No, I’m not cussing you out. I’m simply telling you the name of a cool iPhone app called WhatTheFont, that allows you to identify fonts and typefaces using your iPhone camera. It’s a simple app, and even simpler to operate.

See a font you like, but can’t identify it? No problem. Take a picture of it with your trusty iPhone, and WhatTheFont will identify the font in seconds. (more…)

Recently, I saw a TV commercial that starred The Beatles. Not the two remaining members, but all four, walking across the Abbey Road intersection. It was a spot promoting The Beatles:Rock Band for PS3 and X-Box 360. I must admit it was a little creepy, seeing all those people interacting with the fab four in St. John’s Wood, London, as if it were some sort of Back to the Future sequel. Nevertheless, it’s still a cool commercial.

It got me thinking, though. I’ve always been curious about the Abbey Road shoot. It’s so plain, yet so famous. That little casual stroll across the street became one of the most famous photographs in history. I wonder, did they plan that shot? As a graphic designer, I have to question the concept behind it, but after researching the session, I found it was even more interesting than I thought. I wonder if The Beatles knew, that on Friday the 8th of August, 1969, they were not simply shooting another album cover, they were making history and adding another tourist attraction to London. (more…)

Just got back from the Miami Book Fair International, and I wanted to plug an excellent website for products used in creating comics. I’ve been drawing all my life and I know how tough it is to find supplies that get the job done right. Canson is an all-in-one resource for all things comic related.

Fanboy, Canson’s line of comic and manga papers, offers exceptional benefits to both experienced illustrators and those just starting off. Canson has been manufacturing paper since 1557, using the finest fibers and purest water in mills dedicated to creating art papers.

Fanboy™ Papers are offered in industry standard sizes for comic strips, comic book pages and covers and manga pages and covers. When you need the good stuff, go here first.

Jessica Rabbit may have been the sexiest drawn character in toon history, but Marge Simpson has the title of being the first toon to grace the cover of Playboy magazine. Her pose is not an original gesture, though. The cover pose is actually a double tribute. The original pose belongs to Darine Stern, the first African American woman to be featured on a Playboy cover, back in 1971. Apparently the folks at Playboy used this image of Darine as inspiration for their latest issue with “The Simpsons” cartoon character Marge on the cover.

Here’s a quote from Playboy editorial director Jimmy Jellinek posted in last month’s CNN blog on Playboy’s choice of imagery:

“We decided to re-create [it] because it’s one of our most iconic covers, and because Marge’s sexy blue beehive immediately made us think of Darine Stern, whose beautiful, voluminous hairdo was front and center on the October 1971 cover.”

Darine Stern (c. 1948-1994), an American fashion model from Chicago, was the first black woman to be on the cover of Playboy. That was in October 1971. She was not, however, the first black woman inside Playboy – that was Jennifer Jackson in March 1965. Stern died of breast cancer at age 46.

The Simpsonized three-page pictorial, featuring a scantily-clad Marge in cartoon lingerie, was “obviously tongue-in-cheek,” new Playboy CEO Scott Flanders told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It had never been done, and we thought it would be hip, cool and unusual.” For Hefner, “Marge Simpson is the quintessential girl next door who stole our hearts 20 years ago and has held them captive ever since. We were delighted to learn she wanted to grace the pages of our magazine. Her pictorial is truly stunning,” he told CNN.

Playboy magazine is hoping that the Marge Simpson shoot will re-energize the magazine’s based in a market where all forms of print teeter on the brink of extinction. This “all business” move comes on the heels of a disappointing first half of 2009, during which Playboy lost some attention from the demographic it does have — the average reader is a 35-year-old male. The magazine came in 200,000 short of its 2.6 million rate base — the minimum circulation a magazine promises to advertisers — according to BusinessWeek.

Guess what? The Internet was born 40 years ago, October 29. UCLA computer science professor Leonard Kleinrock sent a message from a host computer at the school, to another system at Stanford Research Institute. Kleinrock attempted to write the the word “login” but sadly the message got cut down to just “lo”.

Oh well, go thing he kept at at it. Happy BDay, Net!

This may not seem like much to most of you, but some of us have waited a long time for this moment. Disney, has finally produced an animated feature film with an african-american lead. News flash: she’s not a lioness, a fish, a hyena nor a crow. She’s a sista, and animated in all her glory. Welcome to the table, my lady.

The Princess & The Frog is a fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans’ French Quarter during the Jazz Age. No doubt the critics will have a problem with this. The press will probably label this as controversial (which will guarantee a terrific box office weekend), and proceed to trash it as an insult to blacks and creoles. Shame.

I, however, will be standing in line on opening weekend. If you’re still on the fence, check out the trailer above. It’s worth a few hours out of your life to see disney break new ground on the eve of 2010. To quote Hancock,”Good job.”

Wanna see something cool? Check out this book. Frankly, it’s more than a book, it’s a work of art. Each of the 26 three-dimensional letters move and change before your eyes as you flip through the pages. Book designer MARION BATAILLE has created an amazing product. There’s a great article about her other publishing efforts over at Valesulfilo. Boldly conceived and brilliantly executed with a striking black, red, and white palette, this is a book that readers and art lovers of all ages will treasure for years to come.

Check out this Book Experience beautifully displayed via YouTube:

You can find this little gem on Amazon. If you’re feling generous, it’ll make me happy to see this on Dec 25th. Hint, hint.

I enjoy surfing the web looking for typography. Some addictions die hard. My only consolation is that I know that some of you are addicted to type as much as I am. Well, here’s your daily fix. Check out Parachute.

Parachute is an award winning type foundry. It landed in 1999, but it wasn’t till 2001 that it started operating as a full scale company. Parachute is based in Athens and is a major font supplier to most publishing houses and advertising agencies in Greece. I found enough fonts to drool over to last me until next friday. Maybe longer. I highly recommend clicking here.

I went to see “This Is It” in the IMAX. In case you’ll been in a coma, or just out of it for the last few months, Michael Jackson was planning a comeback tour. THE comeback tour of all tours. Sadly, it was not to be. The closest thing we’ll ever get to this amazing show will be in theaters for about another week, and no more. I had to see it. And so should you.

Many of us (fans) have had to bear the barrage of negative press MJ has received his entire career. It was almost as if the success of Thriller, opened the floodgates of envy, anger, shock, resentment… I could go on for hours. It’s shameful. As I’ve always stated, Jackson was an artist. On stage he was electric. Off stage, he became roadkill for a media feeding frenzy. But it wasn’t until this weekend that I realized I’d never seen Michael rehearsing, let alone LEAD a rehearsal. This Is It delivered that missing piece.

Now granted, it’s no miraculous documentary. It is, however, quite moving. To see Mike alive again, even only for a couple of hours, taking charge, and leading his rehearsal sessions for his upcoming concert, was worth the price of the ticket. His compassion for perfection was peppered with love and respect for his staff, musicians, dancers and his colleagues. And the performances they rehearsed to perfection, were going to rock our world. Sadly the only audience for this live 50 show sellout spectacular was a mere 75 talented folks, destined to be the show behind the man. It was one of the toughest things I ever had to watch, but I’m glad I saw it in the theater. And so should you.

So if you still hold a special spot in your heart for Michael Jackson and his legacy, you owe it to yourself to see this movie right now. Even if it ever arrives on Blu-Ray, it won’t match the emotional rush you’ll get sitting in a giant surround sound amphitheater. Trust me. I experienced it. And so should you. This is it.