Public Service Announcement: We’re not a Lemonade Stand
This popped up all over the internets last week. (I’ve almost lost track of the number of people who sent this to me. Special thanks to studioloraine, Cheryl Smith & Bria)

Want: Alphabet Chairs
Check out these proto”types” by design student Roeland Otten.

Photos: Illustrated Alphabet
Anja Mulder’s gorgeous Illustrations & Typography Flickr set is a must see. (via Chank Diesel)

Experiment: Tilt-Shift text via CSS
Interactive designer Simurai has put a new spin on some of CSS3’s type effect features. His Tilt-Shift effect is pretty damn cool. (via Smashing Magazine)

Further Reading: Do typefaces really matter?
I love it when mainstream media gets geeky about typography. This interesting, and surprisingly humorous, BBC News article covers a lot of ground.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.

More typographic goodness from around the web will be back next week.

Photo by Molly Des Jardin on Flickr

Tooting my own horn: Creating an Open Source Font (Video)
I have to admit it was an honor to make this video for my font designer hero, Chank Diesel. It chronicles his session on creating an open source font at FontConf last month. The result of that session is a cool OpenType font based on photos of arranged flower parts. The “T” is my work by the way.

CoCo Flowerfont (free download at chank.com), comes in three weights (Highlights, Shadows and Midtones) that allow you to create multi-color effects by using overlapping text layers. You can get even deeper behind the scenes and peruse the Flickr set of the photos used to create the characters. Check it out!

Around the Globe: The end of movable type in China
Graphic designer Cheryl Yau writes a fascinating piece at IDSGN on the declining state of letterpress in Hong Kong. (via Felt & Wire)

Weird News: Contest winner creates symbol for Indian rupee
India’s national currency, the rupee, was never represented by a symbol. That is until designer Udaya Kumar submitted his wining contest entry. Now his creation (shown above) joins the ranks of $, £, and €. The New York Times describes it as “a legless ‘R’ with two horizontal lines at the top. It’s very cool”. Kumar tells us the symbol is a blend between a letter from Devnagiri calligraphy and the letter “R.” More here.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.

Behind the font: Biome — The making of a typeface
Carl Crossgrove gives us the inside scoop on the inspiration and development of his new typeface family, Biome.

Photo: Print
By Leo Reynolds on Flickr

Education: FontShop ebooks
This collection of free ebooks is a must download. The titles include Meet Your Type, Erik Spiekermann’s Type Tips, Type Anatomy, and The Right Font for the Job. (via The Design Cubicle)

Light reading: The Murderer Wore Serifs
Apparently, the Hoefler & Frere-Jones typeface Gotham is part of a major plot point in the new crime novel by Patricia Cornwell. Very mysterious indeed.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.

Video: Letterpress
An introduction to the principles of typography through letterpress (and music). This appeals to both the typophile and the former theater major in me. I think I have to go download the West Side Story soundtrack now. (via Abduzeedo)

Poster: When in doubt, use Caslon
Good, albeit safe, advice by æddabædda.

Blog Spotlight: Pressing Letters
Pressing letters is an effort to catalog and promote creativity in the expanding letterpress community. Their simple blog design really shows off the examples they highlight. (via Smashing Magazine)

Further Reading: History of History
Peter Biľak takes us inside the development of History, a typeface system inspired by the evolution of typography. A fascinating article with great examples. Don’t forget to check out the History font itself.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.

Events: FontConf Wrap-up
FontConf, the first web font and @font-face unconference happened last weekend in Saint Paul. Kudos to Garrick Van Buren, the man behind the gathering. The lineup of sessions was top notch and I was really impressed with the turnout (and the number of younger attendees). There was a really strong contingent of design students present. I heard that a group from from Iowa even used the event as an excuse for a road trip. It’s a positive sign for the field.

A highpoint for me was a session on creating an open source font with local font-designer-rock-star Chank Diesel. I’m editing a video of the session and will share it here soon. I look forward to FontConf2.

Chank posts about Talkin’ Type Trends at FontConf. I love the picture above (also Chank’s) – four great Midwestern type designers in one place (Bill Moran, Chank Diesel, Mark Simonson & Stu Sandler).

Video: iPhone Alphabet
Urikane is the first to admit he has too much free time. Using 540 iPhone Apps he has created this clever series of letterforms with plans to release it as a font in the near future.

Inspiration: Good Ampersand
Good Ampersand, not surprisingly, comes from the minds that brought you Shit Ampersand (covered by TypoTh a few weeks ago). This time the focus is the best ampersand designs in typographic history.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.

LOL: I’m Comic Sans, Asshole.
It’s time you heard the other side of the story. Comic Sans speaks up and finally lets us have it. This is probably the funniest thing I’ve read on McSweeney’s in a long time (and that’s saying something). My favorite touch: I love that they set the piece in Comic Sans too. Probably the only justified use of <font face=”Comic Sans MS, Comic Sans”> I’ve ever seen. (Special thanks to Sean McGinnis & Matt Albiniak)

Diagram: When should you use Comic Sans?
An important reminder. Should be posted by every office printer as a public service.

Little Know Fact: There is an Australian band called Comic Sans
They’re actually quite good, so it could be an attempt at Aussie irony. Listen on MySpace.

Upcoming Event: FontConf
Are you searching for a good web font and @font-face unconference to attend? Who isn’t, right? Look no further than FontConf, the first such event… well, ever! It takes place this weekend, on June 19 in St. Paul. Registration is free and there is still space available. I’ll be there. Join me.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.

Video: TypePong
Pong. With type. There’s an app for that.

Showcase: Smart & Creative designs of the Ampersand symbol
Great collection of stand-out ampersand designs

Further Reading: Better Screen, Same Typography
Khoi Vinh’s indictment against typography on the new iPhone.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.

Video: Typeface (the film) Trailer
Justine Nagan’s feature-length documentary Typeface tells the story of the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in rural Wisconsin. Created on a $100,000 budget, the film focuses on the Midwestern museum’s struggle to stay relevant in today’s digital age. Great write up on idsgn. Order the DVD.

Photo: Letters
I could get lost in this. By mediafury on Flickr. (via Abduzeedo)

LOL: Shit Ampersand
Like most of you, I love a good ampersand. I also hate to see this venerable symbol abused. So do the brave souls at Shit Ampersand. They takes on the the worst ampersand designs in typographic history. I particularly enjoy the pithy commentary and little ampersand rating system.

Chime in: “Web fonts” or “Webfonts”?
Typophile discussion in progress aimed toward solving this conundrum once and for all. I tend toward web fonts. What’s your take?

Further reading: A Guide to Google Font API
Nice primer at Six Revsions on Google’s new offering.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.

Sweet shirt: Lowercase
This is the tip of the iceberg of striking, minimalist typographic tees you’ll find at Ugmonk. Check out the whole collection.

Video: The Top Five Fonts To Never Ever Use
The only thing better than a snobby video about font usage is one narrated by a plucky Brit. Sandwiched in the satire is some solid advice. Pass this along to your grandmother, child’s teacher and office party planning committee.

Knowledge is power: Anatomy of a Typeface
Brush up on your type anatomy. This lesson brought to you by Typedia.

Further reading: Improving typography through space
Brian Hoff, on his freshly redesigned site, makes some great points about the importance of space around typographic elements on websites.

We are here: The Future of Web Fonts
The web fonts landscape seems to change every week. Nice state-of-the-space post by Christina Warren on Mashable.

Have you come across something amazing and typography-related online? Let me know!
If I include it in an upcoming edition of TypoTh, I’ll gladly give you credit.