Make Ready is a journal featuring news and observations on letterpress, book arts, typography, design, and other fine delectables - slightly caramelized, with a healthy dollop of ephemera.

Miscellany of Note

Never forget another birthday or anniversary. Let Jack send out your cards. Brilliant!

“The skills of designing letters can be learned, just like other skills. The techniques of fitting them together are no secret. The tools are better than they used to be. Alchemy probably helps, but managing without that is the purpose of orderly work.” Here are a few notes on what to do.

Awesome. Hand-drawn type. Via Alexander Bonn

Hally Lou sings. The fantasy-art of Ray Caesar. Reminds me of Loretta Lux.

“Having nothing to say is not the same as saying nothing.” Enough said. How about a view of serifed S’s.

Trajan is a popular font. Movie execs love it. Designers use it without harm. And apparently, many colleges love it too unless you’re in Kanas where — at the University of Kansas — it sucks. Don’t mess with a Jayhawks’ font.

For all of you super dilettantes, there’s fine dining and a notable absence of chicken caesar’s here.

“Take two pints good wine… Add one and one half pounds sugar or brown sugar, a little cinnamon, ginger the size of a hazel nut, two seed strands of long pepper, twelve cloves, nutmeg flower or two blades of mace, a Cox’s orange pippin peeled & cut in round slices…” Sounds like Hypocras (aka mulled wine). Refreshing over ice in the summer and warming in the winter.

It’s time to buy a fish. Just one. That’s all I need. Or maybe I just want a cool fish bowls by Roger Arquer. Wicked.

Mark Simonson’s talks with Adrian Frutiger. Feel the love. Adrian Frutiger: A Personal Perspective (PDF: 17.6 mb).

Pushing the envelope of book design. If you call these books.

The letterpressed cards of Olive & Page get better everyday. These cards are so nice that you hate to give them away. For anything. But then you do. So you can buy another and another. Molly rocks!

Maybe. Maybe not? It’s “Yes” or “no” baby. Yes or no. It’s Brand Spanking New.

There are at least 8 ways to drive a graphic designer mad. “Let’s say you want a newsletter designed. Graphic designers will always try to leave white space everywhere. Large margins, the leading and kerning of text, etc. They will tell you that they do this because it’s easier to read, and leads to a more clean, professional look.” Via design fckr

Become an ODG – Original Design Gansta.

Take the rest of the day off. The Glass Book of the Dream Eaters.

The earliest (known) occurrence of movable metal type is from Korea in 1377. Via Kottke

Rules for Stylish Living: “Spend the money. Dress for lunch. Make the effort.” — Nan Kempner

Learn it. Love it. The art of the grid.

One of the best ways to come up with a new font, or increase one’s drawing skills to is sketch. For example, the hand-written letters of Paula Scher. Via Swiss Miss.

Damn sexy. Cover your iPod Nano in sensuous black.

“Modern thin-lead mechanical pencils were made possible through advances in lead composition… Modern leads are based on carbon made from high polymer organic materials, and can take a little more force and flexing without snapping.” Herewith, a brief history of the mechanical pencil.

Coudal Partners and the Draplin Design Co. have released their Field Notes Brand notebooks. Nifty for all sorts of things, the handy list of “practical applications” includes crop predictions and shady transactions. Now, here they are out in the wild. More than a sum of parts.

Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007) San Francisco thanks you for nearly twenty-one wonderful seasons of memories. Your impact on us will always be felt. And even though you dissed us in 1994, you’ll always be in our hearts. Our 85th season opening night began with you singing Nessun Dorma exactly thirty years ago. In boca di lupo.

The key to fabric origami is 100% cotton broadcloth.