Hasta La Vista, Imprentas.

I got home just last night from TypeCon in New Orleans. It was a great time overall, but the stifling weather and extra-curricular activities had me pretty worn out this morning. My day started slow. I slammed some iced tea mixed with Reed's Rx, and took a stroll to my Citibank around the corner for some routine transactions. I left my phone at my desk not thinking I'd need it, but ended up running back home to grab it for some snapshots of Kluge presses and other hefty printing equipment being loaded onto a flatbed truck. The neighborhood printshop, Spencer Imprenta, was closing up and unloading their equipment.










With all the recent changes to this lively stretch of York Boulevard, I figured this would happen sooner than later. I managed to chat with the owner's son for a minute to get the scoop on the situation. The shop was originally located up on Colorado Boulevard near the Eagle Rock Plaza and moved down to this York storefront around 1980. The two-sided coin of technological progress made it hard to keep the business growing over the years, despite the loyalty of old clients and new wedding invitation jobs.

The presses on the truck were still in working order and were going to new owners. The guys loading the rig were from a bigger service bureau that bought the whole load for just $1000. A couple of the machines were going to be delivered to third party shops. It's nice to know they'll see more use.

Now for the really sad news. Spencer's son told me they boxed up about 3000 pounds of lead type and another ton of BRASS type. They sent it off to be recycled and got about 50¢ per pound for it all. They even had a casting machine that was torn down and recycled for scrap metal as well.

I always thought about stopping in one day to see about having business cards or TypeTrust promo pieces printed, but the obvious disarray beyond the shop's barred windows was never quite inviting. Had I seen more signs of life within, I would have been more inclined to do business. I suppose you have to dig to find a neighborhood treasure like this old print shop.

As Highland Park is turning itself into the up-and-coming barrio in Los Angeles, I've seen the coffee shop and "gastro-pub" establish my block as a hipster hive of small business development. It's always good to see locals reinvigorate their own community, but this one bittersweet scene got me just a little choked up (unlike seeing the poorly-kept Verdugo Pet Shop shut down last month after the recent passing of its proprietor.) As a design professional that works almost strictly in the digital realm, I'll proudly shine the other side of that proverbial coin of progress, but these changes shouldn't come without some commemoration.

At least Spencer's shop isn't slated to become another bar. I actually signed a petition last week to prevent another bar from opening on the block. Zeppelin Music, the independent gear dealer right next door is expanding into the space. I hope their hand painted sign gets an even bigger exploding zeppelin.

Hummingbird at my Feeder

My good friend Nick Sherman from MyFonts.com stayed with me for a few days in the first week of 2009. He had moved out of his apartment in Boston, put his stuff in storage, and intended to be homeless for a year. It ended up being his “Year of the Mobo.”

We coined the term “mobo” as an evolutionary step beyond the classic hobo archetype: the restless traveler who chooses the open road over closed doors. Both the hobo and the mobo consciously decide to have no permanent address. The difference is that the mobo is permanently and gainfully employed in a placeless, internet-based occupation. A mobo is able to work from anywhere in the world through the aid of web technology and a network of places to stay (at little or no cost). Have laptop, will travel.

As a thank-you and perhaps the most thoughtful gift I have ever received, Nick had Amazon deliver a hummingbird feeder to my doorstep. It has provided organic raw cane nectar to my tiny, blurry-winged visitors for about a year now, and they have given me “a sense of enormous well-being.”

I shot this video on the first day of December 2009 with my simple Canon Powershot digital camera. Please excuse that it goes out of focus, but likewise appreciate that these little birds are at arm’s length from me as I work at my desk. Besides being a welcomed distraction, they are a constant reminder to be hospitable at any chance because you never know when you’ll receive the nicest guests.

Heroic Condensed in FontShop’s Top Type of 2009

My Heroic Condensed font family made its way onto FontShop’s Top Type of 2009 list.

Facebuster in Use at Poems Out Loud

Here’s another sighting of my Facebuster font at Poems Out Loud.

Facebuster is nicely contrasted here with a thin sans serif in the logo and headings.

The design is by Mandy Brown @ A Working Library.

Thanks to Joe Newton @ Veer for the find.

My First “Serious” Serif Text Typeface

I’m working on my first serious serif face. Here’s a peek at the Regular, Italic and Medium styles...