Author Archives: Ryon Edwards

Ryon Edwards

Design is an integral part of every RP strategy, and Ryon is its Czar. He joined the firm in 1996 and is recognized as one of the Southeast’s most respected art directors. He is also well known for his vast knowledge about and obessive love of typography.
posted by Ryon

May 14, 2012 @ 7:00am

Collected Ephemera: for the love of print

For years, I’ve collected folders full of old ticket stubs, receipts, catalogs, booklets, invoices, postcards, labels and other printed pieces dating from 1900 – 1975. These items are best defined as “ephemera” — things that were created to serve a practical, short-term purpose — not really meant to be saved (or written about in a blog post some 50+ years later). But being a designer who loves history and design history, it comes as no surprise that these items interest me. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever met a designer that doesn’t like rummaging through shelves of thrift stores or antique malls looking for cool printed “stuff”. I believe that collecting and studying these artifacts is really important — we can learn from the past and can find inspiration for current work.

I realize that some may classify all of this “stuff” as trash, but I see it as treasure. I appreciate the printing process, the craftsmanship, the hand lettering, the attention to detail and the history behind each piece. So I’ll keep on colllecting — I’ll just have to add some more folders to the filing cabinet.

Here are just a few samples I’ve collected over the years:

What a great script — and the perfectly tracked Futura typestyle.

1900 self-promotional brochure for a Chicago architecture firm

Back of an old photo card showing amazing lettering and detail.

Sheet music with hand-drawn lettering

Camera brochure cover. I love the Pilot logo.

A great example of good design for everyday purpose.

Kodak box cover

Great numbering style on a receipt from my grandfather's hardware store (1968)

Citizens Radio cards.

Invoice from my grandfather's hardware store - I forgive the spacing (kerning) between the W and the A in "Hardware" but love the typographic choice.

Beautiful lettering style and attention to detail on the back of this photo card.

 

What a nice lettering style and a capital "F". c.1925

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posted by Ryon

Apr 30, 2012 @ 7:24am

Converge SE 2012: web designers paradise

Friday and Saturday, I attended Converge SE 2012, a web design conference in Columbia, SC. The conference examined the intersection between design, development and marketing and is the brainchild of Gene Crawford and friends from unmatched style.com and Period Three, a local web design firm. This year, the event coincided with Indie Grits, another wildly successful event that started in Columbia just a few years ago. This year, Converge SE sold out in just two days!

Converge SE attracts the design-conscious and the technically-savvy crowd from all over the country from a wide range of industries: education, government, small business, corporate, solo designers, and more. Experts and industry thought leaders conducted workshops and presentations that focused on topics ranging from the practical to the philosophical. Creativity, emerging technology discussions and the encouragement to push the boundaries of web design were common themes this year.

For the workshops, there were four different tracts attendees could participate in: Design; Development; Front-End Development; Marketing and Mobile. I participated in most of the Design workshops which covered everything from typography to design process to prototyping. I also participated in a lecture by J Cornelius who talked about the benefits of using HTML 5 markup language and why it’s so awesome.

And speaking of awesome, Leslie Jensen-Inman from UT-Chatanooga kicked us off Friday morning with an inspirational talk and encouraged everyone to follow their passion and to simply “make awesomeness.” Last year, Leslie spoke at Converge SE and discussed her involvement in CreateAthon On Campus at UT-C and how powerful the experience was for her and her students. Pretty cool to hear about the impact CreateAthon is making in other parts of the country. Yeah, shout out to CreateAthon!

A few notes and sidebars from some of the other speakers that I found interesting:

• From J Cornelius, a software/web developer:

- “IE7 is the new IE6″ (IE6 is a developers’ worst nightmare)

- 4.8 billion people have never seen the web

- HTML5 gives us the ability to do amazing things. Check out www.thisshell.com to see what’s possible.

- In the end, it’s our job {as web designers} to create an “experience” online.

- And lastly, J suggested that we “Go build some cool stuff.”

• Chandler Van De Water discussed typography and how he uses software to create original typeface designs. SIDEBAR: I won a typeface creation app for drawing a lowercase R! I’ll be using it to experiment with a new type family soon!

• Giovanno DiFeterici talked about historical and contemporary art and the psychology behind it. He discussed the importance of collaboration and talked about the process of creating the artwork for this year’s ConvergeSE marketing materials (which is amazing).

• Bermon Painter showed how he successfully eliminates wireframes and excessive documentation and jumps right into rapid prototyping by using sketches and actual content (as opposed to greek copy).

On Saturday, we heard from nine or ten more speakers who discussed topics ranging from mobile testing, building online communities and the importance of customer service, simplicity in design, coding for CSS, importance of social groupings and identity, design process and much more.

Overall, a great conference and a great venue to meet new people and to learn more about web design and development. Way to go Converge SE — I’ll be back next year!

 

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posted by Ryon

Apr 09, 2012 @ 7:00am

The Golden Ratio: where design and mathematics coincide

The golden ratio (also known as the golden mean, golden section or divine proportion) is a height to width ratio that measures 0.618 and manifests itself in nature, art and architecture. The Parthenon in Greece incorporates the ratio, but it’s unknown whether or not the designers actually used the principle. The human form has this same basic geometric relationship — DaVinci studied this and created drawings that illustrated the proportion in his Vitruvian Man (below). Piet Mondrian used the golden ratio in much of his work in  the 1920′s. Even Twitter uses the golden ratio principle for it’s screen design.

The Golden Ratio looks like this:

And is defined as the ratio between two segments such that the smaller (bc) segment is to the larger segment (ab) is to the sum of the two segments (ac), or bc/ab = ab/ac = 0.618.

 

And can be calculated like this (adding 1 to the ratio is phi, yielding the same basic geometric relationship):

 

 

More examples of the Golden Ratio:

 

 

 


Fascinating! Is it an inherent aesthetic preference or is it a design technique turned tradition? How do you explain the proportion found in nature? However you decide to answer those questions, it’s hard to argue that it has had an enormous impact on art and design over the years and continues to influence design today. Next time you see something that just “feels” right, or that you just can’t take your eyes off of, take a look at the proportions and remember – Ahh, it must be the 0.618!

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posted by Ryon

Feb 15, 2012 @ 10:33am

New Work: Central Carolina Community Foundation 2011 Annual Report

What is a community, if not the sum of its stories?  

Thus begins the 2011 Annual Report for the Central Carolina Community Foundation. We were thrilled to work with photographer Jeff Amberg and Crowson Stone Printing on this project. Thanks, also, to CCCF’s Tonia Cochran, who wrote the profiles and was equally masterful in managing the project’s many moving parts.

(Turns out it does, in fact, take a village.)

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posted by Ryon

Jan 24, 2012 @ 9:35am

New Work: Paradise Valley Estates

We’ve been busy creating new work for Paradise Valley Estates, a continuing care retirement community in beautiful Northern California just south of Napa Valley. After we conducted several discovery sessions, we developed brand positioning and message strategy. We designed and updated logos and created a fresh new identity package as well as print advertising and a sales collateral system . The campaign emphasizes the fact that residents can enjoy an active and adventurous lifestyle at Paradise Valley Estates. We enlisted the talent of photographer George Fulton, who captured the personality of PVE beautifully. And going live very soon will be a new website by our WECOmates truematter. Thanks to everyone involved on this project!

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posted by Ryon

Jan 11, 2012 @ 9:29am

Type Observed: HOBO

I see the typeface “Hobo” in a lot of different places — labels, signs, posters, logos – the list goes on. I once thought that this was one of the ugliest type designs out there, but I now realize that it’s not the design itself, or even the terrible name — it’s mostly because of how it’s used and misused. Of all the type crimes out there (thank you Ellen Lupton: http://www.thinkingwithtype.com/contents/extras/#Type_Crimes), you’ll often find Hobo as a nearby accomplice. And I’ve certainly made my jokes about this “awful” typeface over the years, but once I studied the origin and the history of this design, I’ve become much less critical.

Stylistically, Hobo looks like something crafted from 1970′s, but was actually designed in 1910 towards the end of the Art Noveau Movement. It was designed by Morris Fuller Benton, one of America’s most prolific typeface designers. After closer examination, the letters are actually well-proportioned (when typeset properly) — every part of each letter is curved, which gives it a decorative effect, but with a modern twist. It’s lowercase letters are unique — descenders that do not drop below the baseline. Yeah, it’s weird — but it’s designed to be a display type. Fairly progressive for 1910, considering that most typography from that period was very decorative and ornate.

So I’m no longer a Hobo-hater. I just hate seeing it being misused.

Note: If you’ve seen examples of Hobo type out there (good or bad), please send  some pics my way – I’m starting a collection of images and would love to include yours! Thanks.


The oldest use of Hobo I've ever seen!

Type Crime!

 

 

 

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posted by Ryon

Oct 20, 2011 @ 7:27pm

There’s a story behind that.

I love finding a good story behind the design of something, especially when there is meaning and symbolism involved. For instance, the ubiquitous barber shop sign – the revolving, helical red and blue striped sign that’s typically mounted on the facade of the shop.

Back in the day, barbers used to perform medical procedures, including tooth extractions and bloodletting services. Apparently, they would hang the bandages on a pole outside to dry and the wind would wrap the bloody bandages around the pole. Yes, disturbing, but we’re talking the Middle Ages here. Leeches are part of the story, too, but I’ll leave that out for now. The pole represents the staff that was used for the patient to grip to encourage blood flow. The color red is symbolic for arterial blood, blue represents venous blood and the white symbolizes the bandages. It’s also possible that the blue was added when the signs were used in the United States, to honor the national colors.

And a note of caution: If you’re in certain parts of Asia, the barber’s pole design could be used to advertise and disguise a completely different type of business establishment, but I’ll choose to steer clear of that story.

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posted by Ryon

Oct 06, 2011 @ 10:39am

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posted by Ryon

Jun 22, 2011 @ 7:24pm

Behind the scenes: photo shoot

Last week I was in Northern California for a photo shoot for a new campaign we’re developing. Northeast of San Francisco and close to Napa Valley. I know, bummer location.

Enlisting the talent of photographer George Fulton and working with an amazing in-house marketing team, we went to work scouting locations and lining up talent. We shot images that showcased a mix of activities and lifestyle opportunities in the area. We had a few hiccups along the way — some equipment rental issues, a flight delay and one location issue, but in the end we worked long hours to capture the best light and came away with some beautiful shots for the new campaign. Overall, a great experience.

Here are a few snapshots from behind the scenes.

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posted by Ryon

May 17, 2011 @ 5:24pm

“Amper-what?”: the origin of a symbol

For a recent naming assignment we were working on, the “@” symbol and the “&” symbol came up in conversation. I’ve always loved the typographic character of the “and” symbol, known as the ampersand. The symbol is one of the oldest alphabetic abbreviations and dates back to Roman times. It evolved from the Latin word et, which means and. If you’ve ever noticed elaborate (italic) styles of ampersands, the Et letterforms are quite visible in the design. Ampersands were traditionally used for display (larger) work, as opposed to smaller, longer format texts, so the designs were more creative and elaborate. Over time, and with the creation of modern sans-serif styles, the symbol has become simplified and less ornate.

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