Over on Threads, lettering artist Jessica Hische is getting attacked because she dared do logo work for Meta and their Muse AI platform. I understand why designers are largely against generative AI – I really do – but this seems like a ridiculous attack.
I think the garnet/burgandy iPhone is going to sell well here in Columbia, South Carolina. Go Gamecocks!
Nineteen! Happy birthday, Jilly!
Got my annual selfie with Cocky at the State of the University Address.
Made it to the beach this weekend.
Monza did not disappoint. What an incredible race!
How much do I dislike both Dabo and Kiffin? I’m pulling for the lightning in the weather delay. ⚡️⚡️⚡️
My son is doing his physics homework in pen and it stresses me out. 🤣
It’s funny how each of my kiddos has added musical genres to my rotation… My oldest helped me rediscover a bunch of 1970s music I’d forgotten about. My middle child introduced me to Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and musicals. And now my youngest is sharing random indie rock that I’ve never heard.
I had to pick up a flash drive at lunch today. The smallest one I could find was 64 GB. That’s a lot of storage for a portable drive that’s likely to get washed when I leave it in my pants pocket.
Back in 2018, I created an angular “happy fish” logo for a podcast I was going to start. I never started the podcast, but the little fish became my logo for my blog. A few months before COVID lockdowns hit, I redrew the fish, but added a bunch of expressions. And when the world ground to a halt in March of 2020, I changed my logo to the “anxious” version. Ever since then, I’ve switched out the logo periodically, based on how I was feeling. Mostly, I’ve used the “meh” and “skeptical” versions. It’s been a weird few years, with kids starting college and a career change. And that’s on top of global political chaos. For summer, I always switch the logo to the “vacation” version with sunglasses, and so each fall when summer ends, I have to pick the one that matches my mood.
This year, I surprised myself I chose the “optimist.” Don’t get me wrong, the world is still chaotic and disappointing in many ways. I could have chosen the “anxious” logo, or honestly, one of several “angry” logos. But in my personal life, the kids are settling into their new realities and my new job is going well. I’m making progress on my dissertation and I can see the end of my graduate studies. I see at least some signs of progress that make me believe that we’ll get through the global chaos and political bullshit. So I’m choosing to be optimistic about the semester. We’ll see how long I stick with this version.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008 and contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t own an aquarium.
In South Carolina, there are plenty of N.I.M.B.Y.s. People who understand the need for affordable housing or some other government project and support the project, as long as it’s “Not In My Back Yard.” Opposition is usually centered on property values or traffic congestion.1
I’ve lately seen something a little different. A new type of N.I.M.B.Y. —
“NOTHING In My Back Yard.”
South Carolina is the fastest growing state in the nation and development is coming to the entire state, especially suburban and rural areas. These new developments are being met with intense pushback by MAGA Republicans who want to freeze ALL development. Even responsible development. Two select examples from my county:
These are far from the only examples. For these people, NO development would be appropriate. Vacant lots should stay vacant. They are terrified of any change. Even potentially positive change.
I’d classify most conservatives in South Carolina as fiscal conservatives. They want to encourage economic development and build the tax base, so they can continue to lower taxes. But these MAGA conservatives are different. They want all growth to stop. They claim to be ultra capitalists, but then want to control development. In South Carolina at least, the fiscal conservatives seem to be losing patience with the MAGA conservatives and pushing development forward.3
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008, never writes about politics, and will probably regret this post.
Really happy to see that Rickshaw Bags is resurrecting Nock Co.’s Brasstown pen case. It’s my favorite pen case, and it’s great to see them pick up where Brad left off. It’s not on their web site yet, but I’ll order one when it’s available.
I’ve been inundated with texts today, encourgaging me to go to the polls for the Graham/Norman runoff here in SC. I can’t, since I already cast my vote for Annie Andrews in the primary, and will do so again in November regardless of who wins today on the Republican side.
An interesting post on creating AI-friendly brand documents. I think this is a necessary brand management step. People in your organization will use AI to create fliers, presentations and graphics. Building machine readable Markdown files is your best chance to keep them on brand.
I spent today building a task list of everything I need to get done to finish my Ph.D. in Spring 2027.
Great drive by Lando. Nice to see McLaren back up there fighting for podiums every week.
My forever coffee date. ☕️❤️
Anniversary dinner.
Today is Liz and my 27th anniversary. We’ve been married for over half our lives at this point, and we’re old enough to have two kiddos in college now. Time flies, especially when you are married to your best friend.