing is decades away from being truly reliable.1 Battery advances are slow. When they started, there were few competitors, but that’s changed and lots of established car makers are committing to electric cars, with the addition of new upstarts like China’s BYD.

    I understand why Apple started their car program. But after a decade of being stuck in neutral, I also understand why they finally ended it.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    1. If it ever actually happens. ↩︎

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    The Church Sign Problem: An extended metaphor for many things in business and life.

    An established church in a small town has a simple sign by the side of the road. The town is growing and the road in front of the church is getting much busier. A new church down the road installs a large sign. Not wanting to fall behind the times, the established church installs a new sign, too. This sign allows the church to add custom messages to the sign by manually arranging letters.

    At first, the church simply puts up their service times, but some people think that’s boring. The church needs more catchy information on their sign. Something that people driving by will engage with. The pastor recommends putting the sermon title on the sign, but after a few weeks, realizes that she’s got to come up with a catchy sermon title every single week. Someone volunteers to update it with a new bible verse each week, but they get tired of updating it and eventually stop. Another person finds a list of attention-grabbing church sign messages on the internet and volunteers to put those on the sign. But theologically, some of the quotes don’t align with the church’s teachings and others of them aren’t exactly welcoming. Some people driving by are offended by some of the messages. After a couple of years, everyone is sick of dealing with the sign, but the sign is very visible on the main road into town. The sign must be updated.

    A handful of members decide to get together. They don’t exactly call themselves the “sign committee,” but they meet every so often to talk about the sign and what to put on it. After months of discussing the sign, they realize that the real problem is that they have to manually update the sign each week. Going out to the sign with those letters on cards takes time and a better solution would be to have a digital sign that could be updated remotely through the internet. As a bonus, one of these signs can cycle through multiple messages.

    They raise the money and update their sign to have a beautiful glowing digital display. The sign is bright, but some people think it’s too bright. They start by including the service times each week. And bible verses. And sermon titles. And upcoming events. At first, lots of people are excited about the new sign and have lots of ideas, but over time, that excitement fades. Some people think the sign changes messages too quickly. While the sign is easier to update, keeping track of multiple messages, chasing down information, and updating the graphics takes more time than the old sign did. The sign becomes more than a weekly task. It’s a job. Sometimes, the sign glitches and a technician has to come fix it. Everyone is frustrated with the sign, but the money was spent and the sign is there. It needs to be updated.

    Finally, the pastor decides that they are spending too much time dealing with the sign. She switches the sign to share a single message: “All are welcome.” Some people complain that the church isn’t using the sign to its fullest potential. But secretly, everyone is glad they don’t have to deal with it anymore.

    I’ve used a shorter version of this metaphor to talk about social media feeds that suck time and energy from an organization that doesn’t really need one (and usually doesn’t have the resources to support one). But I’ve been thinking that this parable/extended metaphor actually has a broader application. A couple of reflection questions:

    • How many times do we take something on because we want what someone else has?
    • How often do we chase a new solution because it’s shiny and bright?
    • How often do you let the opinions of “some people” change how you feel about decisions?
    • What decision could you make that would simplify your life?
    • What have you built that you no longer need, but that you continue to spend significant time on?
    • When have you made a decision that turned out to be much more work than you planned? How did you handle it?
    • Has someone made a decision your secretly agree with? Why haven’t you told them?

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

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    Honda shows off EV concepts – and two new logos

    A new look and branding for Honda EVs

    Honda showed off two new EV concepts under the new Honda Zero brand at CES — the Saloon and the Space-Hub. Most of the coverage is focused on the futuristic looks of the concept cars. As someone who grew up going to the Chicago Auto Show and seeing the cars of the future, I’d temper any expectations that the final designs will be this radical.

    Image of a Honda Zero Saloon electric vehicle

    But as a branding researcher, what caught my attention is that they also rolled out a new Honda “flying H” logo to be used on all new electric cars. From the official Honda press release:

    The current Honda “H mark” has a long history, dating back to 1981. In launching the next-generation EVs, Honda designed a new H mark, to express the company’s determination to undergo a historic transformation as well as the ability to constantly pursue new challenges and advancements. This new design expression, which symbolizes two outstretched hands, represents Honda’s commitment to expand the possibilities of mobility and continue to meet the needs of its customers. The new H mark will be applied on future Honda EV models, including the Honda 0 Series.

    New Honda logo

    The logo simplifies Honda’s current H, removing the outer bounding box and reshaping the mark. It does feel like a more modern mark and seems appropriate on the futuristic vehicles. As logo introductions go, this might be the slowest roll out in the history of visual branding since the first Honda Zero cars won’t be released until 2026. And since the logo is intended for just electric vehicles, that means that Honda is choosing to fragment their brand for a period of time.

    Honda 0 logo.

    It’s worth noting that the Honda Zero brand had its own mark at introduction. I’d be surprised if this is used in marketing when the models debut in 2026. I’m not sure what’s going on here, since the elements don’t really match anything.

    Electric car branding is fascinating to me. VW and BMW add a letter or letters to the model number. Hyundai is using the Ioniq brand name for most, but not all of their EVs. Many vendors are rolling out EVs alongside their internal combustion engine lineup. VW is resurrecting the old Scout brand for a line of electric SUVs.1 But to my knowledge, Honda is the first company to create a version of their corporate logo especially for electric vehicles. As the transition to electric vehicles continues, it will be interesting to see how EV branding continues to shift and evolve.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    1. Scout SUVs will be manufactured just north of my hometown – Columbia, South Carolina. ↩︎

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    Reset, Continued: 2024

    I adopt a theme each year and last year, the theme was Reset. That theme included focusing on physical and mental health, writing more, getting organized and rediscovering creative endeavors. I made progress with three out of four goals.

    • I wrote more, getting my first journal article published and I have several others in the works. I’ve written more here on Micro.Blog in 2023. So mission accomplished.
    • I did a good job getting organized, but I need to stay organized. There are still some areas I need to work on, but I feel like I made some progress.
    • I worked on a bunch of my typeface designs and even though I’m not ready to release anything, I feel like I was able to dedicate some time to visual projects.

    That leaves physical and mental health. I was particularly physically active for the first few months of the year, but hit a rough spot around April and lost momentum. I never got back in a rhythm.

    This year, more of the same

    As I started to plan for 2024, I felt like my focus was going to be solely on health. I felt great at the beginning of 2023 when I was more physically active, and I definitely want to get back to that level of activity. Combine that with processing the unexpected death of a coworker a few days ago — who was younger than I am — and I’m solidly committed to getting healthier in 2024.

    But as I read over the list of my goals from last year, I still see room to improve in those areas, too. I’m still working on my Ph.D. and carving out time to write is critical. I still need to work on personal organization. And I need to work on creative projects — especially getting into a routine with my sketchbook.

    So I go into 2024 with four goals… basically the same goals that I had last year:

    • Get healthy. I’m not trying to run any races or achieve some incredible physical feat, but I do need to eat healthier and make time for physical activity. This is, without a doubt, my number one priority.

    • Write more. Continue to write here, and work toward my Ph.D.

    • Get organized and stay organized. Continue to refine and evolve my methods and tools for staying organized.

    • Explore creative endeavors. Keep working on typefaces, but also, get back into the habit of sketching regularly.

    I’ve got a lot to be excited about in 2024, including my 25th wedding anniversary in August. I’m looking forward to a healthy and productive year.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

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    2023 Favorite Eight

    A montage of eight images, each of which representing my favorite pictures from 2023

    I always pull together my favorite eight shots of the year (as a contrast to those algorithmically generated “Best Nine” posts). I love that it gives me an excuse to go back over all of my images from the last year and relive a lot of great memories.

    1. Our oldest decided to attend the University of South Carolina and had a great first semester.
    2. Liz and I are notably bad a selfies, but this outtake was better than the actual selfie and I love it.
    3. The girls were a little excited about seeing Taylor Swift in concert. (It was an amazing concert and I’m glad we all got to go.)
    4. We have a high school graduate.
    5. This is a big kitty yawn, but it looks so fierce.
    6. Ryan is still playing lacrosse and bounced back after some adversity this summer to have a great rec season.
    7. We attended my nephew’s football playoff games. This was the final play in overtime that sent them to the state championship. They won that game, and won a state championship.
    8. Birthday hike for my oldest included a stop at Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest. It was so cold, that the rocks were covered with ice.

    This is the fifth year I’ve done a Favorite 8. You can see my previous posts from 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 on my other site, Sketchbook B. And I posted my 2022 here on bobwertz.com.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

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    Milestone: My first published research paper is now online

    I’ve reached a big milestone in my academic career: my first published research paper.

    Brand new: How visual context shapes initial response to logos and corporate visual identity systems has bene published in the Journal of Product and Brand Management. It’s available now online and will eventually be assigned to an issue. If you have access to journal articles through a university or public library, you can access the article.

    If you can’t access the article, here’s the abstract:

    When a new logo is released, it does not have an established meaning in the mind of the viewer. As logos have become more highly scrutinized by consumers and critics, it has become more important to understand viewers’ initial response to logos. While other studies have researched the impact of aesthetic choices on viewer reaction to logos, this study aims to understand the effect of the surrounding visual identity system when a new logo is introduced. This study combines a content analysis of 335 posts on the logo review website Brand New with the voting data from their polls to understand how visual context correlates with a viewer’s initial response. Increased amounts of visual context correlate to an improved response from viewers. Different types of context that can be presented – from logo variations and environmental examples to videos and animation – have varied effects.

    Basically, my study finds that people respond better to new logos when they are shown more examples of the logo in use. This is one of those things that seems intuitive to designers, but hasn’t been researched or quantified. Because I’m a designer, most people are surprised that my research includes a fair amount of statistical analysis, but I’ve really taken to the quantitive side of things. This paper has been in review for over a year, working it’s way through the revision process.

    It’s fitting that this is my first paper to be published. When I started grad school, I didn’t really know anything about scholarly research. In the spring of 2019 — my second semester as a grad student — I took a content analysis class with Carol Pardun. I was the only master’s level student in a class full of Ph.D. students. I felt so overwhelmed by the pressure to come up with an idea and learn methods and theories on the fly. The paper I wrote for that class was the first version of this paper. It was accepted to the AEJMC Conference that August and I presented in Toronto — my first academic conference presentation. I loved the concept for the study and got great feedback, but I was still learning and felt like I could improve it. I scrapped everything, started over with a larger sample and better methodology. After Dr. Pardun retired, I started working with Tara Mortensen on the next evolution of this work, which turned into my thesis. And that thesis eventually became this paper.

    Thanks go out to so many people who’ve help me along the way:

    • Dr. Pardun for supporting my bizarre little project, especially in the early days when the project was taking shape.
    • All of the Ph.D. students in that content analysis class who helped me figure things out and took me under their wing.
    • Dr. Mortensen for taking over as my thesis director and helping guide me through the publication process.
    • Kevin Hull and Van Kornegay for serving on my committee and providing helpful feedback.
    • Robert McKeever and Jacob Long for giving me an appropriate foundation for analyzing data.
    • Editor Cleopatra Veloutsou who guided me through the process with the Journal of Product and Brand Management.
    • All of the reviewers and discussants at the conference level for AEJMC and in the peer review process whose feedback legitimately made this paper better.

    And of course, this couldn’t have happened without the rest of Team Wertz. Liz and the kids have been so supportive and patient while I have embarked on this grad school journey. (And occasionally, Norah and Jill even joined me at Starbucks when I had to write.) I simply could not have done it without them.

    I’ve still got a few years left until I finish my classwork and dissertation, but I’m exceptionally proud of this milestone and excited to see where my research goes next.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

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    Absurd Ahsoka Finale Speculation

    Tomorrow night, the Ahsoka finale airs on Disney+. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve enjoyed the show. It’s not perfect, but I love Star Wars Rebels and it’s great to see a continuation of the story line.

    I’ve got a few absurd ideas about the finale that I figured I’d share. Our heroes are on Peridea, in another galaxy. Thrawn is ready to come back to the core galaxy, partnered with the Nightsisters, to restore the Empire.

    Here are 9 absurd things that are not going to happen on the season finale of Ahsoka:

    1. Our heroes (and maybe villains) will remain stuck in the Peridea galaxy. That would at least explain where they were during the Rise of Skywalker.

    2. Force ghost Kanan Jarrus appears to… Ezra? Hera? Jacen?

    3. Yoda’s species is actually from this new galaxy, and they are the enemies of the Nightsisters.

    4. There is an even darker power in the new galaxy that is stronger than the Nightsisters and Thrawn… which is why they want to escape.

    5. Huyang helps Ezra make a new lightsaber, and the blade is… yellow or purple.

    6. All those New Republic ships are actually filled with Imperial technology and spies and Thrawn will be able to control them.

    7. There’s a Jedi temple on Peridea… with a portal that transports our heroes to Lothal via wolf ride.

    8. Post credit scene features Hera assembling a team to fight Thrawn… including Zeb, the Mandalorian, Grogu, the surviving members of the Bad Batch and Rex.

    9. Baylan Skoll actually does have a plan.

    I warned you they were absurd, but the list was fun to come up with. Looking forward to seeing where the show lands. There is no way they can resolve all the various plot threads, so I assume there will be another season, or the storyline will be continued in another series. Eventually, we already know this leads to a new Dave Filoni-directed movie.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

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    Streaming killed the TV clip show

    Recently, we started rewatching Alias, the 2000s ABC spy thriller by J.J. Abrams.1 All five seasons are on Disney+ and we started from the beginning. Season 1 has 22 episodes, which was once considered a “full season.” Now, a streaming show rarely has more than 8 or 10 episodes a season.

    Alias became a hit and attracted new viewers over the first season. But in the broadcast TV era, there wasn’t an easy way for people to go back and watch the episodes they’d missed. I remember ABC trying to rerun episodes as it gained popularity. And the “previously on” section got hilariously longer to try and catch people up.

    The 17th episode of season 1, “Q&A,” is an exposition-filled clip show where a skeptical FBI agent quizzes super spy Sydney Bristow (played by Jennifer Garner). She answers his questions, explaining the premise of the series while showing clips from previous episodes. Sydney basically tells the viewer everything they need to know in the lead up to the season finale. There’s a reveal at the end of the episode… a revelation to keep the newly updated viewer hooked to come back next week.

    As I watched it, I realized that this type of clip show episode — once a staple of 20+ episode network TV seasons — will likely fade from existence. Streaming services like Disney+ allow people to go back and watch the whole season easily. And shorter seasons mean that you don’t need a budget-friendly recap episode. In today’s streaming world, there is simply no longer a reason to make a clip show.2

    We are in the midst of a huge shift in television. Most of the attention is directed at the financial aspects of the streaming era. The demise of the clip show episode is a comparatively minor shift, but it demonstrates how the changing financial model of the television industry directly shapes the creative product itself.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    1. Alias:Rambaldi :: Lost:The Island. ↩︎

    2. Just to be clear, most clip shows aren’t great television. ↩︎

    ∞

    Sharing Apple News Links

    I get Apple News+ with my Apple One bundle and I actually use it frequently on my Mac. My local newspaper, The State, in included in News+ and I can read articles that are normally behind a paywall. Once I’m there, I tend to find other things to read and share. But sharing Apple News story links on social media isn’t always helpful since it obscures the real URL behind a redirect.

    On a Mac, it’s easy to share the original URL. Click the share button in the upper right hand corner of the interface, and choose Safari. It opens the original article on the web and you can then share that URL instead of a link to Apple News.

    On the iPhone, it’s not as simple. Click the ellipses in the upper right and select Share Story. Then from the list of apps that appears, select Safari. (You may need to click More and scroll down to find it.) The result is the same as the Mac, a new Safari window with the original URL.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    ∞

    You are currently being recorded.

    Our neighbors installed a new security system a couple of weeks ago. When you walk anywhere near it – and that radius includes our driveway – a recording plays: “You are currently being recorded.”

    We have great neighbors, but when I first heard it, I was a little annoyed. My wife was irritated, too. Every time we walked to our cars… “You are currently being recorded.”

    A few days after this started, I was walking out to the car with my kids and the alarm system informed us that we were being recorded… and my 15-year-old daughter waived in the general direction of the camera, yelled “Hello camera” and got in the car. She repeats this greeting every day when she leaves for school, choosing to be amused instead of irritated.1

    There are two lessons in this story:

    1. Don’t install a talking alarm system. It’s annoying. (My neighbor isn’t happy either. He says it is way too sensitive and goes off at the slightest movement.)

    2. We can choose to be amused instead of irritated. Sometimes, it’s best to greet the metaphorical camera and go on with your day.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    1. We asked our neighbor if the camera records audio. It doesn’t. Jill knows this. She says hello anyway. ↩︎

    ∞

    The rush to hype

    Not everything is going to change the world tomorrow

    I’m not sure when the “hot take” era started. It predates the internet1, but social media really seems to have kicked it into the stratosphere. There’s a rush to hype everything as the next disruptive invention. Wearable devices. Foldable displays. Ride sharing and self-driving cars. Blockchain and cryptocurrency. Artificial intelligence and machine learning. AR and VR. Federated social media.

    While social media drives the hype train, it’s powered by money. Major companies are afraid of missing a big trend and becoming irrelevant. Small companies see an opportunity to move fast and take advantage of the new tech. VC firms are willing to gamble on the technology in hopes of a big pay day. Entrepreneurs sell grand visions with hopes of making it big. All of these entities benefit from building the hype around every new technology.

    What technology really needs is time to mature. Time to work the bugs out. To discover the downsides and figure out how to address them. To build a sustainable business model. Instead, too often, the money-powered hype train moves too fast and the whole thing just derails.

    I love reading about technology and learning about all the latest advancements, but I’ve been following technology long enough to know that slow and steady usually wins the race.2

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    1. I’ve done some research on printing technology and let me tell you, the newspaper reports from the late 1800s about the Linotype are the definition of “hot take.” ↩︎

    2. Do you remember the TV show Beyond 2000? How many of those featured technologies actually became successful products? Not many. ↩︎

    ∞

    Star Trek Picard Speculation: Chekhov’s Starship

    What’s in Hanger Bay 12?

    WARNING: Spoilers and speculation about Star Trek: Picard.

    In Star Trek Picard season 3, episode 6, The Bounty, the USS Titan jumps to the Starfleet Ship Museum to get help from Commodore Geordi La Forge. The first exterior shot of the museum includes a selection of familiar ships (like the Enterprise A, Voyager and the Defiant) positioned in rings around the exterior of the space dock. There was one empty ring, and so the Titan “hides” in plain sight among the museum ships.

    When Geordi and his daughter Alandra beam aboard the Titan, they reveal that the Titan and all modern Federation ships are networked with each other. Starfleet will find them. Picard is pleading with Geordi to help when his daughter interrupts.

    Alandra (quietly): “Dad. What about Hanger Bay 12?”
    Geordi (exasperated): “Alandra. Please.”

    And the dialog continues. I assumed that what was in Hanger Bay 12 would be the key to the episode, but it’s not. Jack Crusher steals the cloaking device from Star Trek IV’s Klingon Bird of Prey and the Titan rushes off to rescue Raffi, Riker and Worf on Daystrom Station. Hanger Bay 12 is never mentioned again.

    So, what’s in Hanger Bay 12? Likely a new ship for the museum that was intended for that empty circle that the Titan parked in. Alandra clearly thinks the ship would be helpful — maybe because it’s not networked. I assume that the ship in Hanger Bay 12 was likely intended to be unveiled as part of the Frontier Day ceremony and then intended to fill the empty ring at the Fleet Museum. Instead, I imagine that Picard and crew are going to come riding to the rescue in that ship…

    My guess: The Enterprise 1701-D.

    I can’t think of any other ships that are significant enough and aren’t already represented in fleet museum. The 1701-D was destroyed in Star Trek: Generations, though. How could it reappear? Well, at least one of the ships they show in the museum, The Enterprise 1801-A, is a replica since the original was destroyed in Star Trek III. The new Enterprise-D could simply be a retrofitted Galaxy-class starship. Or the original 1701-D saucer section paired with a different Galaxy-class body.

    It might seem like excessive fan-service, but if done well, I think it would be incredible to see the crew save the day in the ship from the TV show. Picard, Riker and Troi in the three command seats. Worf at tactical. Data at helm. Geordi in engineering. It would be a fun conclusion to this final season of Star Trek Picard.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student, researcher and Star Trek fan living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    ∞

    First impressions of the Adobe Firefly Beta

    The beta service gives some insight into how Adobe views AI’s role in the creative process.

    I recently got access to Adobe Firefly, a beta generative AI system. It’s not a surprise at all that Adobe is experimenting with generative creative tools. Adobe is clearly looking at ways AI can integrate with the tools that they already offer. Thankfully, unlike an earlier wave of visual AI tools, Adobe has trained their AI model on properly-licensed images. Generated images are restricted to non-commercial use and a label is added to exported images, but you shouldn’t see a Getty Images watermark anywhere.

    I’ve been following news about generative AI, but I haven’t really experimented with any of the other tools. It’s been more of an abstract curiosity. Now after playing with Adobe Firefly, I can see some of the practical implications of generative AI tools and started to think about how those features could fit into a design workflow. Also, as a Ph.D. student trying to settle on a dissertation topic, I see lots of research questions when I look at generative AI and Adobe Firefly.

    Right now, the service has two features: Text to Image and Text Effects. I’ve spent a little bit of time experimenting with Adobe Firefly and wanted to share some initial impressions.

    Text to image

    The text to image feature is straightforward. Type in a prompt and Firefly generates four images. On the right, there is a palette with options that lets you refine your request. You can choose the aspect ratio, content type, style, lighting and composition. Below is a screenshot of the interface and a few examples of what it can do:

    Screenshot 2023 03 26 at 9 47 54 AM

    Prompt: green metal fish-shaped spaceship on an alien planet
    Styles: art, concept art, dramatic light, flat colors

    Firefly green+metal fish shaped spaceship on an alien planet art concept art dramatic light flat colors 77148

    Prompt: green hot rod racing through the desert
    Styles: photo, muted, blurry background, backlighting, science fiction

    Firefly green+hot rod racing through the desert photo muted blurry background backlighting science fiction 50326

    Prompt: loose sketch of a white male with a green sweater and a stubble beard typing on a laptop in a coffee shop
    Styles: art

    Firefly loose+sketch of a white male with a green sweater and a stubble beard typing on a laptop in a coffee shop art 39460

    A couple of quick reflections on using Firefly’s Text to Image feature:

    • For the content type, I feel art worked best for the creations I generated.
    • The select similar button lets you refine easily
    • Realistic people and animals are a struggle. I accidentally generated a person with two noses. And sometimes, an arm connects in the wrong spot.
    • If you include too many prompts, Firefly often doesn’t know how to resolve them all and you get strange results.

    Text Effects

    Text Effects lets you specify and apply an AI-generated effect to some text. Firefly has a few sample effects that give you a good idea of what the feature can do. You can choose from 12 different fonts.

    Screenshot 2023 03 26 at 10 14 23 AM

    Prompt: Green fluffy clouds, tight fit, transparent background

    Green fluffy clouds, tight fit, transparent background

    Prompt: Circuit boards, tight fit, grey background

    Firefly circuit+boards 32694

    Prompt: Flowers and Rocks, loose fit, white background

    Firefly flowers+and rocks 34224

    A couple of notes:

    • If you have two of the same letter, they are identical. And while I understand that, it ruins the hand-created art look. Hopefully they’ll change this in future versions.
    • The transparent background works well when you use the loose fit because elements overflow the shape of the letters.
    • I could see this feature being built into Adobe apps eventually.

    What’s next?

    Adobe Firefly is definitely a work in progress – it is a beta – but there are more features in development. The Adobe Firefly site lists one feature as coming soon, Recolor Vectors. I’m not sure how that will differ from the Recolor Artwork feature in Adobe Illustrator, but I’m looking forward to trying it out. Several other features are teased as “In exploration” and some of them look interesting. No idea how close to release these are — for all I know, they are ideas on a white board — but “text to vector” and “extend background” could be fun to play with. I’ll likely write additional posts as new features are introduced.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    ∞

    Easy Category Pages in Navigation on Micro.Blog

    Customize your navigation with filtered categories

    When I first moved my blogging over to Micro.Blog, I struggled with the perceived rigidity of the navigation. It took me a little time to refine it, but I eventually figured it out. I’ve had a couple of people ask about my solution, so I figured I’d share a quick summary of how I set it up my navigation.

    It shouldn’t matter what theme you are using, but for my site, I use the Pure plug in, which is a good foundation to build from. By default, the template presents a home page that includes all of your posts. Instead, I wanted to have different links in my navigation for my longer “blog” posts and my shorter “tweet-like” status posts.

    It’s actually pretty easy to do, but it takes a few steps.

    1. Create the categories you want. I created two categories: Quick Updates and Long Posts. You can create as many categories or group them differently, but this worked for me.

    2. Set up filters. Filters will automatically apply categories based on different parameters. Click the “Edit Filters” button beneath the list of categories. I set up two filters. One that sorted untitled posts into my “Quick Thoughts” category and a second that grouped together all of my long posts with titles. This way, my posts are automatically grouped into one of the two categories. In the screenshot below, I used the “Post Length” setting. Screenshot of the category filter.

    3. Determine the URL for each category. Each category in Micro.Blog has a URL, typically formatted as http://DOMAIN-NAME/categories/CATEGORY-NAME. Find the URLs for each of the categories you want in the navigation.

    4. Create a new page. Name the page and then paste the category URL into the content box. Make sure “Include this page in your blog navigation” is checked. Repeat for all of your categories. You’ll then have a navigation item for each of your categories.

    This technique works really well when paired with the Custom Home Page plug in. You can see the result in the navigation on my site. I know that I could do this by building a custom template. At some point, maybe I will. But right now, I’d like to keep it as simple as I can, and this works really well for me.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.

    ∞

    Reflecting on my first two months of being healthier

    Solid progress

    One of my goals for this year is being healthier. Eating better. Moving more. The hope was that by breaking some bad habits I developed during COVID, I could lose some weight and feel better. I wanted to post occasional updates to keep myself accountable.

    Two months in, things are going great. I feel significantly better — that’s the “metric” I care about most — and I’ve dropped a significant amount of weight. I’m not doing any trendy diet or counting calories. I’ve adapted some principles from intuitive eating.1 I’m making smarter decisions about food and listening to my body. One example, I’ve pretty much stopped drinking beverages with calories. At Starbucks, I get a black coffee or hot tea. Unsweetened tea instead of sweet tea.2 I’m not drinking sodas. I’ve generally avoided alcoholic drinks, but had a glass of bourbon at our Valentine’s Dinner. My energy level feels more consistent through the day without the sugary sodas and extra caffeine. And I’m sleeping better. Wins all around.

    Exercise wise, I’m just focused on movement.3 I’m walking regularly. My wife and I have started taking long walks on the weekends, exploring the trails that are literally in our backyard. I’m trying to walk at lunch and walk to meetings around campus. I’m not running on a treadmill — or running at all. I might get to that point, but that’s down the road.

    I do want to address the tech side of this. I purchased a Withings Body+ scale, and it syncs my weight to my Apple Health account. I use Happy Scale to track weight because it does a nice job of showing averages instead of just focusing on the lowest weigh in. I’m tracking activity and workouts with Apple Watch. I tend to be a data person, and I like having all these metrics. I just need to make sure I’m not fixated on the metrics. Again, the main goal is feeling better and developing healthy habits.

    Two months in, I feel like I’m heading in the right direction. I’m making long-term lifestyle changes, and I know this is just a start. I plan to check back in here every month or so with an update.

    Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. And he’s trying to be healthier.

    1. Clearly, I’ve not bought in to intuitive eating 100%. I’m still trying to lose weight and I still weigh myself regularly. If you want to learn more about intuitive eating, I recommend Rachael Hartley’s blog. ↩︎

    2. I’m in South Carolina, y’all. Around here, sweet tea is the default. ↩︎

    3. This is another intuitive eating thing. More here. ↩︎

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