the newest of thoughts

A list of numbers that make it easier to set type. But why these numbers? What relationships do they hold with one another? Is there some mythical secret held by the casters of the fonts of old? Why is it that when you combine 8, 10, 14 and 36 points of height something beautiful happens? In an effort to better understand this list of numbers I did that which excites any warm-blooded designer – I played with typography.

The first few minutes of a film will often either leave the audience full of excitement and eager to see how the story of the movie will play out, wondering what hints they were shown in the opening credits to what they're about to watch. Sometimes these opening moments are grander than the film that follows them. Sometimes you talk to your friends about the notebooks instead of the head in the box, or the silhouetted men running around more than the prodigy delinquent. Ian & Alex of The Art of the Title Sequence are two curators of a collection of title sequences best described as fine art.

Mountains of ink and graphite have been spilled in an effort to explain music and the affect it has on the soul, especially that of the artist. It almost feels redundant to say that it changes and evokes moods, that it inspires and drives. Music can be something special for the creative as it helps motivate and coax out ideas which lay hiding. I spoke to six immensely creative people to find out what music means to them and how it affects their work.

What is it in us that makes us want to create? Why do we want to take nothing and fill it with something? Why do we desire to take that which is inside us, be it an idea, question or emotion and express it through colour and shape? Why is this urge satisfied for only a moment? Why do we create?

You'd be hard-pressed to find a graphic designer who doesn't know the name Paul Rand. You'd be even harder-pressed to find anyone who lives in the western-world who doesn't recognize the marks he'd made. When ordering Sparkle and Spin and Little 1, I wasn't sure if this was the sole reason I wanted them—a little piece of quirkiness by a great graphic designer and the women he loved. Having received them and enjoyed them several times, I now know the reason why I now love them – they're simply beautiful.

Oh overnight success, why do we long for thee with such desperation? Why does ignorance plague us as we cry a thousand tears in search of receiving something for nothing? To us fools, the kings of the wise bestow upon us an illuminating guide of words to save us from ourselves -- 'Snap out of it. It isn't going to happen'

Chances are, if you've been following the design wing of the blogosphere, you know the name of logo designer David Airey. He's been writing inspiring content for just over two years and has developed quite a following, inspiring many to start their own blogs. He's also the person behind one of the web's best logo blogs – Logo Design Love. David was kind enough to answer a few questions about his home, his process, blogging and thoughts.

Isn't it funny? You spend hours upon hours staring at the software of Adobe, yet how often do you think to yourself that it might be worth exploring the Adobe website? Yeah, me either. Their software hides many pasages often left unexplored, only to be discovered one lazy afternoon, leaving you wondering how you didn't know you could do whatever it is you just found. The website isn't much different, so I thought I might provide a few shortcuts.

Having been cleansed through cleaning and learned through study, my kingdom of a press was without an army. A mighty force it appeared, but with no energy coursing through its muscles of steel, it proved to be nothing more than a farce. What is a press without a motor if it is not a kingdom without an army or a man without a heart? The winds have changed and now the sweet fruit that my lettepress bares I have tasted.

'Understand the rules before you break them.' A mantra we become all too familiar with when studying. Something many of us found bothersome as it implied subjecting ourselves to a rigid framework—and what creative wants that? Then we learn the rules, realise that they actually do work and start to use them well. The rules make it easier to play the game. The Ten Commandments of Typography serves as a reminder of these safe, warm guides. The second half of Paul Felton's fun little book reminds us why performing Type Heresy is so devilishly satisfying.