Studio Notes #48

Hello there, Good People. Here's issue #48 of Studio Notes™—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

S

I love that this exists: An entire website and merch store dedicated to the "cool S". That symbol everyone drew on their notebooks back in the day. There's a humorous history timeline about the glyph, and even a fully-realized font. But I especially dig The S Thing Clock.

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16mm Time Machine is a place I could get lost in for a bit. "...historical footage covering everything from military to slice-of-life. A mix of independently shot silent home movie footage primarily from the 1920s-1940s, along with produced footage up to the 1970s." There's something a bit haunting about old film that just ordinary people shot themselves. I also love the lettering on Our Canadian Fishing Trip (1930).

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My latest vintage type inspiration? Peter Buchanan-Smith's collection of how-to manuals is nice little slideshow of some great book covers from the founder of Best Made Co.—a fantastic brand that PBS re-acquired last year. It's been inspiring to watch him relaunch a brand he created, sold, then reimagined.

🏎️

A couple of years ago I had a few stops and starts with getting into F1 racing. Not me driving the car, but...watching it. It's a wild sport to follow. I think watching the new F1 (★★★★) movie has gotten me back on track (pun intended). It's a really really entertaining film, with likely the most realistic portrayal of auto racing on screen to date. Brad Pitt shares how getting the real F1 drivers and teams involved in the production was a key to that realism. Also, if you want to start following F1, just grab the official app, which is really well-designed.

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What are you working on?

Sipping Lady Grey tea with honey, battling a Summer cold, but starting on a new alphabet (as always). This one is going for that 1950s/60s, foil-embossed, clothbound book cover vibe. A stressed, slightly wobbly, display sans with a hint of calligraphic detail. We'll see how it pans out.

Thanks for reading, and a special thanks to folks that said nice things about Turbeau—means an awful lot. See you back here next week!

Cheers,