This post was originally posted on October 7, 2015 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
NOTE: While this page may have useful insights, be aware that it was published more than 10 years ago and may not be relevant for current software versions.
If you’re like me, your clients have all sorts of brand names, executive names, cities and URLs that give InDesign’s spell check fits. But you don’t have to just click “skip” repeatedly during a spell check. Add these to the user dictionary.
Pull up the user dictionary by going to Edit > Spelling > User Dictionary… and add your terms here. If you want a name or URL to be case sensitive, check the case sensitive box.
This is particularly helpful for URLs with creative capitalization. If I want “sketchbookb.com” to always be “SketchbookB.com,” I add “SketchbookB.com” to the dictionary and check the case sensitive box. Now if I type “sketchbookb.com” somewhere, spell check will recommend “SketchbookB.com” instead.
Bonus tip: Using the import and export buttons, you can share your user dictionaries with your coworkers.
This post was originally posted on October 6, 2015 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
Bridge closed
My hometown of Columbia, South Carolina was pummeled by a once-in-a-lifetime storm this weekend. Over a foot of rain in less than 24 hours. Creeks, rivers and ponds overflowed. Dams gave way. Interstates were flooded and closed. Neighborhoods were evacuated.
Early Sunday — before I really understood the magnitude of what was going on — I walked down to check on the creek at the entrance to my neighborhood. As I walked down the hill, I could hear the roar of rushing water. The bridge was closed and the creek was massively overflowing. People were stopping and taking pictures. I stopped and took photos, too.
Normal people are documenting the terrible things happening around them and sharing them with friends and news outlets. Every person with a cellphone is a reporter.
As the day progressed, I got a constant stream of updates from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. What roads are flooding? How much longer is it going to rain? Videos and pictures of roads underwater, bridges failing and daring rescues. It was a very personal and terrifying way to experience a natural disaster.
I remember Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which was the biggest natural disaster I had experienced personally. We followed the TV news and got updates from morning and afternoon papers. Without the internet, it was challenging to get much detail on what was going on.
Now, in 2015, I watched a little bit of storm coverage on the Columbia NBC affiliate, WIS, but most of my news came from Twitter. Getting information wasn’t a problem at all. Information was coming from all directions.
In a crisis, this flood of information from social media is disorienting. Immediate. Powerful. Raw. Intense. There is an overwhelming sense of anxiety. It’s also unfiltered. Serious news, alerts, hoax and rumors are mixed with NFL banter, cat videos, tech talk, ads and more.
As communicators in a social media environment, we need to accept this complex environment and figure out ways to help our audiences process what is happening around them. The goal should no longer be about simply adding more stories, pictures and videos to a vast virtual stream. Anyone with a iPhone can do that. Our value is in structuring and organizing information and in presenting clear, relevant messaging when our community needs it.
Bridge closed.
Bridge at front of neighborhood was under water this morning. Shockingly, this is improvement.
This post was originally posted on September 29, 2015 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
A few years ago, I stopped at a fast food restaurant in rural, upstate South Carolina where a car was circling the drive thru over and over and over. She’d drive up to the ordering station and wait a second. Then the car would drive to the window, pause, and then drive around again. This happened a couple of times. It was very strange.
When I walked in, I nodded toward the car at the window and asked what was going on. The woman shrugged, obviously embarrassed, and said “Just improving the drive thru wait times…”
Lots of people wonder how something like the Volkswagen 1 emissions test scandal can happen. It’s actually very simple:
Set a specific goal.
Figure out a test to measure it: a survey, a timer, a standardized test, etc.
Make sure everyone knows how important the test is.
Provide rewards for people who achieve the test objectives. And penalize people who don’t meet the test objectives.
Smart people will eventually figure out how to do well on the test, even if it now has nothing to do with the original goal.
Management pats themselves on the back for great test results.
The test no longer reflects reality.
This cycle is everywhere in business today and manifests itself in different ways. Most of the time, it doesn’t involve fraud and cheating. But this process is why:
Engineers design products (cars, cell phones, etc.) that meet specific test objectives, but not real life usage.
Customer service reps in banks, car dealerships and retail stores remind you over and over to answer “highly satisfied” on a random survey.
Teachers teach to the test.
Managers make short sighted decisions to stay under budget.
Advertisers make really annoying online ads to improve click through rates.
Fast food workers fake drive thru response times.
If you connect success on a metric to an employee’s financial well being, that employee will change their behavior to meet the test objectives. And yes, sometimes, if the pressure is great enough, they cheat.
I’m sure those fast food workers wanted to have good drive thru response times to make their boss happy. I doubt there was a financial incentive. Maybe if the boss was happy, their life would be easier. Or perhaps they were afraid of being fired. Whatever the reason, they cheated to meet their test objectives. They lost sight of — or more likely, were never told — the reason for the test.
The test itself isn’t the problem. Testing and evaluation is a key part of management in a corporate environment. But today, it’s really easy to test and measure everything. Over reliance on metrics in management makes the test more important than the goal. And that never ends well.
You’ll simply get what you test for.
Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
I’m a VW owner. My car is not a diesel, but I doubt that I’ll buy another Volkswagen even though I’ve been happy with my car… ↩︎
Trump and Paul are on campus today, but so is the Bernie Sanders Tesla! #bernmachinechallenge
Another day at the office. #UofSC
Big number! #UofSC #carolinaspromise
Carolina wins!
Found this little guy in War Memorial this morning. Blends in with the marble steps.
This post was originally posted on August 9, 2015 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
Designers tend to be selective about what pens they use. I’ve recently fallen in love with fountain pens, but I rarely see other designers using them. A fountain pen is a great addition to a designer’s arsenal of writing implements.
Fountain pens allow you to select a design and color that fits you, a nib that works for your writing style and an unique ink color.
If you are a designer thinking about buying a fountain pen, here’s a quick guide to getting started.
Where do I buy a fountain pen
You typically won’t find fountain pens at the local Staples or Target. Online retailers like Goldspot Pens, Goulet Pens or Pen Chalet offer a wide range of brands and styles.
Depending on where you live, a local specialty store may be an option. There isn’t a store here in Columbia, but there’s a great store up the road in Asheville, NC. The obvious benefit of buying from a store is being able to see and try things out and talk to a knowledgable staff.
Fountain pens range in price from a few bucks to hundreds of dollars. You’ll find pens made from just about every material – from plastic to gold.
The least expensive pens are disposable, but the real fun comes with reusable pens.
There are pens for every design aesthetic. Clean and machined. Ornate and classic. Simple and practical. And everything in between. Some pens are skinny and light and others are more substantial.
Lamy safari in Lime Green with a Fine Nib. My first fountain Pen.
Pick something that matches your personal style. I decided to start with a Lamy Safari. It’s on all the beginner pen lists and comes highly recommended. A Safari costs about $30 – not the cheapest entry level pen, but still affordable. Easy to use, writes wonderfully and comes in a number of colors and nib styles. I also own a Lamy AL-Star, which is similar in design to the Safari, but aluminum.
FYI: Podcasts and blogs sometimes offer discount codes that will save you 10% to 15% off your purchase.
Nib styles?
The writing point of a fountain pen is called a nib. While each manufacturer classifies their nibs a little differently, they typically start at Extra Fine and go through Broad. You can also get a calligraphy nib.
Fine Nibs on a Lamy Safari and a Lamy AL-Star.
Many pens have interchangeable nibs, which is great if you aren’t sure what kind of nib you’ll like.
I started with a fine nib and I’m now looking forward to trying out some different options. Lamy offers a bunch of nib options for my Safari and AL- Star. Personally, I’d like to pick up a broad nib and a calligraphy nib to play around with lettering styles.
Ink colors?
One of the best things about fountain pens is the wide variety of inks available. All sorts of colors are offered, from traditional colors like black and blue through less traditional options like purple and green. You can get permanent, waterproof inks, fast drying inks and even specially inks with odd color properties or embedded gold flakes.
Some pens companies use cartridges, like Lamy or Pilot. They offer a limited number of colors in easy to replace cartridges. If you buy a cartridge pen, you can often buy a converter (only about $5) that allows you to use any fountain pen ink you like.
Many beginner pens use Ink cartridges, like the green one above. A bottle of ink can be used with a converter, far right, to use bottled inks with cartridge pens.
When you buy online, it’s sometimes tough to tell what an ink is going to look like. There is no Pantone guide for ink colors, so it’s a little bit of trial and error. One of the first inks I purchased was a neon green, which is actually more of a highlighter ink. Oops. I’ve got another ink that is grey and looks like pencil when it dries.
Changing ink colors requires you to clean out the previous ink. It’s an easy process, but you need to let the pen dry before you add the new ink.
What kind of paper should you use?
If designers are particular about their paper, then fountain pen fans are fanatical. Writing with a fountain pen is a different experience than writing with a quality gel ink pen. Ink dries a little more slowly and can bleed through the page.
You will find no shortage of opinions on the best papers for use with fountain pens. I still use a Moleskine for note taking, although many folks feel there are better options. Some folks love designer-favorite Field Notes while others feel the paper is too thin. I have a new Rhodia pad that works great with a fountain pen.
In general, thick paper with a smooth surface seems to work better. My recommendation is to try paper, notebooks and pads that you like and see what you think. It all comes down to personal preference.
Remember: Be open to new options. As you wade into the fountain pen world, you’ll likely hear of brands you’ve never heard of before. Don’t be afraid to try them out. (I’d never heard of Rhodia before I got into fountain pens. Now it’s one of my favorite paper options.)
But I hate my handwriting…
I know many designers that hate their handwriting. I think we hold ourselves up to a standard of artistic perfection.
I’m one of those people that can’t stand my handwriting. (That’s why I design typefaces.) But I can honestly say that after writing for a few months with a fountain pen, I’m starting to like my handwriting again.
I don’t know if I’m just paying more attention to my handwriting or if the better pen really makes a difference. I seriously have no idea. But I enjoy writing on paper now, and that’s something that hasn’t been true for a long time.
But I like my current pen.
Most designers have a vast assortment of pens. I love a good pen and I’m a fan of gel ink pens like Uniball Signo 207’s and Pilot G2’s. (I like mechanical pencils, too, but that’s another blog post.)
It’s not an “either or” decision. A fountain pen is great for writing. I prefer the gel pens for sketching out concepts. And you’ll still need a Sharpie because everyone needs a Sharpie or two in their bag.
Bonus: Using a reusable fountain pen means you aren’t throwing away as many disposable pens, which is obviously a good thing.
That’s a cool pen…
Be prepared to talk about your choice of pen when you head to meetings. A fountain pen rarely goes unnoticed.
I’m hooked. What next?
Once you start with a nice fountain pen, you won’t want to go back. Obviously, you’ll probably want to experiment with different pen types and inks. Companies offer whole ranges of cases and accessories for fountain pen users. And if you get really serious, there are services and vendors that let you customize pens and nibs.
Blogs like the Pen Addict and edjelley.com are a great place to start. Retailers like Goldspot Pens, Goulet Pens and Jet Pens all have blogs that detail new products and review pens, inks and accessories. Many pen and ink manufacturers also have blogs.
I love the Pen Addict podcast. It’s one of my favorites. So if you listen to podcasts and are interested in pens, it’s one you should check out.
Every year, the kiddos make me a crazy cake with help from Liz. This year’s monster was awesome.
My awesome birthday present - a Lamy AL-STAR. Sweet. Love it! Thanks, Liz!
