TDN Diary 02.02.2024
Good old-fashioned font shenanigans
Happy Friday y’all!!
It’s February already and that means that we have some housekeeping to take care of before I get into it!! As I mentioned at the beginning of the month, my weekly emails will only be available via a paid subscription going forward. Therefore, this is the last free weekly email I will be sending out! I will still be sending out a more general monthly update for free on the first Monday of each month. The next one is coming on Monday of next week. If you’ve been enjoying reading these and you want to support TDN, gain early access to typeface and merch releases, and get awesome discount codes on my typefaces — then definitely consider upgrading your subscription!
On Monday, my revival class (via Type Electives) started!! I am so excited about this group of students and the sources they presented were all amazing. I always forget how energizing it is to teach and share what I know. Maybe I will share my thoughts on teaching sometime soon!
Throughout the week, I have been getting up to a bunch of shenanigans. And by that, I mean I have been focusing on things that are fun/exciting and not things I should be working on. Namely, Mr Rightside and merch.
ICYMI, last week I made a condensed version of Mr Rightside and then early this week, I was thinking about adding weight to it. I had somehow gotten this far along without thinking about a high contrast version?? I kept trying to keep it in a monoline space by bulking up the lines. However, this means that a lot of the lines and detail kind of disappear and it’s just not pretty. So unpretty in fact that I didn’t save any of these versions, but trust me it was not good!!
This version though – I love!! How did this come from my humble mouse clicking?? I don’t think super highly of my own work most of the time but I truly love this. This might be my peak!!
I am going to keep chugging along on the condensed version and this new bold version. These letters were my first pass and definitely need some work! Side note: it needs a new name. Mr Rightside is too long and too jokey for this one. I’ll stew on it but if you have any suggestions, throw them in the comments for me. <3
I’ve decided that I’m going to order a couple samples of these hats as a little merch test run. The trucker hat with the newest version of Mr Rightside will be screen printed. And then I want to do an embroidered dad hat with Type Du Nord written on it! What do we think? Do we like??
Next, I want to get stamps of a few of my dingbats so that I can make *physical* art again — I’ve been wanting to do this forever! I made these collages back in 2021 for a fundraiser and I’d like to get back into it. I think classic rubber stamps will be an easy and accessible way for me to do that. Especially compared to screen printing or running the collages through the printer like I did last time. It was not the best idea!!
I know merch and stamps might not feel like a very important thing in the grand scheme of starting a foundry, but it’s helping me lean into the TDN brand. I want this to be the year I take it all very seriously (in the funnest way possible). I’d like to follow our dear lord and savior, Beyoncé Christ’s, words and “be about it.”
5 Things I’m Into This Week
Alex and I watched National Treasure 1 & 2 this week and honestly they hold up!! I think we might have to watch The DaVinci Code next???
The zines I ordered from Letter Person (aka Kel Troughton) came this week! The No Parking zine with Nina Stössinger is so fun! Definitely go check it out!!
Did you guys hear about the Megan Thee Stallion/Nicki Minaj beef?? It feels like it came right out of left field but here’s Megan’s song “HISS” that started it and this is Nicki’s response to it, “Bigfoot.” I am sure you can guess which song I like better!!
If you want to feel really cool, give Francine (aka franslittlelife) a follow on tiktok. She does a segment called Fran’s Friday Round Up and it’s always filled with style, art, and design things!
This week on MadLib radio, we’re listening to David Byrne (of Talking Heads) and my two favorite B-52’s albums all on one convenient playlist. I feel like both bands were way ahead of their time and have a similar goofy, 80’s feel! Check it out:
See ya l8r sk8r!
Libbie