In Type I, students often ask me: "Which fonts should we use?" This is a tricky question, as students are always looking for some magic formula, such as: Snappy Copy + Helvetica Neue + Pantone 490 = Good Design. Ah, would that it were that easy. Unfortunately, the use of well designed typefaces does not automatically lead to good typography; God knows I've seen plenty of crappy projects set in Gill Sans, which is not an inherently terrible typeface. With students, it is much easier to say which typefaces should be avoided at all costs. Almost every quarter, in every class, I express my extreme distaste for the wretched Papyrus.

So legendary is my disdain for Papyrus, that students have taken to using it as a sort of twisted font of endearment with me.

Thanks to Jeff Matz of Lure Design, we now have this lovely Simple Typographic Pledge in poster format. I encourage designers, particularly educators, to post this Pledge wherever fonts are used. And perhaps, in some utopian distant future, all evidence of Papyrus, Hobo and the like will be eradicated from our material culture lest future generations judge us a tacky, typographically insensitive boobs.

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Lure Design Inc Buy a poster.
I Heart Papyrus I guess this guy won't be buying one.
Juiciful Read more of Charmaine's musings on the graphic arts and homemade ricotta.

David Weeks creates functional objects with universal appeal. By transforming simple shapes into elegant forms, he has evolved a distinct and modern aesthetic. I see the influence of fab 50s lighting innovators like Stilnovo and Arteluce, the mobiles of Calder, and molecular model kits.

Tri Boi Chandelier #418

Hanging Mobile #405

Torroja Cross #425

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David Weeks Studio If I had the bucks, I'd buy it all. Sigh.

I'm digging Geneviève Gauckler's playful/happy/trippy/spooky (poopy?) aesthetic and her color combinations are to die for. When asked about her formative influences, she sites an early childhood fascination with the colorful packaging on her favorite breakfast cereals and the title sequence of her favorite TV series, “Flipper”. She's based in Paris where she lives and works with her shiba dog, Kawa.

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G2Works.com Check out the rest of Genevieve's monster menagerie.
Product of God Buy a print.

They're all going to laugh at you! Tes One
Sneak a peek at Mr. Peacock's naughty napkins. Mr. Peacock
Furniture for slobs. Design Addict
Food Network stars deconstructed. Doodle Whore
Create your own virtual inspiration board. Image Spark
Remember Blancmange? Lost in the '80s

I previously mentioned that I'm basically a cheapskate with a fondness for the utilitarian, so my latest purchase fits the bill perfectly: the Sugar & Creamer w/ Tray by Åsa Lindberg Svensson. Not only is it exquisitely designed, but it's super affordable at a measly $30. And even more amazing (for me at least) is that I bought it just twenty minutes from my house right here in The Catskills (yes, where Dirty Dancing was filmed). My choices are rather limited living up here in the mountains, so I was thrilled to discover Scandinavian Grace: 4500 square feet of minimalist chic Danish modern goodness so close to home. Owners Frederik Larsson and James Anthony make a point to stock the classics (Iittala, Orrefors, Marimekko, Tonfisk, Asplund, and Stelton) plus new additions from All In Wood, G.A.D. and Carl Hansen & Son as well as vintage mid century furnishings imported by Copenhagen Vintage.

Vibrant color is everywhere you look.

Clean lines and natural materials make The Rural Modernist tingly down there.

Belly up to the bar for a bowl of leek soup and a good blab session with Fred.

I really want these chairs.

Next time you're in the Woodstock area, skip the faux hippy crap and shop here instead.

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Scandinavian Grace Check out their wares online.
2866 Route 28, Shokan, NY 12481, tel +1 845 657 2759 MAP

Sugar & Creamer with Tray Get one for yourself.

Visit The Catskills There are so many things to do here like hiking, fishing, and skiing. I personally wouldn't do any of these activities, but you might enjoy it.

I reclaimed all of my old Smiths posters from my parents' basement and had a few of my favorites framed. This one is for the single What Difference Does It Make and features Terence Stamp from the 1965 movie "The Collector" holding a pad soaked with chloroform. Because Stamp didn't approve of The Smiths using his photograph, later pressings have Morrissey recreating Stamp's pose and grin, holding a glass of milk instead. This poster hangs downstairs next to an antique television in an area that doubles as a guest room. I love that my house guests get to look at that maniacal expression on his face as they drift off to sleep.

Since we're on the topic, my blog buddy, Anna, recently had a post entitled Glamorous Grout, a play on Morrissey's Glamorous Glue, which had me chuckling over my coffee this morning. Not only does she have great taste in music and furnishings, but she can whip up a witty pun that incorporates her passion for Morrissey and home renovation. Of course that got me to thinking, so here are some more:

• Suedeheadboard
• Interesting Rug
• This Charming Mantle
• Handsome Bevel
• Please Please Please Let Me Grout What I Want
• That Oak Isn't Shiny Anymore
• The Boy With the Thorn in His Sideboard
• Pretty Girls Make Drapes
• A Rush and a Push and the Lamp is Ours
• Stretch Out and Wait (For the Paint to Dry)
• Some Drills Are Bigger Than Others
• Paint a Vulgar Fixture

This one hangs in my office.

Anna's chic dining room prominently features a poster of Shoplifters of the World Unite. I wonder if she stole it. Hmmm. Check out her House Tour at Apartment Therapy.

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Door Sixteen Anna's blog chronicles the DIY renovation of her 1890’s Victorian rowhouse in Newburgh, NY.
Handsome Devil Press We named our greeting card company after the classic Smiths b-side. Check out some of our Moz flavored cards here.
Vulgar Picture A fantastic catalog of Smiths and Morrissey cover art.
itsmorrisseysworld.com 3 years of patience will soon be paying off as 'Years of Refusal', Morrissey's 9th complete solo studio album, finally hits the stores on Monday 16th February.

I live for functional, utilitarian, well designed stuff, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that I'm a fan of Jack Spade. I think their bags, totes, and wallets are already priced well, but put it on sale and I'm wetting myself. The incontinent cheapskate in me is beyond thrilled that the online sample sale geniuses at Gilt Groupe have just added one of my favorites to their roster of coveted fashion and luxury brands. The first Jack Spade sale starts tomorrow at noon (Tuesday Feb. 10, 2009). Get there early because if you snooze you lose. The good stuff goes fast!

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Gilt Group Sign up today. It's invitation only, no gatecrashers allowed. Each sale runs for 36 hours with discounts of up to 70% off retail. Oh, yeah.
Jack Spade is also running a sale of their own with prices up to 40% off.
Men's Vogue Read about the Jack Spade burglar. No, it wasn't me.

I guarantee they won't go out of style after a couple of years like that lame Hollywood Regency knock-off lamp you bought at West Elm. Sure, they might barf on the flokati or poop in your house plants when you're not looking, but you just can't beat that warm/fuzzy/unconditional love ambiance they bring to any interior.

Screw potpourri. Fill your vessels with cats! My über tasteful pals Mark and Paul share their gorgeous Eichler home with a couple of cats (and the occasional uninvited raccoon) in sunny San Raphael, California.

Just say NO to faux fur and use the real thing. My luxuriously pelted Miniature Pinscher, Tino, perfectly compliments (and vanishes into) our new Marimekko Kikku duvet.

Planters are not just for plants. Tino commandeered this vintage fiberglass bullet planter for his own lounging needs until I kicked him out and used it to store kindling for the wood burning stove.

Play with scale for added drama. Our beloved gigantic Rhodesian Ridgeback, Simon, pretty much filled up every space he occupied to eye-popping effect.

Could there be any better tribute to a beloved and iconic designer than to have a series of typefaces created in one's honour? House Industries has just released a veritable cornucopia of Alexander Gírard-inspired fonts and products. The Gírard products are not cheap, but they are gorgeous and sunny and full of happy optimism. VIA JUICIFUL

EDITOR'S NOTE: Juiciful is the charming blog of my longtime pal, Charmaine. She's a whip cracking graphic design professor at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo and will be contributing graphics, font, and food related stories to The Rural Modernist at her leisure. We've been fast friends since we were footloose and fancy free twentysomethings toiling together as text book designers in Chicago. It was the glorious early 90's when we first met: mini backpacks were all the rage, the Rachel Aniston shag was de rigeur, Melrose Place was must see tv, and we were single and carefree (see vintage photo at right, at typical night out for us. Her look: Asian Hooker Meets Breakfast at Tiffany's and mine: Good Humor Man/Bollywood Club Kid).

I was up way too late last night nestled into my Fatboy in front of the fire, watching Nancy Grace PBS on the telly while surfing the internets on my shiny new Macbook. As a text-book Taurus, I've subconsciously managed to create the perfect nesting spot/connectivity womb right there on the living room floor. It's wonderful and kind of disturbing all at the same time.

I digress.

I was fortunate to stumble upon the fabulous blog of Mr. Peacock. For starters, anybody who refers to themselves as "Mr. Peacock" deserves kudos in my book, and his gentlemanly Maximalist style musings really get the creative juices flowing. As a cargo pant wearing Minimalist/Scandinavianist, I'm always drawn to the white space; it's the graphic designer in me. But secretly, I long to be a wanton Maximalist layering on pattern, color, and texture with wild abandon while wearing a waistcoat and ascot. Says Mr. P. "The apartment is a mix of: old/new, high-end/low-end, hand-me-downs, gifts and tag sale pieces." My kind of dandy.

A surrealist ceramic hand keeps the skeleton keys organized in the hall, peacock pillow cases grace the boudoir.


Decoupaged birds nest around the smoke detector in the foyer.


Sparkle, Gio, sparkle! These classic Ponti chrome chairs really shine in a neutral nook.

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Mr. Peacock His blog.
Design Sponge Sneek Peek Check out his nest.
Decoupage 101 It's not just for grannies anymore. Clip it, glue it, just do it.
Surrealism Every home needs a dollop of whimsy.

P.S. I'm always on the lookout for masculine voices in the design blogosphere which is dominated by women. I'm all for sugar and spice, but it's high time for snips and snails to get their due as well. If you have a fave please share it with me.

There's something about the deliciously dated graphics and typography on these album covers that makes me smile. I love how each one attempts to be modern and forward thinking in it's own way, which is really what the whole new wave thing was all about anyway.

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Discotrax80s Check out the fabulously weird selection of album covers and downloads at this Italian blog.

Lost in the 80s My absolute fave obscure 80's music blog that resurrects and deconstructs long forgotten gems and rarities.