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The Golden Triangle of Design
You can only ever pick two of your three options as a client, so picking wisely is an important decision.
When you decide you want something fast and you want it for the price you have budgeted, the sacrifice the quality that the designer is able to deliver. When you need it to be quality and on budget, then the designer is forced to take their time on it and work on it when he is able. When you want it quality and when you need it, you financially pay for the sacrifices the designer has to make in getting it finished.
All of these boil down to the fact that time is the commodity that designers deal in. You are buying a scarce and limited supply item. When I work 8 hours on your project, I can’t work 8 hours on my other project during those same 8 hours. Once I use them to make your project a reality, they are gone forever. Remember that the next time you deal with a designer and you’ll have a much more enjoyable interaction.
Henry Ford
If I’d listened to customers, I’d have given them a faster horse.”
— Henry Ford
Brazil, 2010
It was a fantastic trip to Brazil this year. Just like my trip last year, I was poured into more than I ever expected. God works that way most times. You expect to be sent to help and show others how it’s done and you end up with your foot in your mouth and an unbelievable ministry being given to you.
We had a bigger team this year, which helped in many ways, the least of which was having more people on the soccer pitch to play with Brazilians. Even though the team had doubled in size from last year, there was still a great family atmosphere, full of connection. We were blessed enough to not have any clicks or small groups form that kept themselves separated from the rest.
The soccer itself was great. We were able to field a full team each day and connect with hundred of children while in the city of Manaus and hundreds children and adults while playing along the villages of the Reo Negro.
The city soccer was focused around the ministry of Athletes of Christ, a soccer ministry focusing solely on the youth of several poor and impoverished projects in Manaus. Run by two amazing gentlemen Lucio and Claudio (both ex-professional soccer players in Brazil), we came into several practices each day to play and practice alongside kids from 9 all the way up to 16 and 17 year olds. Our presence helped bring some focus and attention to AoC from several local TV stations, with our/their story being broadcasted on about 4 news stations. We are prayerful and hopeful that the city-wide attention will get them more support and allow them to reach even more youth. They have a great plan for the future, which includes the build of their own facility and structures to be used solely for their ministry. I hope to be supportive of that plan both financially and through future trips to Manaus. The work that Lucio and Claudio are doing is fantastic.
After the city portion of our trip, we boarded the same boat we used last year and set out again along the Reo Negro. We played about 4 games of soccer with several villages on the river and were able to attend several church services at each village. It was amazing to see God working in the most remote of areas. He is truly everywhere.
Along with soccer in the city and in villages along the river, we were able to participate in a huge part of Brazilian culture: watching the Brazilian national team play in the World Cup. I don’t think I can properly convey the passion that Brazil has for soccer. If we took the passion that America has for MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL and rolled them all together we may have an accurate representation of the pervasiveness of soccer among the Brazilian people. The cities almost shut down completely when Brazil played. We have two opportunities to watch Brazil play in the qualifying round of the World Cup, once in Manaus and once while traveling along the river. Even with the technological limitations of living in a small, hundred-person village on the Reo Negro, people found a way to get a TV running spliced to a car battery for power to get a single from Manaus to watch their country play. That passion is the reason they’ve won 5 World Cups. It was an amazing experience to cheer for our temporary surrogate country.
The biggest blessing this trip, by far, was the addition of one of the assistant coaches from AoC Alan Frank (ah-LAN FRAHNK). Alan is a 21 year old Brazilian who has decided to give up his very real and plausible dream of playing professional soccer in Brazil to coach and pour into the lives of the kids of Manaus. He is a skilled and wonderful soccer player. He told me his story after I explained the meaning of the tattoo I have on my left forearm that reads “BOND SERVANT.” About 5 years ago I had it tattoo on my arm, after praying and thinking about it for about a year. Inspired from stories in Genesis about slaves who, after gaining their freedom from their masters, chose to become SLAVES BY CHOICE and stay with their masters forever. It’s a beautiful Old Testament picture of our relationships with Christ. Alan told me through some rather broken, nonexistent English (and the help of Fabian, who spoke Spanish and was able to roughly understand and communicate with Alan) that he was a bond servant as well. The difference between Alan and me though, is that Alan is actually living it and I only have it tattooed on my arm. He has chosen to give up everything, moving from house to house wherever he can live, so that he can help and coach these kids. Alan kept calling be his “bond servant brother” and it was rather sad and convicting to hear each time he said it.
Overall, I wouldn’t trade the trip for anything. I learned so much about servanthood and sacrifice that I would never have really seen while living in Orlando for 10 days. I bonded tremendously with everyone from my team, and I know that it will last for a long time. I know this because we all were participating in God’s plan for our lives.
I’m praying that the examples I saw help me become a better Christian and that the seeds I helped plant in Manaus grow into beautiful fruit. Hopefully mangos. I love me some Brazilian mangos. Thank you to everyone who supported me both financially and through prayer and encouragement. I will be contacting you all directly soon.
The Old Butcher’s Advice
Try not to obsess over implementation until you really understand the problem.”
— Merlin Man
Falsehood
When you mix falsehood with truth, you create a more destructive lie.”
— Ravi Zacharias
I Plan to Sip Coffee and Read Steinbeck Underneath One of These
These posters from The Heads of State are beautiful.
Check out more work from The Heads of State here.
I Am
Dear Sir: Regarding your article ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ I am.
Yours truly,
G.K. Chesterton”
My Favorite Albums of 2009
And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar
I love instraMetal. I absolutely love it. This album killed me the first time I heard it. It’s so incredibly layered and deep, without sounding like a wall of noise. The depth that this album has is quite astounding. The album, as a whole, works well. It has a great amount of arena anthem punch, without being over the top. It’s well-balanced and precocious. It’s an incredibly talented and clever album. “Set Guitars to Kill” is one of the more outstanding opening tracks I’ve heard lately. It’s a hardcore anthem without rival.
If I’m in a fight, I have this album playing in my head. It’s rock, hardcore, and mature. It’s a testament to the fact that you can play loud and rambunctious without sacrificing talent, planning, and song writing.
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
This album is on everyone’s list, and probably rightly so. I’m not sure if this is an album I’ll be listening to in 10 years, but for now, it’s great. Animal Collective have shaped “Merriweather Post Pavilion” into an accessible indie staple. It’s a sonic and pounding album, full of catchy tracks and singable melodies. It comes across pop-y, but not to its detriment. I think that makes it more endearing. Had it been less “Feels” and more “Strawberry Jam”, I think it would have been a failure. As it is shaped though, it may very well turn into a corner stone in many a hipster’s LP collection for years to come.
Brand New - Daisy
This album floored me on my first listen. It’s an evolved sound that has been hinted at through “The Devil and God..” and all those leaked tracks that didn’t make the cut. There is a maturity in their songs now, giving each track a more timeless feel. They are no longer just another Jersey hardcore band, there is depth and layering to a level we haven’t truly heard from them yet. There is a bit of a disconnect from “The Devil and God…” because of the calmer overall sound of “Daisy”, along with the fact that most song-writing credits are going to Vincent Accardi, with all other albums written mainly by Jesse Lacey.
I think what I love about this album is it’s almost uncharacteristic Brand New feel. It fits inside their catalog, but stands a bit apart. I love bands that are willing to take chances and grow. I think “Daisy” is a big chance, but I think it landed well. It’s an album I’ll be listening to for a long time. I think time will show it to be a solid, well-crafted album. Brand New has crafted another album that is helping them stand apart from the post-hardcore/emo scene. I, for one, am grateful for that.
Fever Ray - Fever Ray
This album is so good. Dreijer Andersson from The Knife broke off and crafted a solo album that is phenomenal. It’s creepy and atmospheric without a sacrifice of substance or depth. It’s a slow paced, quality record that plays over 45 minutes. Andersson’s vocals are altogether haunting and inviting. You can’t help yourself from being drawn into a dark and crafted world that seems to be full of shadow and light. It’s at times a very dark sounding record, but in a purposeful manner that helps highlight the feminine and bright vocals of Andersson. It’s a soundtrack album. When I listen to it, I imagine I’m looking out the window of a train, traveling the steel lines of a far off place. There is a tempo and a pace that moves you along from track to track.
While electronic and constructed, there is a softness to this album. I’m a huge fan of the intimacy that this album brings. I will be listening for years to come.
La Roux - La Roux
It’s a bright British pop record full of singles. It’s a young girl with hair cut more hipster than anything you’ll see on the streets of Stockholm. She’s ambiguous and electronic. None of these things are typically in my wheelhouse, but this is by far, the most fun album I’ve listened to this year. I’m pretty sure if I ever met La Roux I’d slap her silly, and I’m not sure why. This album is so pop-y and sugary I can’t take it. I also can’t leave it alone, it’s so catchy and fun. I don’t see this album as a lasting and timeless masterpiece, but I can’t not want to dance when I hear “In For the Kill.”
I don’t dance, ever, but I would consider it with this record.
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
I heard that The Mars Volta were doing an acoustic album. I laughed. The Mars Volta? Slow and acoustic? Not psychedelic, spazzy, and progressive? I had no idea what that would even sound like. After one listen to “Since We’ve Been Wrong” I knew what it meant for The Mars Volta to be acoustic. It meant that they were going to destroy my ears with some of the most well crafted and inspired guitars, vocals, drums, and bass lines, much like every other album they’ve ever done.
“Octahedron” has quickly become one of my favorite albums from The Mars Volta. It’s quiet and subtle, with an immense amount of depth and thought. It feels more crafted and honed in comparison to their previous 4 releases. There are less 10 minute guitar solos and Cedric’s vocals are softer and more deliberate, and that is my favorite aspect of this album. How this album feels in relation to their catalog gives it a maturity that goes beyond their remarkable skills. The Mars Volta, without question, have cemented themselves as one of the most inspired and talented bands of the last decade. Their albums have managed to encapsulate hardcore, punk, jazz, acoustic, reggae, rock, electronic, alternative, and a myriad of other styles and influences and turn them into a single, fluid style all their own. The gravity that The Mars Volta carries into each of their albums is spectacular, but even more so when carried across an entire catalog. I will buy and listen to anything that they release. They are doing things with music that no one can — or is willing — to do.
Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
I would rarely say that the only way to listen to an English folk album is loud, but I will say this about “Sigh No More”. It’s a more expansive album than I was expecting, but it’s so well written that I can tolerate that. “Sigh No More” has a much more pop sense than I would like in my folk catalog, but that’s okay. With the layering they’ve been able to accomplish with such simple sounds, you get a strong listen with a lasting quality that I don’t see diminishing. This album is not for everyone, but it sure is for me.
Neon Horse - Haunted Horse: Songs Of Love, Defiance, & Delusion
Mark Salomon and Jason Martin. Stavesacre and Starflyer 59. That is a combination I would not have expected to work out well, but oh Lord has it. A side project from two of my staple bands is something I really want to get into, and I don’t have to force my Neon Horse fandom. It’s rough, dirty, and awesome. Mark Salomon sings like he hasn’t in years. It’s more Crucified than Stavesacre. Jason Martin is writing more like he’s trying to craft a pop album than he does for all of his shoegaer/Starflyer amazement. This album is perfect if you’ve been with Starflyer since the She’s the Queen EP. It’s a really well-produced album, and I love anything Martin or Salomon do, so it was an obvious choice to be a favorite of mine.
Paper Route - Absence
This is a Nashville hipster pop album, but I love it anyway. It’s well written and plays well through all 12 tracks. There is no shame in loving this record, even if you hate $200 haircuts, ironic mustaches, and fedoras. It’s that good. Personally, it carries a lot with it, but I think you’d be able to see the gem that it is.
Four guys just want to make music, and I like the music they make. It’s half synth, half indie rock, and half well crafted rock. The other half is melody. It’s a really heartfelt record, and there seems to be plenty of emotion inside both the lyrics and the atmosphere that is created.
Thursday - Common Existance
Thursday rules my ears, all the time. This is a beauty of a Jersey hardcore album. I listened to this record so much, I’m pretty sure I wore out my hard drive like an old vinyl. It’s a wonderful hardcore/punk album with a lot more sonic variety than old Thursday albums delivered. “Last Call”, “Circuits of Fever”, and “You Were the Cancer” are mammoth tracks with a complexity that Thursday has always excelled at. Overall, there is a amplified calmness to this album, which I haven’t felt in previous Thursday releases. There are more electronic undertones to this album, due to the increased use of Andrew Everding on keys.
Thursday is one of those bands form the mid 2000’s that is starting to fade away, but I think that “Common Existence” will do a great deal to excite the band and their fans. I see them following up this record with something amazing. Full of depth, chaos, and more intensity on a more mature and palatable scale.
If you like this album, make sure to get the Thursday/Envy split EP. It’s a wonderfully electronic prelude to “Common Existence” that delivers more than I was expecting from a split record.
Honorable Mentions
Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic
This is a great background album. I listen to it a lot when I want to just ignore the world and get into a zone where I can focus on whatever it is I’m doing. There isn’t a lot going on with the record, and not in a bad way. It’s a very simple, well-crafted piece that is a good addition to a collection. This is the album that when it comes on random in a party that you’ve made a mix for, will turn a bunch of heads and make you look like you’re straight out of HIgh Fidelity.
Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper
I love Interpol, which means I loved Julian Plenti. It’s a well done side project with more depth and variety than an Interpol album would have.
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster -
This album rocks so damn hard. I listen to it all the time, but I just couldn’t put it in my top 10, and I don’t have a good reason why. I will listen to this often in the years to come, it’s such a well done hardcore album.
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
This is anotehr great background album that I listen to a lot. It’s quite atmospheric and fun. I love it.
Slowmotions - Quick Potions
I put this album on here because it makes me look like I’m finding small label band gold. But, in actuality it was an album put out on a small label, of whom I’m familiar with the curator. It’s a great album, full of sound and activity. It’s incredibly well done. I’m a big fan of layered and purposeful sounds, and this has both. Listen to it with headphones. Get it free here.
Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
Apparently, this album was so hard and fulfilling for Sufjan Stevens that it has him rethinking what he wants to do musically. It’s a great album, a classical piece with an immense amount of Sufjan flare and liberality.
The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules
I listen to this album when I want to feel like I’m in a smokey piano bar in Vegas watching a talented 30-something son of Bob Dylan who is doing his own thing. He just wants to play music and use keyboards, leave him alone.
Christmas Reflection
Christmas is a great time. People are busy thinking of others, you get out of the house and see friends and family, you eat too much, and then you go home and rest up for all your New Year’s Eve plans.
Living in Orlando with my family in California means that I shop for all my presents the week before Christmas in California, rather than shopping and packing all my presents in suitcases. I was able to get all of my shopping done in time, which was fantastic.
While out running around and thinking of all the great stuff I wanted to by my family, I started to think more about the act of giving. Why was I giving my family all these things they wanted but didn’t need? Was it to see the excitement on their faces? Was it to make myself look good in their eyes? Was it a selfish act, trying to out give everyone else?
With some honest reflection, I’d have to say that it was all of those, and for the most part, that’s disappointing.
I’m grateful that I’ve been blessed with gifts enough to work a job that I find fulfilling, and to make a living at it. Above and beyond that, I’m able to make enough money at this job to pay my bills, save some money, and buy stuff I don’t need but makes me happy (for a moment).
Out of all my thinking, I’ve decided to start the New Year out in a different—and polar opposite—fashion.
For the month of January, I’m not spending any money. Period.
Well, maybe not period, but pretty darn close. I’m going to pay my bills, write my rent check, cover my insurance, all the stuff I actually have to pay for. Then, I’m going to buy groceries and cook everything.
I’m not going to buy another Moleskine I don’t need at Barnes & Noble. I’m not going to pay $12 to see a movie that I really am not that interested in to begin with. I’m not going to eat Chick-Fil-A three times a week.
I’m going to be as sparse financially as possible. My hope in all this is to change my focus. I want to truly be able to look at how much God has blessed me with and see how horrible a steward I have been with it all. This isn’t a criticism of having too much, but the complete opposite. I want to make myself aware of how blessed I am and how I can better serve God with what he has blessed me with.
The average person lives on $18 a day. I find it fascinating that I have become so selfish and absorbed in the trappings of glitter and gold. I need to focus and change what I really find value in.
So, with some prayer and focus I am going to make myself see what I really should be grateful for and really see how much I’ve been blessed with. I hope that through my month of financial fasting, I will more clearly see Jesus and His working in my life.
Wish me luck!
Sorry so Quiet…
Well, sort of. Lately I have had the great blessing of being busy. Really busy.
I’m thankful for that, because in a the life of a freelancer, being busy means that you have money coming in, food on your table, and rent is being paid. But, as busy as I have been lately, I haven’t been so busy that I’ve completely forgotten about blogging, there has just been a change in how I think about blogging. I’ve never been a fan of just putting stuff up for the sake of having a constantly updated blog. I’m not into voyeurism by any means, I’ve want to blog when I have something to say. Lately, I haven’t really felt the need to scream at people from the web in long form.
I have come across several things I’d like to write about, and I hope that those things will come out soon. A redesign may come along side the new content as well, which may or may not help me get things started.
I hope to be writing more soon. If you have anything you’d like me to write on, feel free to let me know.
4 > 5
Great and good are seldom the same man.”
— Winston Churchill
A Heart Full of Wonder
The older you get, the more it takes to fill your heart with wonder, and only God is big enough to fill it.”
— G.K. Chesterton
Effort Vs. Success
It is not incumbent upon you to complete the task. But neither are you free to desist from it!”
— Rabbi Tarfon
Albert Einstein on Understanding
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
— Albert Einstein
Typography in the Wild
Mark Simonson Studio gave Mostra Nuova a lowercase.
The Typesites archive has the best website inspiration out there right now.
Randy Jones is reworking Futura and I like it.
I’m still figuring out what I want to do here at the blog. I don’t really have the energy to make it consistent though. Enjoy the type anyway.
Mama’s Sauce – Letterpress Printing
This is Nick Sambrato from a print shop in Orlando, Florida called Mama’s Sauce. He owns a 2,000 pound Kluge letterpress. He’s keeping strong, the age-old, time-tested art of letterpress printing. A tangible quality put on your intangible creative content. A bite in the paper, a three-dimensional element to a two-dimensional idea.
