Realized I hadn’t shared a picture from the window of my new office on the third floor of the old State Archives Building. The Palmetto Tree screens are over all of the windows, but I can see the Statehouse dome clearly from my chair.
Photo
Two new Fontstruct designs: SbB Crunch’d and SbB Papaya 26
1/25/26 • 1 min read
I recently created a couple of new fonts over on Fontstruct: SbB Crunch’d and SbB Papaya 26.
SbB Crunch’d
SbB Crunch’d is a little random. Normally when I start working on a type design, I have an idea of how it will be used. In this case, I started with the shape of the “scalloped edges” and built out the font from there. I like how it turned out, even if I have no idea how I’d use it in a layout.
SbB Papaya 26
Last year, I built a font based on the numerals on McLaren’s F1 livery. The new SbB Papaya 26 updates the font to align with the look of the 2026 preseason McLaren social media graphics. Compared to my original interpretation, the 2026 font is a little more conservative and more readable.
You can download SbB Crunch’d and SbB Papaya 26 at Fontstruct with a free account.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
Crossposting from Micro.Blog with two inline links
1/24/26 • 2 min read
I shared a post earlier today about Honda’s logo change and included two inline links to connect something I wrote in 2024 with a recent press release. Micro.Blog posted it to my site, and then crossposted it to Bluesky, Threads, and Mastodon. Here’s how it looked on the Micro.Blog timeline:
Including multiple links is how the web works, but I know that’s not how social media typically works. So how did other services render the two links?
Threads and Mastodon take the typical social media approach. They only shared the first link, and instead of it being an inline link, it was in a box below the post.
Threads:
Mastodon:
Bluesky, however, handled it perfectly, including both inline links. I was pleasantly surprised:
In this case, the links were just to provide background for anyone that wanted it. To share two links using the social media approach, I’d need to post the first link and then follow up with a comment and second link. In my opinion, that approach puts way too much emphasis on the links.
Hopefully, these newer social media sites will realize that communication is more clear when they allow basic HTML including inline links. And while they are at it, these services should allow basic formatting like bold and italic. Availability of basic formatting is one thing I really like about Micro.blog, and it really does enhance the reading and writing experience.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
Ryan ready for 8th grade semiformal.
I love the beach in winter. A few shots from Isle of Palms this weekend.
Saw this hawk out on the Horseshoe today. I didn’t get a shot of it flying, but it had a massive wingspan.
Even though it rained earlier, we got out to Gather Columbia late this afternoon. Lots of great food options. Fun atmosphere. Another cool addition to Columbia.
More Apple Logo Variations
12/30/25 • 1 min read
One strange thing about Apple’s visual identity is that they allow logo variations that most brand managers would never approve. In the past, I’ve noted their environmental logo with a green leaf and their security logo that looks like a padlock. They have a gift logo that they use annually during the holidays and created a special logo for their opening of their Marina Sands store in Singapore.
Today, I saw another couple of variations to add to my list from the Apple Japan web site as part of their New Year’s Celebration:
For a company known for their branding, I think it’s fascinating to see all of these variations from Apple. Especially since it runs counter to what most brands do.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008 and an Apple user since 1994.
Finally got to see my nephew’s basketball team. Helps when his team plays in a tournament five minutes from my house.
Our travel plans for Christmas changed at the last minute, so Team Wertz took a day trip to the Isle of Palms and Charleston.
Christmas morning.
Merry Christmas from Team Wertz.
The renovated Finlay Park in Columbia is gorgeous. They did such a great job with the update and it’s now such a vibrant space for the community. Love it.
A cubano at Indah Coffee.
Happy 21st birthday, Norah! Glad we could celebrate with you.
Finlay Park on a cool morning.
Finally got by to see the new Finlay Park. Beautiful.
Impressed with the new Methodical Coffee in The Bull Street District in Columbia. Really awesome to see this area finally coming together.
My family loves the State Fair. I love how much they love the State Fair. (I don’t actually love the State Fair.)
