iPhone Annoyances
It’s that time of year again: time for Apple to introduce its next generation of iPhone. Soon there will be a huge market for the older models, like the iPhone 4 and the iPhone...
Redesign 101: The Flag of Michigan
Today I’m starting a new series called “Redesign 101”, where I try into improve on the designs of common flags. As a graphics geek, I think that there are a lot of crappy flags...
Manipulation and Marketing
All marketing involves manipulation, at least to a certain extent. After all, if you’re trying to convince someone to support your brand or buy your product, you’re going to have to tie into human...
The Peanut Barrel
Like most college students, I spent a lot of time at the bar. There were a bunch of bars all along Grand River Avenue, some better than others. There were frat bars and douchy...
Lost Letters: New Alphabets
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve looked at letters of the alphabet that didn’t quite make the cut. Some of the these letters were added to the alphabet and later dropped. Others were...
The Rule of Tincture in Modern Design
Heraldry is the art and study of coats of arms, seals and banners. It’s the medieval equivalent of graphic design, and as someone interested in both history and design, I’ve always found it fascinating....
5 Things I Hate About Facebook
After years of rapid growth and bullish optimism, Facebook is having a bit of a rough patch. The stock has been on a downslide ever since its (overvalued) IPO, and a lot of current...
Lost Letters: Modern Spelling Reforms
Over the centuries, many spelling reforms have tried to add new letters to the alphabet. Given that the Emperor Claudius couldn’t pull this off, you might think that no new letters have been added...
Ode to This Old House
I’ve been a fan of This Old House since I was a little kid. I liked it so much that my grandpa suggested I go into heating and cooking. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hammer a...
The Future of Stand-Up Comedy
The Internet is killing stand-up comedy. Not comedy in general: just stand-up. Thanks to smart phone video cameras, YouTube and Twitter, it’s getting harder for comedians to hone their skills. This is especially true...
