Articles, tables and diverse proofing materials for typography at small scale. Some pairing with Action Condensed headlines. The names mentioned do not endorse, use, or even know about Action Grotesque.
Contents: Intro / Stedelijk Museum / Adventure Review / Visit Naoshima / Branding at scale / Ingredients / Caring for your tools / A short list of Pacifics / The North / Yellow Magic Orchestra / Brahms / People just don’t see or read this stuff / A clock! /
Museumjournaal, Serie 18 no.6, 1973
Frank Steenhagen, Jurriaan Schrofer. Exhibition Catalogue
Source: adapted from the Stedelijk Museum website.
Wikipedia
Chapter 5
Page 35
Work
workhorse (plural workhorses)
-
A horse used primarily for manual labor; a draft horse.
Synonyms: (Britain, dialectal, one sense) aver, draft horse -
(by extension) Someone or something that does a lot of work; something or someone who works consistently
or regularly.
Those old machines are not very glamorous, but even 20 years after their introduction, they are still the workhorses of the industry.
a bad workman blames his tools (proverb)
- It is not the tools we use that make us good, but rather how we employ them.
- Upon failure, it is easier to blame the tools used rather than how they were employed.
Tool
While a common-sense understanding of the meaning of tool is widespread, several formal definitions have been proposed.
In 1981, Benjamin Beck published a widely used definition of tool use.[1] This has been modified to:
- The external employment of an unattached or manipulable attached environmental object to alter more efficiently the form, position, or condition of another object, another organism, or the user itself, when the user holds and directly manipulates the tool during or prior to use and is responsible for the proper and effective orientation of the tool.[2]
Other, briefer definitions have been proposed:
-
An object carried or maintained for future use.
— Finn, Tregenza, and Norman, 2009.[3] -
The use of physical objects other than the animal’s own body or appendages as a means to extend the
physical influence realized by the animal.
— Jones and Kamil, 1973[4] -
An object that has been modified to fit a purpose… [or] An inanimate object that one uses or modifies in
some way to cause a change in the environment, thereby facilitating one’s achievement of a target goal.
— Hauser, 2000[5]
Source: selected Wikipedia entries. Photo: wheels for the mind.
68’ Micro Journal
Vol. 03, № 03 / March 1981
Adventure
by Jack Doremus
I have to begin by saying that I am a long time Adventure addict. It began some two years ago when I was
assigned to my current Post in California. Since then, whenever I could find the time to use our
DEC-10 and play Adventure. I have been up there fighting dwarves and
hunting treasure.
I should also add, being constantly frustrated by not enough time to work on it seriously.
Jack Doremus has solved that problem for me and for a lot of other people.
I heard through a friend that Jack Doremus of Wichita, Kansas had written an assembly language version of the game that he claimed was faithful to the original. Taking the dragon by the tail (we ‘addicts are persistent, if naught else) I wrote to share my concern and my hope. He wrote back to say that, yes, indeed, he had written such a program, that it would be available for sale in January 1981 and there would be an ad in ’68 MICRO JOURNAL. However, he also indicated that he would be glad for a tester who ran a 6800 machine with a LFD-400 disk system I almost beat down the post office trying to get my answer in the mail late Saturday night. In due time the disk arrived.
The game resides in 35K of RAM using locations from 0020H to 7FFFH and from A300-AC90H as well. It is available in both Pecom LFD-400 disk format and FLEX 2.0 as well. I can’t speak for the FLEX version but the game is true to the original including the strings. Jack did not shorten any of the original location descriptions and, to my knowledge all of the various puzzles are intact. It retains all of the color and challenge. In fact, if you have a map of the original game, it will work with this one.
I can’t recommend this game highly enough. It’s like having the original game on a DEC-10 or an IBM 360 move in with you. The whole game resides in RAM so there is no waiting for disk calls ans it runs as fast as the ones on the bigger machines.
Adventure for the 6800 by Jack Doremus is available from Application Services Company, Kansas for $24.95 on the disk of your choice. Happy Adventuring!
Source: 68’ Micro Journal, retrieved from the Internet Archive.
Link.
Adventure was my first computer game.
A lot more about this game on
Wikipedia.
Margin Notes and Strategic Letters
November 2014 / P10
mgds
Tired of decades of gothics and after months of brainstorming, several artistic crises and many agile coffees, Müller says to Gerstner, he says “Let’s give that new grotesque a go, the one we saw on that site.” And Müller, bless him, he says “Alright mate, I already made some treatments here.” And this is what he put up on the screen.
mg design + strategy
mg design + strategy
At this smaller size there is more room for more words. The thins were dialed in at weight 150, the bolds at a staggering 800. Font size: 20pt.
müller gerstner design + strategy*
müller gerstner design + strategy*
müller gerstner design +
strategy
Even in the smallest size we have contrast in weight, 8 point. Thins are set in weight 250, the bold was relaxed a bit and is set in weight 700. Goes to show that even if you are in the design business, it can be a challenge to design your own logo. Sprinkle some punctuation over the words. But for fork’s sake at least capitalise your names. Müller and Gerstner had more coffees and kept on strategising.
Source: Very much a true story. Well, parts of it. Some of it was made up. Most of it actually. But it could have happened for sure. You know them.
New Schedule starts June 2024
Naoshima
Naoshima was made a village in 1890, and upgraded to a town in 1954.[1] The town is part of Kagawa District.[5] Naoshima is the sister town of Timmins, Ontario, Canada. As of 2010, only three of the town’s 27 islands are inhabited: Naoshima, Byōbujima, and Mukaejima.[6] Ishima is also inhabited, but only in the northern portion which belongs to Okayama Prefecture.
| Uno → Naoshima (Miyanoura) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ferry
20 minutes |
Passenger Boat
15 minutes |
||||
| Departure | Arrival | Departure | Arrival | ||
| 06:10 | → | 06:30 | - | ||
| 06:30 | → | 06:50 | - | ||
| 12:15 | → | 12:35 | 13:30 | → | 13:45 |
| 20:25 | → | 20:45 | 22:30 | → | 22:45 |
| - | 00:35** | → | 00:50 | ||
| - | Times marked with the double asterisk indicate late night boats. Late night fare applies. | ||||
Source: Website for the Naoshima ferry. The displayed times may no longer be correct.
|
↖ |
Düsseldorf |
||
| ↖ | Autobahn | 1970 | |
| ← | Kraftwerk |
Hütter*,
Schneider |
|
|
Radioaktivität
Kling Klang Studio |
03 | ||
| ↑ |
Hütter, Ralf beschreibt sich häufig als Musik-Arbeiter, die einzelnen Bandmitglieder treten hinter dem Bild der Gruppe als System, als Maschine, zurück. [wikipödia] |
||
| ← | Factory Showroom | Everyone’s your friend in New York City | |
Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 bar (65g)
Calories 320
Calories from Fat 180
* Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
INGREDIENTS: Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Honey, Organic Nonfat Dry Milk, *Organic Dark Chocolate Organic Cocoa Liquor, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Dried Whole Egg, Organic Brown Rice Protein Concentrate, Sea Salt, Organic Flax Seed Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Sesame Seed Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil, Dried Whole Food Powders (Organic Kale, Organic Flax Seed, Organic Rose Hip, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Lemon, Organic Papaya, Organic Tomato, Organic Apple, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Celery, Organic Kelp, Organic Dulse, Organic Carrot, Organic Spinach). *Fair Trade Certified™ by Fair Trade USA ALLERGEN WARNING: CONTAINS PEANUTS, EGGS, AND MILK. PRODUCED ON EQUIPMENT ALSO HANDLING ALMONDS AND OTHER TREE NUTS. MAY CONTAIN OCCASIONAL NUT SHELLS.
Source: A chocolate bar, on my desk. Traditionally this kind of information is printed very small: a lot of data on a limited printable area on the packaging. Maybe you personally do not need to pay attention to these kinds of labels. But for some people there is no choice and must read it. So you might as well give this reading experience some thought.
9. Ästhetische Qualität
[…] Dabei geht es nicht nur um Eigenschaften, die ich auf Grund meines subjektiven Geschmacks für wichtig halte, sondern um Eigenschaften, die ihre bedeutung aus der „Gebrauchswirklichkeit“ eines Produkts bekommen. Ästhetisch ist das Design eines Industrieprodukts, wenn es ehrlich, ausgewogen, einfach, zurückhaltend-neutral, sorgfältig ist. Und dies nicht — oder nicht nur — um das Auge zu erfreuen, …sondern weil zurückhaltende, neutrale ästhetische Qualität ebenfalls ein Aspekt der Brauchbarkeit des Produkts ist. Es ist schwer, mühsam, kräftezehrend, mit Dingen zu leben, von Dingen umgeben zu sein, die unausgewogen aufdringlich, verwirrend kompliziert, verlogen sind.
Source: Burkhardt, François. Design: Dieter Rams. Gerhardt Verlag, 1981. Hold on a second on a well designed travel clock! A Dieter Rams quote, in a specimen like this? And this isn’t even a revival of Universoïd or whatever! Haha! You’re combing the captions for juice? Priceless!
Caring for your tools:
|
From a mailinglist
|
|
Keeping them cleanRub over gently with a Clean Mate and water to remove anty leaf resin and early signs of rust. Scrub in the sink if things get rally bad. Wipe dry, oil lightly with Camellia Oil and store in a dry place. Keeping them sharpNew tools won’t need sharpening for some time, but after a while will start to lose their edge. Use with the #1000 Sharpening Stones for best results. → Sharpen every couple of week, but shears and topiary clippers deserve a bit more attention (you need really sharp shears for box clipping—we sharpen them every day). → Resist the temptation to take shears and secateurs apart, it’s a bit of a fiddle and inevitably ends up with grazed knuckles. → Full sharpening guide and video at tools.com. |
Blade CareJapanese steel is fairly brittle and can chip if abused. Do not cut wire, metal, stone, plastic or any other hard material. Even bamboo fibres and some very hard woods, especially knots, burrs and dead wood, can damage steel edges. Do not twist or apply uneven pressure. Always cut branches diagonally, not straight across. → Blades may chip or crack through misuse and bad luck, but damage can usually be ground out with a rough stone or the Twin Diamond File. Saw CareJapanese saws cut on the pull stroke—try to use a smooth, gentle sawing action, gliding on the push with no friction. Dont’t twist the blade while sawing, and don’t let the weight of the branch pinch or catch the blade. Use the right sizes saw for the job—branch diameter should be no more than 1/3 the length of the blade. |
Niwaki Ltd. 15 Chaldocott Barns, Semley, SP7 9AW. 01747 445 059
Source: Niwaki mailinglist, summer 2025. High-end Japanese gardening tools.
Pacifics
4—6—2 Class A4
* introduced 1935. Gresley streamlined design.
†‡ Inside cylinder reduced to 17"
ठNon-corridor tender (remainder corridor)
** Kylchap blast pipe and double chimney
| Weights: | Loco. | 102 tons | 19 cwt. |
| Tender |
⎰ 64 tons
⎱ 60 tons |
19 cwt.
7 cwt.ठ|
|
| Pressure: | 250 lb. Su. | ||
| Cyls.: |
⎰ (3)
⎱ (2) |
18½" × 26"
18½" × 26" |
(1)
17" × 26"§ |
| Driving Wheels: | 6' 8" | ||
| T.E.: |
⎰ 35,455 lb.
⎱ 33,616 lb. † |
||
|
Walschaerts gear and derived motion
P.V. |
|||
| 60001 § | Sir Ronald Matthews | ||
| 60002 § | Sir Murrough Wilson | ||
| 60007 * | Sir Nigel Gresley | ||
THE CLUB RULE: Members of the Locospotters Club will not in any way interfere with railway working or material, nor be a nuisance or hindrance to railway staff, trespass on railway property. No one will be admitted a member of the Club unless they solemnly agree to keep this rule.
Sources: Dan Allan Ltd. London. 1952 The ABC of British Railways Locomotives. Part 4—Nos. 60001—90774. p. 2. Photo: Drive of number 03 131, a DRG Class 03. Really? No. It is a detail of some typesetting machine.
Yellow
Magic
Orchestra
(abbreviated to YMO) was a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals, occasional keyboards) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals).4 The group is considered influential and innovative in the field of popular electronic music.5+6
They were pioneers in their use of synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, computers, and digital recording technology,7,8 and effectively anticipated the “electropop boom” of the 1980s.9,10
They are credited with playing a key role in the development of several electronic genres, including synthpop, J-pop, electro, and techno, while exploring subversive sociopolitical themes throughout their career.11,12
Source: Mostly from Wikipedia. Sadly, these footnotes are not linked to anything.
Favourite · Share Album · View Album Booklet
Brahms’
Francesco Piemontesi, and the Gewandhausorchester, directed by Manfred Honeck. Recorded in 2025.
From the genuinely soft playing of the opening horn solo, and the flowing and confident playing from both orchestra and soloist, you’ll realise you are in for a quite special performance. Pianist Francesco Piemontesi, unlike so many others performing Brahms, never hammers his instrument, even when there’s the temptation to make an obvious “tempestuous” effect. Yet don’t be deceived-this is not a low-key performance. In the equally important orchestral part, you can hear the Gewandhaus strings effectively convey Brahms’ veiled passion in the theme that follows the piano’s first entry.
Between pianist and the conductor, Manfred Honeck, the drama unfolds smoothly, rising to a steady boil and a climax which readily recalls the burning fury of Brahms’ First Concerto. After this, the horn call’s return appears all the more striking, elegiac after so much storm and fury. Everything is “in character” without any heavy-handedness, making a single, coherent narrative of a movement which so often appears discursive in other hands.
The Op. 117 solo pieces, once described by Brahms as “lullabies of my grief”, are played beautifully—listen in the first piece to how song-like Piemontesi makes the countermelody to the return of the opening theme.
Classical · 2025 · Dolby Atmos · Hi-Res Lossless. Text source: Apple Music.
Source: track notes from Apple Music. A tough call for the editor. “Gewandhausorchester” does not hyphenate very well when the text is set to English.
File under/
fiction, fantastic
Retrieved October 1971
BOOK SHOP
I had passed that shop many times in this street but had never gone in. On
the window, gold and red Tuscan capitals spelled BOOKS.
Vinyl lettering would have been unforgivable but closer inspection revealed brushstrokes, paint, goldleaf.
This was clearly the store of a bibliophile, it had to be. I grabbed the door.
A brass bell mounted on a spring jingled and I entered. Tall, wooden bookshelves that reached a distant, nicotine coloured ceiling. Handlettered signs on the shelves, offering structure, categories and direction. Some books were behind locked doors. Very well, very promising!.
A Scandinavian delivery cat looks up from a small desk. Small spectacles, a frown. It stared at me for a
moment, then introduced itself as the editor of
Speculative Fiction.
It told me we urgently needed to go over some implausible turns, some disturbing, excessive, improper use of
adjectives in this story so far, could we meet for coffee, immediately, forthwith? So there was that.
It was ten thousand years later and it had started to rain.
Source: made up story. When using “novel” typography, like inline signage, does it bother you? For me, when I read, I see the words several lines ahead and I already start thinking about them.
| Table of Contents | |
| Inhoudsopgave | |
| Another grotesque | |
| 79 | A reckoning |
| 78 | Afrekening |
| Shouting things | |
| 87 | Fairground lettering |
| 86 | Kermis typografie |
| Whispering things | |
| 97 |
Readable objects in the age of endless zoom
size 16pt | weight 750 | ↑
|
| 96 | Leesbare objecten in het tijdperk van eindeloos detail.
size 16pt | weight 200 | ↑
|
| ← | Introductie |
| ← | Klein |
| ← | Groot |
| ← | Letterpolis |
| ← | Elke grootte |
| ← |
LettError Type
Commercial Type |
|
The structure of a table of contents from an Oase magazine. Contents edited for clarity. Contrary to what this table of contents implies, there is no Dutch translation. |
|