A Wireless Future Now?

09.03.15 — Leeds

Is the world ready to go truly wireless?

Given Apple’s history of pushing new trends forward, in particularly the drive to remove physical interfaces from their laptops (remember the sharp intake of air when the Retina MacBook came out without a CD drive?), today’s announcement of a MacBook with only one port wasn’t exactly a complete surprise.

I have never been naïve to the eventual downfall of physical transfers: be it data transfer/synchronisation, physical drive storage or wired charging – however some reflex in my gut seems to be telling me that the reduction of everything to one single port is too much too soon. With a retina display and other promoted features of importance only to tech-savvy users, such as fan-less operation, it begs the question – exactly who is Apple trying to target with it’s latest MacBook?

Power users will struggle, that’s for sure – how can one be expected to transfer HD imagery, connect an external monitor and charge the laptop simultaneously? Sure, a range of (expensive) adaptors will be available to accompany the machine, but surely power users do not want to carry an array of adaptors which they will have to swap out depending on the task at hand? And it cannot be argued that the new MacBook is geared towards light use – the hi-spec display and accompanying £1,050 (minimum) price tag make sure of that.

The leap to a MacBook Pro without a CD drive was wholly justifiable I believe, a sleeker profile coupled with the decline of disk media made it an obvious evolution – however to do away with USB Type A (the standard USB we all know) ports completely seems like a pointless and frankly idiotic sacrifice for a frivolous means: a wafer thin laptop.

Lighting and Thunderbolt are two recent port standards that Apple have developed, being promoted for their unrivalled speeds of transfer and multi-functionality (think the Lightening port being used as a headphone jack). How could Apple eschew these technologies so readily and so soon after their introduction and typical overzealous justification? It’s hardly surprising, though – their standardised MiniDisplay port and FireWire ports have been unceremoniously ripped from their product ranges in the past, always to an initial uproar.

The addition of an extra 2mm or so of bulk to the new MacBook’s profile, or the removal of the taper altogether, would have allowed Apple not only more space for battery capacity, but also to include more than one USB C ports, as well as retaining one or two USB A ports. I believe that a number (4 or 5) of USB C ports spread across the two sides of the MacBook’s body would have been a brilliant addition – allowing a user the same flexibility of using the ports for whatever they may desire (charging, data transfer or video/audio output) whilst still allowing users to complete multiple tasks simultaneously.

So with Apple’s latest MacBook I feel a frustration similar to that I experienced upon the release of the iPhone 6, a frustration that a company like Apple would sacrifice function (power in the MacBook and battery life in the iPhone) for form. I would even argue that such devices are now getting too thin, the race for thinness exercising an overpowering grip on tech companies, meaning important factors such as ergonomics and strength mostly overlooked. And how long is it until ‘bendgate’ grips the MacBook?

But all this said, maybe this MacBook is just another Apple Watch. Maybe it is just another way of coercing users into buying more of Apple’s infrastructure. The reveal presentation showed a new MacBook user streaming content to their Apple TV, which coincides rather nicely with the price reduction of their TV product. Much like the Apple Watch necessitates the purchase of an iPhone, it would seem the new MacBook necessitates the need for an Apple TV, an array of adaptors, and lord knows what else.

So a beautifully thin wireless laptop of the future, or a tactical marketing concoction? You decide.

Blackpool & IKEA

04.03.15 — Blackpool

Another quick and strange hybrid blog post now, which will outline two events in the space of a weekend on the opposite sides of the country but which happened in two consecutive days. I’ve been on a lot of trains recently…

But do disregard my moaning, because I’ve actually had a great weekend.

Firstly, me and the usual design gang grouped up and, after a last minute rush to get everyone fed and out the door, rolled up at IKEA in Leeds. Nothing says ‘design student’ like an organised day trip to IKEA which was not initiated in any way by anyone actually needing to buy anything; however it was a shame that Izzy opted not to purchase this delightful seasonal bonnet…

After a long day on our feet, we returned home and everyone scattered and wandered back to their respective houses. However, there’s no rest for the wicked! I quickly made myself a smoked salmon salad and then headed back off out again, Burnley bound and ready for an early start.

Why, You may ask? Because it’s that time of year again: the time when me and Danni spend the day eating hot dogs, riding coasters and generally making a nuisance of ourselves at Blackpool Pleasure Beach! (See last year’s trip here.)

The weather wasn’t in our favour unfortunately, with near-zero temperatures and some nasty rain plaguing the day and causing the Big One to shut down (aww) – but a bit of water never stopped Ollie and Danni. We trekked around the park, which after six years worth of annual trips we know like the back of our hand, and rode everything we could.

The weather and our busy schedule meant I only managed to snap one single photo from the day, so here it is, in all its vain selfie glory!

So what am I up to now? Well I’ve just this afternoon been in the School of Design, assisting with an open day and taking prospective students and their families on a guided tour of the campus. It’s great to speak to all the attendees and spread the word about how great Leeds is, not only as a university but as a place to spend three or more years of your life!

After this I met up with Kishore, my scholarship tutor, and we discussed how I am to develop and share my research so far with the public. This will be realised via the Leeds Design Lab website, which I’m currently working on updating, and will be published pretty soon. I’ll be back with updates and a link to my own little corner of the University of Leeds website – exciting!

That’s it for now I believe. I leave you with this song. I’m not sure why. Just enjoy.

Eating Food & Catching Trains

27.02.15 — Leeds

So let’s begin the most important thing: food. The other day, as many of you will know, was Pancake Day, and so I decided to eat nothing but pancakes after midday. After about six pancakes, however, I decided to wave a white flag and invite my housemates to join in and help.

Luisa, meanwhile, was delivered some obviously hilarious news, and ended up on the floor alongside the kettle she was using. I only mention this as I found the resulting picture to be a work of art. Check it out:

What was so hilarious that this happened?

This week in uni I have been finishing off and submitting my Principles Of Typography essay plan as well as creating a series of stripe designs for my Design Theory module. As obscure as some found this task, I understood it’s importance in the exploration of design theory, which I am sure to bear in mind whilst I create designs.

Anyway, after a lecture in the infamous Roger Stevens building, I wandered out the wrong door and found myself on a balcony I’d never encountered before, but which offered a lovely view back towards the city.

In less academically demanding news, me and Danni met up for a Laynes Espresso and a lunch date at Trinity Kitchen, and I opted for something a little different – vegetarian steamed buns. These had shiitake mushrooms, cheese and spinach in them, and were served with noodles and tonnes of delicious vegetables. They were delicious. Just take a look how colourful it was!

In a feeble attempt to replicate the deliciousness of this exotic food, I decided to use up some of my taco shells and lettuce, and cooked up a batch of vegetarian chilli using Quorn. Stuffed with this chilli, I added cheese, onion, lettuce and sour cream to create a couple of crunchy tacos.

Okay – so as you have probably gathered I have been eating many things as of late, but I am still keeping to my pescatarian diet. But that’s not all I’ve been up to – I also headed back to Burnley for another research trip (see my first here) to take some more photos to be used in my final outcomes. I’ll leave you with a triad of photos of my town…

Galentines & Other Adventures

22.02.15 — Leeds

In between all this uni work and typography research, I believe it’s time to kick back, grab a mug of Horlicks and reflect on the more relaxed events of the past week or so.

First thing’s first – Galentines Day. Inspired by Parks & Recreation, Galentines Day is celebrated the day before Valentines Day, and is a chance for all us singletons to come together and celebrate being single. Some keen YouTuber has put together this beautifully concise video in which Amy Poehler explains the concept more eloquently than I ever could. I have a huge crush on Amy Poehler.

Getting away from the point, we headed down to Nation Of Shopkeepers and ordered a plethora of burgers. Beth had been so kind to bring along a Galentines Day gift for us all, which turned out to be tubes of Swizzles Matlow Love Hearts. We exchanged them, sending sarcastic messages to each other in the process…

To my despair I awoke the next day to the prospect of a Valentines Day stuck in my room all day, but for the first time ever me and my housemates arranged to sit together in the living room (which we often forget that we actually have) and watch a film. The Notebook was suggested, and I agreed, presuming it would be a tacky rom com to lift our spirits.

It’s not.

The day after I decided to finally address an issue which I had sat on since I returned to Leeds after Christmas, which is that the coldness of our uninhabited house had caused most of my posters/flyers/ephemera to fall off my wall. I took the opportunity to take them all down and give the walls a good scrub. I don’t know why I felt like I needed to clean my walls. I just did. I can’t explain. Leave me be.

My room looked weird and sad without walls full of examples of graphic design…

Before long, however, I had gotten all my stuff back up and now my room is back to it’s bright, colourful self. Check out this picture from a previous post.

I also managed a trip back home to visit my doctors, but the most important part of the trip was naturally sitting for a hot chocolate with my mother and stroking the resident cat at Todmorden train station. He/she featured in a post from a while back, check it out here. Anyway, I leave you with photos of these two very important events.

The beautiful cat at Todmorden train station

Crafting A Typography Essay

18.02.15 — Leeds

As I may have mentioned, I am currently working on an essay for my Principles of Typography essay. Today I engaged with some more reading for the module, and pulled out some interesting theories and quotes. For those uninterested in graphic design, now may be the time to skip this post for the next one.

Firstly I looked at Herbert Bayer with his essay On Type, where I found many teachings on the control of type. He notes how typography is a service art rather than a fine art, and how a reader’s eye will flitter haphazardly across a typographic piece unless the designer has taken due care to carefully guide the viewer’s eye. As he concluded, I picked up on his comment that controlling the contrast of the typeface and the background on which it sits can be used to good effect.

I secondly moved onto some wisdom from Rob Giampietro (of Lined & Unlined) on Default Systems in Graphic Design (read online here). This explores the idea that default settings (such as the Calibri typeface at 11pt in Word and Myriad in Adobe Illustrator) have a knock-on effect on graphic design, as the “system makes assumptions that, unchallenged, become truths.” It was an agreeable argument – oh, the amount of times I have received badly designed submissions set in Calibri!

Next up I read through The Philosophy of Modernism in Typography by Douglas McMurtie. In this evaluation of the modernist attitude in the field of typography, McMurtie notes how type’s primary function is clarity and how it must tell it’s story as directly as possible – succinctly encapsulating the modernist ethos.

Finally I moved on to read Beatrice Warde in her essay The Crystal Goblet, an argument that “printing should be invisible”. In this Warde makes the case for the adoption of modernist attitudes in typography, arguing that it is not how typography looks which is important; rather that the purpose of a piece should take precedence when typesetting. The essay is a pleasure to read, using beautiful metaphors to convey meaning, and I urge anyone reading interested in typography to source a copy. However, the following quote was my favourite, and I just couldn’t resist sharing it here:

It is mischievous to call any printed piece a work of art, especially fine art: because that would imply that its first purpose was to exist as an expression of beauty for its own sake and for the delectation of the senses.
Beatrice Warde

So from all this research (check out my full collection here) I have been debating and scribbling down ideas for the title of my upcoming essay. Here are a few of my main ideas so far…

Can we apply Jan Tschichold’s Die Neue Typographie principles/teachings to new media? (i.e. websites, smartphones, UI/UX systems, etc.)
Have the stages of typographic thinking, especially modernism, replayed themselves through the relatively short history of online typography?
Can principles and/or theories used when composing printed type be transferred directly to type handling online?

I will be back soon with more updates on Leeds life in general, but for now I am drinking my new favourite drink (rose milk) and settling down to watch some Parks & Recreation. Stay tuned for news of my room redecoration, Galentines Day (you read that right) and my plans for Easter (including going pescetarian for Lent!)

Update: You can now view an ongoing copy of my report here. At the time of writing I have only finished my title and the abstract.