Type - It may sound strange, but I don't have one favorite that I'm stuck on. I have slight crushes on a few though... fling and Perla—type with ball terminals, really. I enjoy serifs, especially type with long, thin, elegant lines. For numbering, I have been drawn to Filosofia (for more normal looking numbers), and Falstaff for more of a bold, art deco feel. I am as guilty of overusing certain sans serifs as the next guy, but have started to mix them in with more stylistic type to create a more learned feel. I will agree with Ben that Kursivschrift is quite attractive. I am not afraid of large type, but it must be contrasted with much smaller type. I love contrast in type, bold/light, etc.
Color – I enjoy very bright colors in moderation, mixed in with more subtle hues, less saturated. I will always be fascinated with black and white, and I tend to like just one color thrown in with them, provided it isn't a bright, primary color like red (ie. black, white, very light teal). Other recent favorites include the following: a) Maroon, mustard seed yellow, and black on dark cream. b) Light blue, and brown or black on white paper. c) Varying shades of teal and green, paired with browns. d) light blue and yellow on white. And finally, e) Maroon, teal, and tan on white. Just to name a few...
Composition – Minimal over complex, clean, classic, straight to the point. I like to pay attention to how a specific composition leads the viewer through it. I detest static points, places where the viewer's mind can get trapped, thus I enjoy negative space. I prefer open composition, some element needs to lead the viewer into the piece. When design is stripped down so much, each element's importance becomes higher, and must communicate even better the message of the design. I've never been extremely extravagant, but take pleasure in the beauty of simplicity. Less is so much more.
Themes – Re-discovering my voice as a designer. I work in a basement making stuff for very conservative people in the age range of 50–100. Adventists live forever unfortunately. This has really matured my style from crazy grunge, but I need to get back to something more modern in-between the two, and more my own. My theme = rediscovery.
Latest Influences – Martha Stewart. Embarrassing, but true. I'm in enamored with one of her more recent publications... Blueprint. If you see it, you will know. Other publications I enjoy include dwell, metropolis, nylon (for fun), and I've come to like men's interest magazines, so clean-cut. Buildings and the outdoors never cease to inspire me. I really like the type of work that Seattle based Turnstyle does. I am really more inspired by things I see in real life on a daily basis, or more industrial sort of items that make me push my thinking and let me make my own interpretations in my work later, i.e.. a lace fence, or an unruly stack of magazines on my bookshelf making interesting negative shapes. Influences sit in my brain and come out in unexpected forms later. I love flickr and tend to look at the following when I have time. Alki1's Flickr, russian typography, the list could go on forever... and music, my constant muse.I tag... Dallas and Alan.
yay!!! I was tagged!
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