tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58302092012-02-07T02:21:27.118-05:00A feature of american bioblioverken, a publishing and book design firm established in 2002. Topics covered include book design, book publishing, graphic design, publishing tools and technology, typography, printing, writing, marketing, illustration, creative inspiraiton and related topics.M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.comBlogger191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-18199865033383067822009-02-12T08:52:00.004-05:002009-02-12T09:35:11.948-05:00

David Meerman Scott has some interesting thoughts about the changes in the way people experience books, based on new technologies and the many different ways we obtain and process information. Meerman notes how he added the URLs of Web sites, blogs, podcasts, videos and other links at the bottom of the each page in case readers wanted to go to the sites he was writing about. Subsequently, one of

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-21360564701432428552009-01-30T13:22:00.007-05:002009-01-30T15:32:56.490-05:00

Today, the Publishing Industry is clearly operating under a different economic model than is was in the past, and most people are inclined to believe that the downturn we are seeing is primarily the result of new technologies that are leveling and shifting the playing field. Quality content is available almost instantly in digital formats, at low or no cost, via computer or phone-based ebooks and

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-33169318880068141662009-01-28T11:04:00.004-05:002009-01-30T13:10:29.414-05:00

I had come across a link to their upcoming conference - "The Form of The Book" about a week ago, and downloaded the program brochure, even though I am not able to attend. But a closer look at the website of The St Bride Library reveals an incredible resource for anyone interested in printing and the graphic arts. The London-based organization rightly promotes itself as the world's foremost

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-79434057670469943302009-01-23T13:18:00.008-05:002009-01-23T14:19:37.411-05:00

Back in 2002, I was looking at a project to take some public-domain material and create something that was useful, trying to update some ancient texts in a new and interesting way. I managed to gather together some historical works, essentially covering the period from the end of the Roman Occupation to the Saxon invasions. These included Nennius, Gildas and Caradoc of Llancarfan. I also threw in

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-78061137557395608072009-01-22T13:20:00.003-05:002009-01-23T14:23:36.408-05:00

A couple of days ago I pointed out Gareth Powell's insightful post on Blorge regarding the impact that reading books on iPhones and iPods is already having on the publishing industry. Now, Time Magazine is weighing in on the subject, with a timely article on how new technologies and even social changes are affecting the traditional practices of the book trade.From self-published authors bypassing

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-64256012767295336392009-01-21T10:08:00.006-05:002009-01-23T14:23:54.771-05:00

Though I do know how to create a passable web page, I do not consider myself by any means a Web Designer. For those who have the training and experience to utilize all of the latest tools and technologies in the advancement of this art, I can only offer my deepest admiration and profess my sincere envy.Any investigation of my limited skills, such as they are, would reveal that beyond the use of

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-90907829900425841962009-01-20T10:31:00.002-05:002009-01-20T11:06:02.212-05:00

Personally, I think the increasing worry that reading on the iPod and the iPhone will soon lead to the "death of the book" is somewhat overstated. But this does not keep me from investigating the devices' potential, and how they might best be used to distribute various types of written and visual communication.I must admit, however, that Gareth Powell's insights in this Blorge article - iPods and

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-58694695031043508022009-01-19T10:19:00.002-05:002009-01-19T10:50:48.554-05:00

Things have certainly changed a lot since the first edition of this book by Jan V. White came out in 1980, but the 1991 edition of Graphic Idea Notebook was updated to reflect the fact that people were beginning to use computers exclusively to perform graphic design and layout, and that the days of hand paste-up had clearly passed. Along with White's well-known Editing by Design, the books

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-30182107337557348402009-01-16T11:32:00.000-05:002009-01-16T12:04:31.340-05:00

Here is Volume One in the pride of my own book collection, a two-volume set from Thomas Garner and Aurthur Stratton, entitled The Domestic Architecture of England During the Tudor Period. I think I picked these up about twelve years ago from Zubal in Cleveland; if you love this style of architecture, then having one of these books in your lap is an indescribable experience. And they are

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-5170575983818007162009-01-15T10:10:00.001-05:002009-01-23T14:24:42.438-05:00

With it being about ZERO degrees outside right now, I suppose it's not too early to start dreaming of warmer times to come...relaxing around the pool, or sitting around the backyard tiki bar, sipping Coronas. A great way to start is with Sven Kirsten's Tiki Modern, a great follow-up to his 2003 book, The Book of Tiki. The latter was a real inspiration to me, providing the impetus to build a tiki

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-44659926364327737382009-01-14T13:44:00.000-05:002009-01-14T14:09:05.104-05:00

One of the projects I've talked about with one of my friends is a guy-oriented cookbook. I know there are lots of them out there, especially regarding barbecuing and grilling, but I'm thinking more along something very basic. It's hard to believe there are still guys out there who expect a woman to "cook for them" -- as if the ability to prepare food for oneself was somehow unmanly. Well, my

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-40557684519468221432009-01-12T16:42:00.000-05:002009-01-12T17:13:03.317-05:00

Another project we did for Summit Academy Institute ...this was a small 44 page booklet called The Asperger Toolbox, which was designed primarily as a handy resource guide for teachers in the classroom. It wasn't designed as a comprehensive guide to Asperger's Syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism) but it does give teachers a quick reference to the observable behaviors that can help

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-45835052231421151952009-01-12T09:11:00.002-05:002009-03-16T18:48:09.784-04:00

One of the the projects I am slowly working on is adding a linux file server and a linux desktop to my network; the file server is of obvious use, but I would really like to set up a combined windows/linux workstation and try open source Scribus out as an alternate page layout program. I have always used and continue to use Quark as my primary page layout and book creation software, but over the

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-58862733978608606762009-01-10T13:28:00.000-05:002009-01-12T13:29:58.329-05:00

I can't find the book from which I copied these illustrations from King Arthur; they are not from the original edition, but the artist is Louis Rhead. They're also typical of some of my favorite illustrated fiction; I just love the style of late-19th and early 20th century books, often inspired by Pre-Raphaelite art & design.This example, and another depicting Arthur and Mordred, have been

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-68162470360532741132009-01-10T12:50:00.000-05:002009-01-12T12:47:48.077-05:00

Being both book-lovers, my daughter and I usually exchange Borders or B&N gift cards at Christmas, and I finally used mine this week to get a couple of nice books by Ellen Lupton, which I'm sure will be very useful in my upcoming projects. Thinking with Type (2004) is an excellent basic guide to typography, and her latest book Indie Publishing (2008) is a compact guidebook on the basics of book

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-64320043806992164112009-01-08T12:26:00.000-05:002009-01-08T12:50:05.658-05:00

Like a lot of people, I have managed to get on a few catalog mailing lists, which is not always a bad thing. But I have to marvel at West Chester, Ohio's own Frontgate, who seem intent on killing as many trees as possible with their non-stop catalog mailings. Along with their sister operation Grandin Road, which seems to carry a lot of the same home products, it seems I get a new one at least

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-55668459986118534272009-01-08T10:41:00.000-05:002009-01-08T11:25:12.379-05:00

Like many, I've also been inspired lately by the work of Penguin's Coralie Bickford-Smith, who's work continues to impress just about everyone. Being a fan of retro-inspired design, I naturally love the work she has done for the Classic Boys Adventures Series and their new range of hard-bound classics. This in-depth interview on design:related provides some great insights into her work, as well

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-36103224421796443812009-01-07T15:50:00.001-05:002009-01-08T10:00:43.458-05:00

You really do turn into your parents...or grandparents. Especially when you hear yourself telling your children, "well, back when I first started..." This picture of an old KROY Lettering Machine that I recently came across brought back a lot of memories, and made me realize again how much things have changed over the years. In 1978, while at Miami University (Ohio) I took a graphic arts course

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5830209.post-31912808202538376852009-01-07T11:50:00.000-05:002009-01-10T13:26:31.392-05:00

Our latest project involves a couple of books for the Summit Academy Institute Press. The primary effort involved The BLT Hypothesis, which I think will be a groundbreaking work in the understanding of disabilities like ADHD, Asperger's and related conditions. The authors are some of the country's most knowledgeable experts in educating children with these conditions, and operate the largest

M. SCHWEITZERnoreply@blogger.com0