ejnord.com | design blog of eric nord

This is a preliminary brainstorm sketch for a logo I am working on with the Santa Monica College Philosophy Club.

Here’s another Scientist album cover — this one from 1982. Like all of his albums, the music is comprised of instrumental dub versions of popular reggae songs of the time. Here, tracks produced by Henry Junjo Lawes for aritsts like Yellowman and Eed-A-Mouse are reworked by Scientist to create vocal-less compositions that can stand on their own or serve as a backing for deejay toasting and chatting.

Scientist is a legendary reggae engineer. He was one of a handful of engineers who elevated dub reggae to high art and worldwide acclaim. And his albums boasted top ranking design work.

The cover art, above, is from a retrospective compilation put out by UK label Blood and Fire in 1996.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting more Scientist covers.

DJ Blueprint – Sun Ra mix

Typographers tend to make great web designers. I’m not sure if it’s the knowledge of type, the grid work, the tendency toward minimalism, or the technical savvy of many typographers. But whatever it is, Type Together are typographers with a slamming website.

Some notable features of the Type Together website are:

1. Open layout
2. Well spaced stability lines
3. Numerous column variations
4. Soft color scheme with typographic contrast
5. Strategic placement of oversize type
6. Perfect balance of filled space and empty space
7. Impeccable font work

Type Together has done a great job of insterspercing different categories of content. It’s quite a mish-mash. Items of featured content, messaging, navigation, and news all compete for attention. Distractions and non-linear possibilities abound. Yet the order and hierarchy is clear.

TT has done a great job of blending the best aspects of showcase-oriented marketing design with the time-sensitive nature of content-driven publishing. At the core of this blend is a robust and flexible grid that gives TT all the necessary options to create a compelling experience.

Read the full story here.

After seeing this in Computer Arts magazine, I got in touch with Patrick Sundqvist and he sent me my own personal 941px by 1282px jpeg copy.

Patrick is a nice guy.

Occasionally, while reading the New York Times, I find myself wondering about the artists whose work accompanies showcased articles. And I wonder about the process behind each piece.

In general, the NYT’s “editorial” art is excellent, especially considering the difficult task of making art that is clever, and yet appropriate to a particular article. Let’s face it, editorial art is intellectual art. The artists can employ playfulness and quirkiness to connect with the reader — as they often do — but the work must be in sync with articles that are often hyper-analytical and/or depressingly serious. Trust me, it’s not an easy job. And I should know… I read the articles.

A few months ago, I was skimming the NYT and came across some rather striking editorial art: against a red background, President Obama gasping for breath while being smothered by his own contradictory statements. Not only did I grab the image and toss it in my “inspiration” folder, but I also looked up the artist, Matt Dorfman.

And thus I discovered that, in addition to his being a go-to guy for NYT editorial art, Matt is also an illustrator, publisher, and designer of book covers. And through his Metalmother blog, he gives insight into the processes behind his work.

It is rare for an artist to be both insightful as well as open about the creative process. And I personally appreciate both his creative output as well as his transparency.

Plus his art is rad too.