World’s Largest Carpet Woven for Worshippers

The mammoth floor covering is destined for a monumental new mosque under construction in the United Arab Emirates.
Emirati officials commissioned Iran’s state-owned rug manufacturer to
create the piece for the central prayer hall of the giant Sheikh Zayed
mosque, slated to open this fall in the capital city of Abu Zaby (Abu
Dhabi).

Typography – 20th Century Timeline

Interactive audio timeline of Typography in the 20th Century.

Web Design-isms: 7 Surefire Styles that Work

Larissa Meek writes on Web Design-isms: 7 Surefire Styles that Work. Contains many inspirational examples to get the brain flowing.

Did Gill Sans Fail?

Ben Archer argues that Gill got Gills Sans all wrong. Typographi lists some alternatives to Gill Sans.

The Life and Work of William Addison Dwiggins

Linotyped published “The Life and Work of William Addison Dwiggins” from their Linotype Matrix magazine. I can eat this stuff up all day long. I haven’t yet used any of his fonts for any work but I’ve been eyeing New Caledonia for some time. Caravan also looks like it may come into use soon.

The Grammar of Ornament

The University of Wisconsin has put online a copy of a 1910 printing of “The Grammar of Ornament.” Gotta love the fact that it is in public domain now.

EDIT:  I just found out that Illuminated-Books.com has Grammar of Ornament on their site as well, only with thumbnails of each page. They also have Owen Jones’ other illustrated books up as well with a brief bio. You can also read a brief bio of him at Univerity of Virgina Library of Fine Arts page. And as always you can learn more at wikipedia.

HillmanCurtis Artist Documentaries

From SvN: A collection of documentaries on some of the great artists. So far I watched the ones on Mliton Glaser, Mark Romanek and Petnagram. Very intersting stuff here.

EDIT: I have to say the the Paula Scher documentary was inspiring. I also learned a new word: syncopate

EDIT #2:  I just watched all of the videos and they are all amazing. For some strange reason I just happened to pick up Step Inside Design magazine’s Sept/Oct 2005 issue and I had the serendipity to find that they had an article where Hillman Curtis provides his thoughts about the documentaries.

Checking their website I see they have a link to a Hillman Curtis giving a brief presentation of his setup and interview style. See: http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/Article/28498

 

“M is for Modern” Art Flashcards

Jargonboy has launched “M is for Modern” alphabet flash cards where each letter represents an art movement or style. “Forget A is for Apple. B is for Bauhaus is where it’s at.”