Latest news with #graphicDesign
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
45 Photos Of Random '90s Things That Millennials Will Instantly Recognize At First Glance
oh-so-groovy '90s-meets-psychedelic graphic design on Fruitopia vending machines: nose full of slimy boogers on Double Dare that low-key grossed you out: Trace & Color coloring books that somehow made anything you traced look sloppy and like you did it with your foot: Slates, which your parents would usually get you for long car trips: the Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack, which your parents would play over and over in the car on those long car trips: the "Snapple Lady," who appeared in all of the company's commercials: parents having stacks of processing envelopes full of photos they got developed and never put in photo albums: having a kids' photo album that you filled with your favorite photos (aka whatever pics your parents gave you, usually if they had doubles): a ton of blank VHS tapes with covers that looked like this: all the extra labels that came with blank VHS tapes that no one would ever use: 11.E!'s Talk Soup hosted by John Henson, which was the old-school way to watch viral videos: school square pizza, which you always looked forward to having on Fridays, along with a chocolate milk: coarse sugar-coated orange candies (that you ONLY ever saw and ate at your grandma's): Jerry Springer Too Hot for TV! VHS tape that they would show commercials for late at night, and made you wonder what exactly was on it: Wendy's commercials that featured its founder, Dave Thomas: Lay's Wow chips that were made with Olestra and gave people diarrhea: Clearing House magazine stamps that came in the mail, and you would use to order magazines that you then would never pay for: instant coupon machines you would play with at the supermarket: Disney bubble bath bottles that doubled as toys: 2000 soap, which every mom loved to buy in bulk: and how your breath wasn't minty fresh until it felt like you had burned a hole in your mouth with it: giant 3D cutout displays stores would have just to announce the release of an upcoming album or movie: McDonald's cooler they would have at school functions filled with orange drink: the McDonald's drive-thru menus that were brown and beige and had crappy speaker systems: big Nature Sounds music displays inside Targets: gumball machines that Blockbuster Video would have near the exit of the store: the Blockbuster Video-branded popcorn that was next to the candy at the checkout counter: tickets you need to get from the video game section at Toys "R" Us and take to the cashier in order to buy the game: Toys "R" Us Geoffrey Bucks that you would get for your birthday or holidays, and made you feel "rich": touchscreen monitors inside of the Warner Bros. Studio Store that allowed you to paint Looney Tunes characters: and Ebert reviewing movies and either giving them a thumbs up or thumbs down. Then studios promoting their films with "Siskel and Ebert give it two thumbs up!": crossover episodes that made no sense but went hard: paper ghosts you'd make at school with Tootsie Pops, pipe cleaners, Sharpies, and the super rough tissues that the school provided year-round: metal jungle gyms that got super hot in the summer: Disney Store plastic shopping bags that looked like this and that you refused to throw away because they were so magical looking: Disney/ BeyondLeftovers / Via sandykat15 / Via the Mickey Mouse gift boxes the Disney Store used to have: jimsgems2012 / Via VinterestTreasures / Via rulers that didn't really make great stencils: to the Wonder Hostess Bakery Outlet to get Twinkies, Ding Dongs, and other pastries, all while taking in the oh-so-good baked goods scents: Jerry Cleveland / Denver Post via Getty Images, Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images Good Seasons dressing bottle that every family seemed to own. And which made you feel like a gourmet chef if your parents asked you to make the dressing — even if it was just pouring the seasoning packet in with oil and vinegar: this exact wooden salad bowl (with matching salad tongs) that your family would use to serve the salad in for dinner: torchiere floor lamps that got so hot that you knew better than to even get close to touching. Or looking directly at the lightbulb while it was turned on because it had the brightness of 10 suns: PlugIns when they used gel packets that would get all gooey and covered in dust: E. Cheese's colorful ball pits that always smelled like feet and were probably way more gross than you even realize: glow-in-the-dark stars you would put on the ceiling of your bedroom and would give you a mini-heart attack when they would fall on top of you in your sleep: lastly, always sitting very close to the TV because most TVs were relatively small with bad resolution:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Is it time for a new Canada logo?
The Canada wordmark is ubiquitous in Ottawa. For decades, the logo has been emblazoned on federal buildings and signs, making the presence of the government felt throughout downtown. And its reach has been far beyond the National Capital Region, as it has bookended government television commercials, become a symbol of Canada abroad, and even made its way into space on the Canadarm of the International Space Station. Most Ottawa residents would recognize the wordmark, but they might not know how it came to be. It was created in the 1960s by designer Jim Donoahue and adopted by the federal government in 1982 as its 'official symbol of government.' Donoahue died in 2022, but the Ottawa Citizen spoke to those who knew him to tell the story of the wordmark that has become a visual part of Ottawans' daily lives. Donoahue was working for MacLaren Advertising in the 1960s when he was assigned to design a series of tourism advertisements for the federal government. While designing those pieces, he realized that there was no official government logo for the bottom of the ads. He told his copywriter colleague, Peter Bonner who said 'well, do one,' according to Blair Thomson, a graphic designer, historian and archivist. So he did. In one afternoon, according to Thomson, Donoahue designed what is now known as the Canada wordmark. He used Baskerville typeface, which he was fond of, and he thickened it as it was light and delicate and could fade in smaller reproductions. The 'D' in 'Canada' rose like a flagpole, so it was a perfect place for the flag to 'fly off,' said his daughter Zoe Donoahue in an interview, echoing her father's words. 'Good strong mark, a lot of fun,' Jim said of the wordmark in a video recounting its creation. The wordmark quickly gained recognition as it was used in high-profile centennial events, according to Tracey Headley, director of the communications and federal identity policy at the Treasury Board Secretariat. In the 1970s, the government used different logos, designs and fonts, which made it 'difficult for the public to identify federal department and federal services,' Headley said in an interview. But then the federal identity program stepped in 'to standardize the government of Canada's corporate identity,' she added, and the federal government eventually adopted Donoahue's symbol as its official wordmark. But Donoahue did not receive a cent initially for the work he had done on the wordmark, as it was a byproduct of the advertisement project that had been commissioned, said Thomson. Thomson said the federal government later sent Donoahue a 'nice letter' and a cheque for $1 to 'formalize ownership.' 'I'm sure that it's worth a lot more than that, but it was just the way the process happened,' Thomson added. The Treasury Board Secretariat couldn't confirm that the federal government had issued Donoahue a $1 cheque, nor the exact year when the wordmark was created. But Donoahue's daughter, Zoe, recalled her father talking about it. She said he was never bothered by receiving a $1 cheque, and that he even 'got a kick out of that. He laughed about it for sure.' She described her father as someone who loved the process and puzzle of design into his 80s and she said the wordmark was one of his greatest prides. Donoahue's work on iconic Canadian logos was fairly expansive, having also designed the old emblems for TSN, Global TV and Toronto's Eaton Centre among others. The 1960s in Canada was a time of identity-building that saw the country's centennial and Expo 67. This time led to the development of a number of national symbols, including the Canadian flag in 1964, and a Canadian design boom. Several iconic Canadian logos, like those of CBC, the GO Transit and CN Rail, came out of this time. Thomson, whose website Canadian Modern looks to preserve the rich history of the modern Canadian design movement, said the country's design can be characterized as 'functional,' 'clear' and 'understandable.' 'It says what it is, but also there's like this proud, like we're holding our flag up to say this is who we are, elbows up,' said Thomson, who also manages a physical archive of Canadian graphic design. Over the years, Thomson has met with the lead designers of the era, including Donoahue, learning what he could from them and preserving that knowledge. In 2000, a survey conducted by Angus Reid Group on behalf of the federal government found that 85 per cent of Canadians agreed that seeing the wordmark made them 'feel proud to be Canadian.' The report found that 'there is overwhelming support for the continued use of the Canada wordmark as the Government of Canada's brand identifier.' The report also found that the wordmark gave credibility to information shared by the federal government. In more recent reports conducted by the Strategic Council, a public opinion research firm, for the Privy Council Office from 2023 and 2024, the Canada wordmark continued to be associated with trusted, unbiased and official information. In a November 2023 report, every member of four focus groups from different regions found that the wordmark was recognizable and several participants also said it evoked feelings of national pride. In another study conducted between December 2023 and January 2024, every member of a focus group recognized the symbol and many believed it represented the federal government. When asked how they typically determine if information comes from the federal government, many described a logo that sounded like the wordmark. 'In an era of increasing misinformation and disinformation, a symbol like the Canada wordmark ensures that the public can have confidence that the information they are receiving is in fact coming from the government of Canada,' Headley said. Revamping the wordmark is a non-starter for Thomson. He said recreating the wordmark would be the 'Holy Grail' of projects, but that it would be unnecessary. For Thomson, the wordmark is special in its timelessness and symbolism of Canadian identity. He said it represents 'all the positives of Canada' and that it's 'not trying to do more than it needs to.' 'It's not like it feels outdated or it feels wrong or feels like it doesn't tell the right story, or it feels inappropriate,' Thomson said. 'I think it feels wholly appropriate, and it's so consistently used, it's just become omnipresent.' Zoe Donoahue agreed that the wordmark is timeless. 'I can't imagine you would want anything fussy or ornate,' she said. 'I just think it's so clear.' She said she is just grateful that so much of her father's work still survives today. 'It's really special to us to be able to see his marks still out in the world,' she said. 'I know that would really mean a lot to him, and it means a lot to us as well.' Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. How Canada Wins: Housing in former federal office buildings can revitalize Ottawa neighbourhoods Ottawa Police Mounted Unit about to take to the streets
South China Morning Post
17-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
How to age well and stay happy in retirement? 67-year-old chooses active, exciting life
For Alfred Yu, retirement was the beginning of an active, purposeful life. Growing older had sparked new passions in him and retirement allowed the Hong Kong-based 67-year-old to explore new possibilities, develop different skills and share them freely with others. After a career running his own training centre focused on computer-aided design and graphic design, Yu's retirement in 2014 marked a turning point. With more free time and no financial pressures, and his only child becoming more independent at age 16, Yu had the opportunity to rediscover his own interests. 'Retirement doesn't mean resting. It means having the freedom to do what you love,' he said. Yu bikes in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, in 2022. Photo: courtesy of Alfred Yu He took up camping, cycling and running – activities he had never prioritised in his youth. 'I was never athletic, but I liked swimming. Running and biking were new challenges.'
Fast Company
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
‘The point is to get disoriented, not oriented': David Reinfurt on why it's time to rethink how we teach design
Designer, editor, and educator David Reinfurt's 2019 book, A *New* Program for Graphic Design (Inventory Press) was a surprise success, selling out its initial print run in three weeks. It's now in its third edition with translations in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, and Spanish. The book was described as a 'do-it-yourself textbook,' but a traditional design textbook it was not. Across its three chapters—Typography, Gestalt, and Interface—Reinfurt draws on designers, printers, artists, and publishers to show that graphic design is not a narrow area of study but rather a broad way of looking at how we understand the world. The creation of the book, too, was as unusual as its contents. The three chapters were based on three courses Reinfurt had been teaching at Princeton University. To produce the book, Reinfurt presented all his lectures from all three courses to an audience at Inventory Press's studio in Los Angeles. Transcripts were produced from the three days that were then edited to form the book, making for a casual, dialogue-driven text that is at once personal, meandering, and expansive. Now, Reinfurt and Inventory Press are releasing a follow-up book, A *Co-* Program for Graphic Design, that is based on three of Reinfurt's new courses: Circulation, Multiplicity, and Research. Reinfurt taught these courses over Zoom, during the pandemic, and much like the first book, used the recordings from those sessions as the structure for the new book. Because of the limitations and opportunities of teaching over Zoom, A *Co-* Program introduces a series of new voices, guest lectures from each course, which further expand our understanding of what graphic design can be.
