Why don't we work for ourselves? Sure there's the obvious answers: security, marketing, etc. But what about our sanity? If we are driven crazy by our boss' odd requests our job security may not be as strong as we initially believed. What about our individualism? How great of a designer can we really be if we aren't allowed to flourish to our full potential? It's about time we stop putting it off and start making a plan for our own path to success. After-all: if you fail to plan then you're planning to fail. Nervous? Don't be. I believe in you. :)

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

If you have a chance, I recommend checking out the AVAM's new exhibition, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." It's definitely one of the stronger AVAM exhibitions I've seen here, in terms of both subject matter and (often painstakingly, obsessively detailed) execution. Some of the featured artists who stood out especially for me:

• Richard McMahan, who's recreating 30,000 years' worth of art in miniature, piece by piece
• Vincent Nardone, who's been incarcerated since the mid-70'—his drawings capture 1950s-1970s American culture: diners, drive-ins, etc. (Google turns up a different artist by the same name.)
• Renaldo Kuhler, who's built this weird, kitschy yet fascinating series around the fictional country and culture of Rocaterrania
• Jean-Pierre Nadau, who tells us that New York does not exist

More details here and here and here.

Salon redesign

I must be psychic. Sixty seconds ago I was idly wondering to myself why Salon's home page was still so scrolly and that the layout really needed an update with a stronger grid structure. Then I went to the site, as I do pretty much daily, and lo... there it was.

Definitely an improvement. Unfortunately, though, they buried the links to their forums, The Well and TableTalk—interesting choice since a number of Salon Premium subscribers are there mostly for the forums. (I don't know what people on the Well are saying, but a gajillion posters on TableTalk have said they'd let their Salon sub run out if not for wanting to keep access to the forum.)

Also, Camille Paglia does not need to be right up at the top of the page in red. In fact, she does not need to be anywhere. IMHO.

New 'ish

Just when I thought I had the latest, newest, freshest, crispiest apple, they go and make some NEW iMACS. I can't keep up with Adobe either. I am still using CS2. As soon as I switch to 4, there going to release 5. How much does it mean to have the latest computer/software, etc... as long as you get jobs done? I know there's all kinds of innovations with work flow and such, but companies update so quick, making everything so obsolete... it's like running behind a train and never getting on board...

Computer Games for Graphic Designers

I was surfing the web today and stumbled across The Font Game, a game that tests your ability to identify fonts. I felt pretty nerdy playing the game and even nerdier emailing the link to my design friends. However, I thought the game tied in perfectly with Tess's blog post. Tess made a great point, there is a "fine line between seeking inspiration and seeking distraction."

Mr Eaves

I just got an message from Emigre that Zuzana Licko has designed a new sans serif typeface to compliment Mrs Eaves. Mr Eaves seems to share a lot in common with Gill and Johnston Sans but with notable exceptions, g, l, Q, R being among the most obvious.

I wonder what this font choice would say about me?

Trajan

Everyone knows Trajan has been over used to the point that it now sucks. Watch this. But, there are alternatives to this over used and ancient type. The Font Shop has several "more better" options. Have fun and remember, what do your fonts choices say about you?