Something weird happened between now and the 1970s. Vanilla turned brown. Or beige. Or something like that.
I remember Shasta Creme Soda used to come in a metallic blue can. A lot like their cola can, but more of a turquoise blue. To find something vanilla, all one had to do was look for the blue packaging. It was a design standard.
Joyva Halvah (above) still gets it. They still use their old can design.
Vanilla was blue. Something happened and it isn’t anymore.
The original type punches of Giabattista Bodoni (1740-1813) are in bad shape and the Friends of the Palatina Library and the Bodoni Museum are raising funds to restore the full set of over 600 alphabets.
Bodoni’s multiple alphabets contain some incredibly detailed wonders – with craft beyond many of the digital versions that exist today.
You can adopt part or a whole alphabet. For more info, go here.
Albrecht Dürer’s contribution to typography took capitals in new directions.
His books on proportions, De Symmetria Partium in Rectis Formis Humanorum Corporum (books on the normal proportions of the parts of the human form) with Underweysung der Messung (instruction in measurement) cover drawing of human form, perspective – with a dissertation on Roman caps as well as gothics.
Both can be snagged in hi-res digital form from Octavo. Their Graphic Arts Bundle option also includes editions from Giabattista Bodoni (1740-1813), Geofroy Tory (c. 1480-1533) and Owen Jones (1809-74).
Dürer’s original letters exist today in the following fonts:
[1] Dürer Caps from P22
[2] Hands on Albrecht from URW
[3] Albrecht Dürer Gothic from Scriptorium
Sort of a 16th century fashion magazine spread.
Used as a promo piece for my Jeanne Moderno fonts. Available as a print or on a greeting card/notecard/postcard.
Albrecht Dürer’s Rhinoceros broadside, 1515
‘probably no animal picture has exerted such a profound influence on the arts’ -T.H. Clarke
The story behind Dürer’s Rhinoceros involves a Pope, some guesswork, a sketch and a shipwreck.
And the famous 16th century poster (above) influenced rhino art for years to come. This Wiki has some great historical detail (with derivatives) – including Salvador Dalí’s sculptural take on Dürer’s famous Rhino (below).
Salvador Dalí’s Rinoceronte vestido con puntillas, 1956
rhino prints
And one can snag a giclee print of Dürer’s rhino here. Or here. Or if a poster doesn’t suit and you’d rather have a tee, mug or stein, check out these wares at Cafe Press. This one hops. Or here’s basic black.
rhino book
The story behind the actual rhino became the basis for Lawrence Norfolk’s epic novel The Pope’s Rhinoceros. Snag a copy here.
rhino sale
Plus, a few years back – in lieu of a White Elephant – a handful of volunteers from ADAC had a White Rhino Sale. Because ‘white rhinos trump white elephants.’
Dürer said so. Flyer below.
Design by mehallo and Jeremy McCain (with a little help from Dürer), 2006
the work at the mehallo blog. beta. is licensed under a creative commons attribution - noncommercial - no derivative works 3.0 united states license. if reposting, credit must be given to steve mehallo - and if possible, please provide a link back to the mehallo blog. beta.
i include images for the purpose of critique, review, promotion and inspiration - and always make my best effort give credit/link back to the original source. if i’ve screwed up, please fire me a note.
page layout based on the wordpress 'darkwater theme' by antbag, adapted and redesigned by mehallo. valuable php assistance from bill mead.
