I’ve been listening to the Vergecast lately and this Tuesday’s episode is outstanding. Ben McKenzie talks about crypto and his new documentary. Victoria Song discusses the pros and (very serious) cons of health tracking. A thoughtful discussion on two very complicated tech topics.
Being a type designer can be weird. You create your design. Share it with the world. And then someday, unexpectedly, it shows up again.
I designed SbB Powertrain over a decade ago and I was very surprised to see it pop up in a clip of Gamecock Women’s Basketball player Ali Tournebize dunking in the 2024 Eurobasket U18 bronze medal game. Turns out that FIBA uses Powertrain as part of the identity for their Eurobasket tournament. It was used heavily for the 2024 and it looks like they are still using it in some places. Here are a couple of examples that I stumbled across.
If you look closely to the videos, Powertrain is used for the 2024 at center court and on some of the courtside screens. So much fun to see my type design in use, especially in a global context. Learn more about SbB Powertrain and my other fonts at sbbfonts.com.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
This academic study in Visual Communication analyzing G.I. Joe “Knowing is half the battle” PSAs from the early 1980s is amazing. Sadly not open access, but you should read it if you are Gen X and have access through your university library.
I’m fascinated by the minimalist approach that Slate is taking with their EV pickup. I see opportunity for customization, but others see a small truck without a built-in sound system. This article does a good job of summing up the challenges Slate faces in taking a radically different approach.
Witnessed a drone delivery yesterday for the first time when shopping in southern Charlotte. Apparently, it’s a partnership beween Doordash and Wing, and only available in a four mile radius of the shopping center we were in. Strange to see a drone lower a package to the ground, and then fly off.
Happy Easter from Team Wertz. Always wonderful to worship at St. Paul Aiken when we are in town.
Go Gamecocks!!!! 🏀
Spring is here. I looked up while grilling and noticed our backyard trees are finally all green again. 🍃🍃🍃
Ryan got his first high school start tonight when the starting goalie injured his hand in warm ups. He got the win and a shut out.
Bored, while sitting in a very long middle school car line. (I’m near the front.)
The South Carolina Women’s Basketball team is so impressive. Strong win against Oklahoma today. Ta’Niya, Raven and Tessa shot the lights out, scoring 60 of the team’s 94. Looking forward to the next game against TCU or Virginia. Go Gamecocks. 🐓🏀
Apple seems to be one of the most tightly managed brands in the world, but they actually use their logo much more whimsically than any other big brands. I’ve written in the past about logo usage that runs against typical brand management best practices. On the eve of their 50th anniversary, I’ve come across two more examples. I wanted to share them as a way to continue to document Apple’s approach to visual identity:
Apple has artwork that essentially serves as an alternate logo for their anniversary. It’s a stylized treatment of their logo (below), which includes a rainbow of colors that harkens back to their old six color rainbow logo.
Apple shared an Instagram post with a series of animated takes on the Apple logo, but the sequence starts with the old six color logo.
Both examples take the Apple logo shape and use it as a structure for artwork. You typically don’t see large companies allowing or promoting this kind of variability with their logo. And you rarely see an old logo pop up, even during an anniversary. The artwork feels true to the Apple brand, but runs counter to what other brands do. In brand management, rigid consistency is king. As designers, it’s worth noting that Apple of all companies allows such flexibility within their visual identity guidelines, and maybe we can learn something from how they use their logo and brand creatively.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
The parking garage is so eerily empty when I get in early.
I’ve been impressed by Kagi News. A nice AI-curated summary of important news stories, updated once a day. Provides links to a spectrum of sources, and the site has an RSS feed, so I can easily add it to Feedbin.
Coffee shops should all have a rack of reading glasses for sale. I occasionally forget mine when I go to write or study, and I would completely pay an inflated price for a pair of reading glasses in the moment. I can’t be the only one. I think they’d make a nice profit.
Working at the Starbucks at I-26 and Broad River in Irmo tonight while Ryan is at lacrosse practice. I studied here all the time when I first started grad school. Happy to report that almost a decade after I nicknamed it “Grad School Starbucks” that it is still full of grad students.
I don’t go into Facebook often, but when I do, I’m flooded with fake AI generated stories about Gamecock Women’s Basketball and F1. Judging from the engagement on these posts, lots of people believe them… but most of them are completely made up.
Interesting observation by Nilay and David on the Vergecast last week about the MacBook Neo. For most people, their most essential computer is their phone. A MacBook Neo is an affordable second device targeted at phone-first consumers.
It’s going to be tough to be a McLaren fan this season. 🏎️
The process of finding a roommate for the first year of college in 2026 is a mix of dating app and Instagram stalking. 🤣 My middle child is looking for a South Carolina Honors College roomie…