Thursday, October 1st 2009
Here at ICM we’re very loyal to the typefaces we use as part of our brand. Foundry is the main face for all primary communications with the slab-serif of Clarendon being used for our more ‘vocal’ communications.
I was pretty shocked when I noticed recently that Ikea was to drop their trademark typeface Futura in favour of Verdana, a fairly nondescript system font.
I personally feel this is a bad move. Merely typing the word SMEG, BILLY or CLOP in Futura instantly conjours up images of flatpack shelving. Verdana can’t hold it’s own at the cutting edge of interior style, something Futura did with ease.
It seems I’m not the only one. To-date, nearly 1000 Facebook users also agree – they’ve even set up a petition asking Ikea to change it back.
Ikea certainly don’t ‘own’ Futura. In fact they made some very tiny adjustments and named it IkeaSans. Catchy. So why the move after 66 years of business? Has the new-media age brought then to this on-screen-font conclusion? Maybe.
Futura is the most renowned work of German designer Paul Renner. It still looks modern 82 years after its release. Verdana was designed in 1993 by Matthew Carter, a Brit who is regarded as one of the most elegant type designers in the world. Taking years to perfect, Verdana is a typeface that was designed simply to look good on a computer screen. It is clear; it works well in many languages; it is unambiguous even at small point sizes.
That’s why I feel Ikea have made a mistake. their official reasoning is that it is more efficient and cost-effective. Anyone with an eye for good design will think the move to Verdana makes Ikea look a little cheap.
But who am I to judge? I’ve set up a little poll via Twitter for users to vote on the preferred:
here are the results so far:
Friday, September 18th 2009
As most of you know I love Cornwall, I go camping there twice a year and have done for a number of years now.
This latest holiday was however, a little different… The South-West being one of the first regions to switch off analogue television broadcasting. We never really watched much television whilst under canvas, usually just the early-September camping trip where the dark nights start drawing in. This year we had no option but to leave the television at home.
I love my TV at home in all it’s flatscreen, Sky+, high definition glory. But I’ll quite happily go a week without it. Obviously having Sky+ helps – series-linking means nothing gets missed, you can even set it to record from your mobile-phone! Our camping television was a small 4inch portable that ran off batteries that needed changing what seemed like every other ad-break, again, something I won’t miss.
After some careful checking that it was available in the region, I treated myself to a digital radio. It is mains-rechargeable and solar-powered too – no more batteries! The radio certainly filled the gap left by the unavailable broadcasting; local radio for the weather (and surf) reports, tide-times and traffic news, Radio 2 in the evenings, comedy clips on Radio 4, and a whole range of previously unheard channels that broadcast digitally.
I didn’t realise until returning home that I have a radio in almost every room in the house; from garage to bedroom, bathroom to kitchen. Maybe staring at a screen all day at work has something to do with this?
Now this blog isn’t a ‘which one is better?’ debate, more of a ‘radio-appreciation’ story. The radio seems to make for better company than a television, it’s easier to have a conversation with the radio on in the background than having the television on.
Since returning from holiday, the television has been on less, the radio definitely more. Now if only I could receive a digital signal at ho…
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Posted by Richard Peacock on Friday 18th of September 2009 at 12:35pm
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Some call it a Masonic Jamboree, others nothing more than a stereotypical glorification of flat caps, whippets and black pudding but I’m rather proud to say I’m from Yorkshire.
Yorkshire born (after a long drive with my mother in labour, just in case I was any good at cricket) and Yorkshire bred, the County has long-held a special place in my heart.
Yorkshire Day was first celebrated in 1975 by the Yorkshire Ridings Society, a group formed to protect the integrity of Yorkshire and it’s regions. There are celebrations across the County, many centering around the County hub of York.
The traditional reading of the Declaration of Yorkshire Integrity will take place on Yorkshire Day at four of the Bars (gates) of York. The first reading will be at Walmgate Bar at 10.45. The reading at Mickelgate Bar will be at 11:34 indicating the 1134 years since the first reference to Yorkshire and its Ridings. Further readings will then take place at Bootham Bar and Monk Bar with a final reading in St Sampson’s Square, at about 1pm, where a Yorkshire Day event, featuring two brass bands, has been arranged by York City Council. There is a Yorkshire Day Beer Festival at the Bay Horse, Marygate which will run throughout the day.
Falling this year on a Saturday, Yorkshire Day provides a great opportunity to get out and celebrate, whether you were born here, live here, visit or work here, I’ll certainly by raising a pint or t…
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Posted by Richard Peacock on Friday 31st of July 2009 at 3:28pm
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