This message from the Nerd Herd came in about three months ago. We’ve been too busy railing against Comic Sans and making fun of each other’s baseball teams to get to it, so we asked our mysterious and reclusive third co-author (and also fifth Beatle) Lisa Brochu (pictured here in her natural habitat) to answer it:

Dear Nerds,

What if, hypothetically, a friend of mine worked for an agency that “forgot” they had funding for 27 wayside exhibits, suddenly realizing this fact exactly 3 months before the end of the fiscal year? Of course the whole project would have to be conceptualized, written, designed, fabricated, and paid for by then.

Any tips to avoid hurried, glaring mistakes in content development or design? Any magic tricks you know to legally maneuver a molasses-slow bureaucracy? Are we, er, I mean, is my hypothetical friend going to be ok or as doomed as a grasshopper pierced on barbwire by a shrike?

—Frantic in Cyberspace

Lisa replies:

Do you really have to have 27 signs? You might want to think about cutting the budget in half and spending half to get some professional help (not the on-the-couch kind, but the planner/writer/designer kind) and then spending the rest on the sign fabrication. Think purchase order (the all-purpose legal maneuver). If that’s not possible, at least do the following:

1. Check fabrication times so you know what your absolute drop dead deadline will be.

2. Determine whether any of the signs could be considered unnecessary or redundant (most signs are). The fewer you have to produce, the fewer mistakes you will make.

3. Write first, then find graphics that illustrate the text (no clip-art allowed).

4. After you write the first draft, edit. Edit again. Edit one more time. Come on, you can get that word count down if you really try – edit, edit, edit. Try to get to where you have no more than 100 words per panel – 50 would be better.

5. Follow the instructions in Interpretation by Design related to grid layouts (this works for signs as well as publications).

6. If any of these things go wrong, make sure your tetanus shot is up to date (that barbed wire is just filthy).

Ryan’s Country Store in Eastern Arkansas is packed with local flavor. It is one of my favorite places to stop when traveling along Highway 64. There are not too many places around where you can pick up a fried pie and a new pair of rubber boots, but you can a Ryan’s. Conversations there revolve around the weather, prices of various items, and local politics.

I have always been intrigued by the store’s sign as well as their fried pies. When I first moved to the area, I had a hard time making out what the sign said. The text in the shape of a largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) was hard to read, though it was recognizable as a bass. I found myself wondering who would design a sign that was that hard to read, regardless of how creative it was.

But after living here for 6 years, I now understand that anyone who needs to know what Ryan’s is already knows. The sign serves more as form than function. Designers and interpreters do not have this luxury. Our work has to function first, then we can work on the form.

As synthetic, mass-produced, quick-sign solutions erode society’s appreciation for the unique, it is the designer’s responsibility to restore it. If you only take one thing from this website, here is what it should be: Computer defaults are not your friend.

Among the most obvious default settings that are not your friend is your pull-down menu of available fonts. Some of these default options have become so overused that they are experiencing backlash. To see what I mean, read this discussion of one blogger’s selection of the top 10 worst font choices: www.heyokadesign.com/news.asp?post=top-ten-worst-font-choices. I note one exception: If you are starting an organic aroma therapy massage clinic and your plan is to advertise exclusively on coffee shop bulletin boards, I recommend that you use Papyrus for all of your communications. You’ll fit right in.

There are so many resources for free and expressive typefaces that are not horribly overused, that you are negligent as a designer if you use any of the same old few. Note that I have used the term expressive typefaces. By this I mean decorative or handwriting options like Papyrus or Brush Script that are easily identified by the casual viewer. When it comes to traditional serifs or sans serifs like Helvetica or Garamond that are not as readily identified, you’re safe using the classic options already included with the computer.

The point is, when your goal is to be expressive rather than functional, explore the options beyond the defaults, not just to be different, but to find that perfect typeface that fits your needs. Below are just a few of the many websites that offer fonts for you to download. The whole point of these sites is to give you stuff (usually for free) so that you don’t have to use the fonts your operating system chose for you.

www.1001freefonts.com

www.dafont.com (pictured above)

www.freemacfonts.com

www.urbanfonts.com

It bothers me when people start presentations or any written document with apologies or qualifying statements. Let me begin this post with both. I first want to say that I really like Apple products, have owned them and currently own them (iPod) and would even have an iPhone if Verizon Wireless offered them. Until they do, I will stick with the bag phone with expandable antenna that I have carried since 1995. It gets great reception, has a handle, and if you ever need something to hold the door open for you it is ready. I would like to apologize to all of the diehard designer types, whose mind is more like command + closed apple than open apple, that I may offend by this post.

With that said I will proceed. I’m a practical guy, drive a minivan (with dubs and a banging system), married the love of my life, listen to NPR (through the banging system), like bird watching, and use PCs. So let me outline why I choose PCs over Apple computers and let the comment section be filled with fodder discounting my way of thinking, primarily from Paul.

1. Cost: Let’s face it PCs are cheaper. The cheapest Apple computer offers nothing for a designer. The MacMini ($599 without a monitor) has a measly 2.0 GHz processor and 120 GB hard drive and the MacBook ($999 laptop) has a 2.13 GHz processor and 160 GB hard drive. Comparable priced PCs offer more for the same price or have many lower cost options. The Mac base models don’t provide enough RAM to even get your feet wet in AI or PS. Low-end PCs are filled with faster processors, huge hard drives and enough RAM to run a small town in Arkansas. Competition among PC companies has led to benefits for the buyer.

2. Speed: The fastest processor offered by Apple is 2.66 GHz in a desktop and 2.8 GHz in a laptop. Comparable priced PCs offer up to 4.0 GHz. Nothing bugs me more than a slow computer.

3. Options: When it comes to options PCs are the way to go. The options are endless. Especially in the areas of latest technologies and new hardware. This is currently evident with Apple in the lack of HD DVD options as well as updated wireless connection speeds.

4. Design: PCs are about as sexy as me in spandex. Apple wins here.

5. Windows Operating System: The Vista operating system is far superior to OSX offered by Apple. I’m sorry, I can’t say that. Apple wins here. I like Vista but all of the best options that are offered in Vista were swiped from Apple.

6. Software: The options for software are endless with PCs. Back in the early days of desktop publishing and early design work, this is an area where designers drew the line. Apple did have the superior software and operating system to run it. That is no longer the case. PCs now offer more RAM, larger buses, and just about everything offered by Apple can be run on a PC. Not true the other way.

7. Advertising: Apple’s commercials are better even though I feel sorry for the PC guy when the Apple dude makes him look stupid. For the record Steve Jobs is more cool than Bill Gates (despite Jobs’ collection of black mock turtle necks) but again I am able to relate better to Gates. I think it has everything to do with the geek in me and nothing to do with his billions of dollars. The commercials are hilarious.

Like I said, “I’m a practical guy” (I just quoted myself). I could drive something much cooler than a minivan, could have married a trophy wife (okay, debatable), could listen to a top-40 radio station, do anything that is cooler than bird watching (watching grass grow, trading stamps), and buy an Apple computer. I chose PCs.

I learned about the Basque people who live in southern France and northern Spain while studying French in college. (I majored in French  to ensure that I would not be burdened by some cumbersome “job” or “career” when my studies were over.) The Basque community exists within the political boundaries of France and Spain, but it is culturally distinct and its members speak a unique language unlike any other European language (much like Yankees fans within the rest of the United States).

When I visited the Basque region in 2007, I was struck that whenever the unique Basque language was represented visually, from the names of restaurants painted on windows to official parking signs, the same typeface was used, even when it was drawn by hand. This is an instance where a specific typeface is used not to evoke a certain emotive effect or even accentuate legibility, but rather as a signal that the text is meant for a certain audience. In an environment where multiple languages are present, readers of the Basque language know immediately when information is directed toward them.

I found this to be an effective way to use a distinctive typeface.

Even if we do not incorporate multiple languages at interpretive sites, we can still draw from this example when choosing typefaces. For instance, type related to wayfinding might be set in a certain color or style while interpretive text on panels or in exhibits might be treated differently. Some sites may choose to treat type related to natural heritage differently than that related to cultural heritage. Or type for sophisticated, educated audiences might be set in a classic serif typeface, while type for Yankees fans might be set in Comic Sans.

Whatever the distinction, detailed guidelines and consistent typographic treatment can serve as visual signals for visitors looking for specific kinds of information.

Much like President Obama, there are many pictures of me out there that I wish people didn’t have. It is the price that the most powerful person in the world (President Obama, not me) must pay and it is the price that many lonely lame people must pay (definitely me).

A few weeks ago, I became a victim of being Photoshopped (not by Paul, this time). I had to have a head shot taken for my role as vice president  of the Cross County Chamber of Commerce (even though I only hold the postion of vice president, I carry many of the same burdens of the president—of the chamber, that is, not the United States) to be placed on the chamber’s website (www.CrossCountyChamber.com). Like most people who have to get a head shot, I was not overly excited about it.

The morning of the head shot I was wrestling around with my 22-month-old son William. Using a great professional wrestling technique, he scratched my face just under my right eye. (Note to self: a 22-month-old is too young to be watching World Wrestling Entertainment: Smackdown.) I had made the appointment with the photographer and I wasn’t going to let a little scratch change my plans—especially on a thumbnail photo, since no one would notice it anyway.

Later that afternoon the photographer emailed me a copy of the photo. As I opened it, my initial reaction was that the lighting was really good—so good that the scratch applied by William “The Chunk” Lewis wasn’t even noticeable. In fact, it was gone. That is when I started noticing several other changes.

I pulled the image up in Photoshop and soon made note of the following: My raccoon tan from my sunglasses was gone, circles under my eyes gone, gray hair gone, a small scar from childhood gone, and wrinkles on my forehead and around my eyes gone. My teeth were extra white and my eyes were extra bright. Much to my dismay the two things I would choose to change in real life, my double chin and my receding hairline, were both still there.

Does the picture make me look better? Most definitely. Does anyone care? Not really. I think if I knew that it was going to be doctored I would have felt better about it. Does the image effectively portray me? Possibly. Did the changes make so much of a difference that anyone besides me and my scratched head would have noticed? Hopefully not.

Should have I shared this image and pointed out all of the improvements with my co-workers and the readers of IBD? No way.

So here’s the image…if there’s anything that I have learned through this experience it is that I can relate to President Obama in one way and I will think twice about fixing images in my work. Let the comments flow.