“When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”                                                                                                                 Buckminster Fuller

Generally speaking problem solving can be complicated. For me it is simple. I have a problem and my wife tells me how I am going to solve it. It is that easy. It is too bad that in most cases she created the problem for me in the first place. 

When problem solving it is important to not lose sight of the problem at hand. It is easy to become distracted with side issues and loosing focus of mission, themes, goals, and the intended audience. If necessary, when working with a group or by yourself, focus specifically on the problem itself and avoid pitfalls that keep you from fulfilling that mission, theme, goal or meeting the needs of the intended audience. 

I’m kind of a slow thinker. When problem solving I like to sit back, think, see what happens, collect information, synthesize approaches and then decide. My wife calls this being a procrastinator but I call it being analytical. You should be aware that some solve problems through various approaches that may or may not meld well with your approach. I tend to wait for the “Ah ha” moment to happen. The period before it hits is known as the incubation period. 

Inspiration hits me at strange times, usually when I am away from the problem, program, or the computer. For me it is usually when I am driving or watching baseball. I don’t know if is because my mind works differently at those times or if it has to do with me eating peanuts and Cracker Jacks. More than anything it breaks my current cycle of thinking and allows new ideas to flow. The sugar and carbs help too. 

If you wait too long in the incubation period you could be forced into the pressure cooker phase of problem solving. I have seen several talented people who thrive and excel under the pressure to meet a groups needs or finish a project under a tight deadline. Solutions to problems can flow out of necessity in this approach. Just leave time at the end for evaluation and re-design if necessary. 

The longer I work as an interpreter and a designer I see that the majority of my work is problem solving. In some of my future posts I will take on common problems faced by interpreters and designers. Be on the look out for the I’ve Go Problems titles. If you have a problem professional or socially send them our way and we’ll take them on. In the mean time continue working on what problem solving approach works well for you and your specific situation. Don’t be afraid to take on different approaches or just listen to your significant other.

I strive for specific reactions when I create a logo or an identity system. Usually, I want someone to say, “Ooooh,” as in, “That’s so simple, yet so elegant and creative.” Usually I get, “Hmmmm,” as in, “I wish I weren’t here being asked about this logo.”

I’ve known for about four years that the 2010 NAI National Workshop would be held in Las Vegas. (November 16–20, 2010, at the Riviera. Mark your calendars!) The event will be held right on the famed Vegas Strip, where neon pervades. As I’ve turned ideas over in my head regarding the identity for this workshop, I have thought about my own experiences in that city.

I wanted the reaction from people seeing the logo for the first time to be similar to what I felt the first time I saw the Vegas Strip light up the night. I felt that I achieved what I was hoping for when I got these reactions: “Oh my!” (Lisa Brochu), “Golly!” (Tim Merriman), “Wow” (Shea Lewis and Jamie King), and “It’s too wordy” (Russ Dickerson).

None of these reactions starts with, “I really like it!” and to be honest, that’s not really the point. The point is to evoke a sense of place by referencing the visual stimulation that one experiences in Las Vegas through the use of texture and color. The workshop will be held right on the Vegas strip, and anyone who has ever been there knows that the experience begins with “Whoah!”

Of course, as with any project, there were some false starts:

My first attempt at an identity for this event never made it out into the world for public consumption, not because I was unhappy with the design, but because one of the people involved in the discussion threatened to stab me in the neck with a fork if I used the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign in the logo. (Okay, there was no literal threat of violence, but it was implied.)

Also, one of the original ideas for the slogan, “Viva Interpretation!” was ultimately discarded, and this identity just doesn’t work without that slogan.

Another concept that never saw the light of day is what I think of as kitsch overload. I thought, “Las Vegas is essentially founded on tacky visual extremes, so I’m going to break as many rules as I can think of.” I used not one but two doofy typefaces, an overstated color palette, and clip art. Oddly enough, the end result looked like a promotion for Spring Break in Miami.

Underoos were the ultimate underwear for me as a child. If you don’t know what Underoos are, you just made me feel old. There was something empowering about wearing Underoos. You were able to go about daily life knowing that if you were needed to save the world, on the inside you were a super hero.

As an interpreter and a designer I still have that feeling today. Not because I have found an online outfitter of adult Underoos (link not provided) being produced in some guy’s basement in Mississippi, but because interpreters and designers are working to save the world.

The Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) is hosting an entire workshop titled How Can Graphic Design Help Save the Planet. The goal of the conference is to “become a global initiative, encouraging designers from all the major disciplines to help make a difference in the way we work, rest and play…and therefore to the world in which we live.” The conference’s theme revolves around the concept of how much graphic design “permeates almost every aspect of our daily lives.” By placing priority on the greater impacts of design, perhaps a concerted effort could be developed to help tackle larger social issues.

Interpreters have been doing this for some time through various venues. I’ve seen several social issues taken on at NAI regional and national workshops. In 2010 NAI’s International Conference will be held in Australia with the theme of Building Connections Between Continents and Communities in a Climate of Change. The underlying goal is to improve the understanding and appreciation of our heritage resources in a rapidly changing global climate. Much like the AGDA workshop the NAI International Conference will take on the impacts of interpretation at heritage sites and how that interpretation can effect change.

As designers and interpreters if we place an extra layer of thought in what we create (products or programs) we can focus our efforts to make the world a better place and build a stronger connection to our sites for visitors that will change their lives and actions. I think it is empowering knowing that other interpreters and designers are working together to solve problems, make the world a better place, and enrich the lives of visitors.

The AGDA workshop will be held in Sydney, Australia, in August at the Powerhouse Museum. For more information you can visit the AGDA website. NAI will host the 2010 International Workshop in Townsville, Queensland, April 13-17, 2010. For more information visit the NAI International Conference website. If you plan to attend either conference don’t forget to pack your Underoos.  Aquaman was always my favorite. What about you?

One of the advantages of presenting sessions on graphic design is that people think of us when they take pictures of amusing signs. For some reason, people also think of us when watching the TV show “The Biggest Loser.”

This photo arrived courtesy of James Massey, who earned a Certified Interpretive Planner credential from NAI a few years back. The great thing about the sign in this photo is that is a springboard for discussions about what could have been done typographically or design-wise to make its message—that you should not swim here because there are crocodiles—more clear. (The word “Crocodiles” could have been set in a different color. The border could be red instead of blue to signify danger. The words could be rearranged so that “Do not swim here” appears first. And so on.)

After showing this image during classes and training sessions for the last few years, the consensus is that the crocodiles themselves are the target audience, which explains why the sign has been placed so low to the ground.

If you have images you’d like to share, send them to us or post them to our Facebook page.

Warning: The nerd factor on IBD is about to reach an all time high. If you are not a certified member of the nerd herd slowly step away from your computer.

I would like to be able to blame Paul’s snarky comment (“Tune in next week when Shea sings the praises of Wal-Mart, Darth Vader, and the New York Yankees…”) made on June 18, 2009 (in reference to my post on PC vs. Mac (Hint: PC Wins!)) for this geeky post. My last post (Wal-Mart’s Makeover) was to serve as evidence to Paul that he shouldn’t encourage me. This post was bound to come from me sooner or later, and more like this one will come in the future.

It was just a matter of time before you found out that I’m a huge fan of Star Wars. Okay, so now that we’ve got that out of the way I will proceed.

As a Star Wars fan, I have always been drawn to the typeface Star Vader (available for free download here). For me the romantic allure of the classic movies is conveyed through the type. Some of the earliest Star Wars artwork includes Star Vader in its raw, unaltered state. The modern yet rustic letterforms are as beautiful, though less functional, as Helvetica. Through the years modernized versions of Star Vader have evolved to what many recognize as the more current “Star Wars” font.

The problem with Star Vader is that besides personal correspondence between one equally geeky friend (Joel Andrew Frey of El Paso, Texas, author of Two Sides of a Cypress Wall, in which I am a key character), a temporary website that I created in college, and invitations to my bachelor party, I have had little excuse to use it.

But what’s not to like about this futuristic sans serif that has held up to the test of time by still looking futuristic 32 years after it hit the mainstream? I have gone to the trouble to download it to various personal computers and work computers and for some reason I find myself wanting to use it though I seldom have the occasion.

There are plenty of typefaces like Star Vader that only can be used sparingly and for the specific purpose of evoking an emotional connection to reader’s memories of a movie, time period, genre, or style that may or may not be connected to the work at hand. Websites such as David Occhino Design offer new stylized versions of classic fonts like Star Vader as well as other movie, art deco, Halloween, theme park, and sci-fi fonts.

I have seen mimic work done well and poorly. Use caution when creating a look that looks like “a look.” If you are going to use this approach make sure that every detail from color, composition, and scale are appropriately and respectfully recreated.  Many of these typefaces could be well used in a thematic interpretive program.

There is an interesting sub-culture of folks out there who take typography to an entirely different level and use fonts for an entirely different purpose than most typographers and designers. The effort they put into accurately re-creating costumes, communicating in the native languages of Star Wars characters, or creating fonts to evoke moments from the Star Wars films is “impressive, most impressive.”

What impresses me most is the amount of effort placed in perfecting the unique letterforms found in the various typefaces (or even entirely fictional character sets). I have only dressed in Star Wars garb a limited number of times. But some of the folks I know take it very seriously. For more information, contact Joel Frey directly or visit Wookieepdia (I’m not kidding), a Star Wars wiki for the proper use of typefaces/languages like Aurebesh.

I did have the opportunity to meet Darth Vader (Dave Prowse, the actor who portrayed Darth Vader, not James Earl Jones who was the voice of Darth Vader) in the fall of 1993 (11.07.1993, to be exact). Here’s a picture of Joel, me, and Darth (left to right) and a copy of the autographed picture I received that day.

Dear nerds,

I have been thoroughly enjoying the many discussions about different typefaces. I’m wondering what your thoughts are about scripted type (type that copies cursive handwriting). Some coworkers of mine and I have had some interesting discussions about using scripted type for subtitles on interpretive signs. Althought it might “set a mood,” my concern is that it might be difficult to read for certain audiences. I know studies have been done on the effect of all caps on reading speeds. Have you encountered similar studies that look at the effect of scripted fonts for interpretive panels?

Thanks for your continued help, Cal

Cal,

There has been a lot of research on typography, much of it contradictory or too specialized for general usefulness. Also, as my grad school roommate Kristy Pennino points out, most of the research is done by behavioral psychologists and not typographers. Still, there are certain points of agreement, like the fact that upper- and lower-case letters are more legible than all caps, as you point out.

Here’s an important point researchers agree upon related to your question: Regular, roman (not italics) type is more legible than slanted, italics, or oblique type. Typically, these studies relate to italicized versus roman type, but since most script typefaces are slanted, you can draw your own parallels. You can find a couple studies related to this subject on the Education Resources Education Center (ERIC) website:

EJ416365 – The Effects of Italic Handwriting on Legibility: The Methods and Findings of a Three-Year Study

ED265540 – An Evaluation of the Speed and Legibility of Italic Handwriting

Another important factor is the difference between legibility and readability. Certain typefaces are more legible than others because of the clarity of their design. At a certain size and/or a low enough word count, however, even less legible typefaces are still readable. That is to say, if you have few enough words and a large enough point size, you can get away with using a script typeface.

In the examples here, the traditional serif typeface Adobe Garamond is more legible than Edwardian Script. In the longer sentence at the smaller point size, “The Phillies are World Series champions,” the script typeface is difficult to read and should not be used, but in the simple, two-word “Phils win!” both are readable and either one would be acceptable.

An article on Wikipedia (I know, lame reference, but it’s still a good point) has this to say:

“If the columns of a newspaper or magazine or the pages of a book can be read for many minutes at a time without strain or difficulty, then we can say the type has good readability.”

Think about how long you are asking visitors to read certain passages when making decisions about your typefaces. Once you get one short phrase or sentence, I’d err on the side of the more traditional, non-slanted typeface for better legibility.