type tuesday: ribbons
/When I spotted this box of typewriter tins at a flea market in Seattle whilst visiting Tif (aka dottie angel), I had to play it cool in order to get a fair price from the seller. Look what was inside!
It was about five or six years ago that this particular ribbon tin design ignited my typewriter ephemera obsession. Before coming across it on eBay (and of course bidding to win it), I wasn't aware of the amazing artifacts of promotion and packaging associated with typewriters. It was my lucky day to score an nearly complete box of my favourite tin!
One of these Type Bar typewriter ribbon tins could be yours as part of "The Royal" level of support for The Typewriter project.
type tuesday: sea foam bond
/I love this simple packaging for typewriter paper. It's beautiful and gets to the point. The drop shadow and slightly awkward letterspacing is just icing on this sea foam cake.
the typewriter: project update
/Thank you for all the support you've shown to The Typewriter: a Graphic History of the Beloved Machine. It is only a few days in and we're already at 17% of the goal!
Graphic representation of typewriter keyboards, used for instruction, are particularly beautiful examples of graphic and information design.
girl friday
/On Fridays I will be sharing an image from my typewriter ephemera collection. Specifically those depicting the typist. Though men were initially common typists and office assistants, the job of secretary became stereotyped as a woman's role.
The name 'Friday' comes from the novel Robinson Crusoe published in 1719 "whose shipwrecked hero named the young native who became his faithful companion for the day of the week when he found him." (Dictionary.com) The name 'man Friday' was often used to refer to one's best servant or right-hand man. In 1940, a Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell motion picture entitled "His Girl Friday" came to theatres popularizing the reference 'Girl Friday'. Invariably, since women secretaries worked for men— and to refer to a woman as a girl is not acceptable*—the term is now outdated.
And yet, when studying the history of the typewriter, one cannot escape the sexism of the era in which the machine was invented and later popularized. Though the typewriter brought women into the workforce and contributed to emancipation, in many respects it later tied women to limiting roles.
For the purpose of these "girl friday" posts, I share these images with respect and admiration to the generations of women before us.
*In my first "real job" post-college, I had an older male boss who would often refer to me as 'girl'. Though I'm shy and soft-spoken by nature, I could not stand for this behaviour and I mustered my courage to correct him. "You may call me Janine or Ms Vangool," I remember saying, "but not girl." I got a raise. He slipped into his old ways a few times over the course of the next months, and each time I spoke up. By the end of those long nine months I stayed at the job, I had doubled my salary. But more importantly, I learned that just because I was shy, I still had confidence in my skills and self-worth. Since leaving that job some sixteen years ago, I've been my own boss ever since.
typed tweets
/This was typed on a Smith Corona Electric that I found in my back alley a few years ago. I've actually recovered two machines from the same alley, different locations, different years. I keep my eyes open each time I walk there, but it has been a few years since I found the last one.
I think I'll have to invest in some white out. I see that I missed a few letters here and there when typing out some tweets! My @ symbol looks like a blob, too!
why DIY crowdfunding?
/Thank you for the excellent response to the project launch! The goal with this DIY crowdfunding campaign is to raise enough money to cover the physical costs of the book's production: printing and freight. And I just want to clarify that regardless if I meet this $25,000 preorder goal, The Typewriter book will be going ahead!
As a (very) small publisher, it is tough to keep putting out new titles—especially since I have such high standards when it comes to production, paper stock and the other details that make books such wonderful things. This means that the financial outlay to produce a book is quite daunting. By garnering preorders and support through your purchase of various project "perks", the financial stress will be alleviated somewhat. Beyond the $25,000, there are other costs such as scanning, image permissions and photography... not to mention the time invested to research, write, design and promote the project.
Initially, I planned to launch this campaign through the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Alas, though I do have a US-based back account and other business numbers and credentials, it came down to the fact that I am not a US citizen and thus do not have a US social security number. Kickstarter's payments go through Amazon and this is a requirement of Amazon Payments. I think Kickstarter is an excellent platform for supporting and discovering new work (and this project would have been a perfect fit), but after many years and queries, they are still not supporting Canadian projects in a manner that makes it accessible to anyone who does not have an active American partner to saddle all the logistical, legislative and tax implications of running a campaign.
The main alternative to Kickstarter is Indiegogo, which is open to everyone: meaning that the site is not curated and is open to any project regardless of quality. After spending some time on that site, it was not an environment that inspired me—especially when compared to the momentum and positive atmosphere that Kickstarter provided. Considering the percentage that Indiegogo would take off any money earned, I decided the best course of action was to do it myself. My hosting fees, online shop fees and other costs are already part of my daily operations, so the only fees deducted from funds earned will be Paypal and credit card processing fees. (And hey — if you want to help me bypass those, you can also send a US or Canadian cheque if you like. Please just indicate your pledge level and include your contact information.)
I am really appreciative of my UPPERCASE community of readers, subscribers, contributors, Twitter followers... you are a marvellous and inspiring bunch and I love creating beautiful publications for us to all enjoy. Thank you for your support!
the launch of The Typewriter
/To read all about The Typewriter: a Graphic History of the Beloved Machine, visit the project page. >>>
starting Kickstarter
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Since it is International Typewriter Day, it seems fitting to share with you a project that I have in the works...
A richly illustrated book full of never-before published typewriter memorabilia, intriguing historical documents and entertaining anecdotes, The Typewriter: a Graphic History of the Beloved Machine is a beautiful ode to an all but obsolete creative companion.
It is an ambitious 224-page hardcover book which I hope to fund through Kickstarter next month. The concept for the book is one I have been refining for many years and I can't wait to share more about it with you. In the next few weeks, I'll be shooting and editing a video in preparation for the project launch on Kickstarter.
If you're not already signed up for the UPPERCASE e-newsletter, please do that here and you'll be informed when the Kickstarter project goes live. If you'd like to help spread the word about The Typewriter: a Graphic History of the Beloved Machine, please drop me a line! The success of a Kickstarter campaign relies not only on the strength of the project concept, but also the support it gets through social media so your help is very much appreciated.
It's International Typewriter Day!
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June 23 marks the 144th anniversary of the date Christopher Latham Sholes received a U.S. patent on the typewriter. It's International Typewriter Day, so grab your portable and type something! And if you have lots of time and patience... bake a cake!
Readers of this blog and UPPERCASE magazine will know that I have a passion for typewriters. In honour of International Typewriter Day, I invite you to peruse my past typewriter posts.
Notes about Evernote
/In late March, Kasey and Nick from Evernote came to Calgary to shoot a video about how I use Evernote to run UPPERCASE magazine. If you're not familiar with the service, Evernote's slogan "Remember everything" sums it up. With online, desktop and mobile access, you can create and categorize notes. Anything that you want quick and easy access to, from receipts to saved web images to writing to lists to audio notes, you can save to Evernote. There's a detailed post on their blog about how I use the service. The tool has been invaluable to me (I've been using it since issue #2) and I urge you to give it a try. It's free, though I use the premium version for increased storage and other useful features.
A few notes about the video:
0:03 My necklace is by Urban Legend. We're featuring jeweller Kateri Morton in issue #15.
0:05 Stockist The Daily Globe on 17th Avenue in Calgary
0:11 Scissor print by regular contributor Alanna Cavanagh
0:15 We moved the couch so that you can see the bookcase behind me.
0:16 I found this typewriter in my back alley in 2006. (I painted it orange.)
0:17 Flea market score: $10 typewriter! Works perfectly.
0:19 Ebay score: 1947 Hermes typewriter poster by Herbert Luepin, flea market paint-by-number kitten.
0:20 This doggie is Scooter, photo by Christine Edwards.
0:23 Yes, more typewriters!
0:35 That's Eleanor. If you have questions about subscriptions or the online shop, she answers them!
0:55 I love my big big monitor. A must-have for publication designers.
0:58 That's The Shatner Show, the first book I published. 76 illustrators interpret the life and career of Canadian icon William Shatner.
1:05 Windchimes by Ceeglass, featured in issue #13.
1:20 Crayon cover by Diem Chau.
1:23 That's my storage space in the lower level of Art Central. Yes, I do heavy lifting, too.
1:38 For non-Calgarians, that's Stephen Avenue, a pedestrian street a block from my studio. I'm trying to walk purposefully and not look at the camera.
1:38 Astute viewers will note that I took a really weird route to get into Art Central, but a scenic one!
1:50 Eleanor and I are discussing the felt pennants we've ordered to coincide with issue #14. From The People's Pennant, more details on this coming soon...
2:07 Shoutout to Anthropologie!
2:11 When we went to The Daily Globe to shoot, UPPERCASE contributor Nikki Sheppy just happened to be there. Another serendipitous moment for UPPERCASE magazine.
Cats disguised as Typefaces
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Typewriter exhibit
/A project by Exit Creative.
Colourful typewriters
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type tuesday: typewriter valentine
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Tomorrow's First Thursday!
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I've got lots of chalk markers leftover from the Alt party (check out the video)—let's decorate the windows of UPPERCASE and have our own doodle party. I have chocolate cookies to share, too. And if you want to typewrite a Valentine to your sweetie, my typewriters will be available to serve you.
UPPERCASE will be open from 3pm to 8:30pm this Thursday.
DIY holiday cards for perfectionists in a hurry
/A few weeks ago, I was asked to contribute to a post on eBay's online magazine, The Inside Source. As an avid eBayer (it lit fire to my typewriter addiction), I was happy to oblige. They wanted a handmade Christmas card idea, so I wanted to combine my typewriters, typography and something easy to make.
an UPPERCASE typographic ornament
Here's a simple project for a greeting card that transforms into a tree ornament. Cut out a circle or other shape of your choosing so that it is slightly smaller than your folded card stock. Decorate the paper ornament with cut-up Christmas cards from years past, old wrapping paper or other pretty paper. I've used a page from a discarded dictionary.
I decided to play on the idea of a "typographic ornament" by cutting out an uppercase initial for each recipient.
(Quick tip for perfectionists in a hurry: print out letters at the desired size from your printer, lay the printed letter on top of your decorative paper and simply cut around the letter, through both layers at one time.)
To attach the finished ornament to the greeting card, position the ornament on the card and use a small hole punch to pierce through the top of the ornament and right through the card. Make a loop out of pretty twine or ribbon and thread it through the holes, from the inside of the card outward. As long as the knot on the back of the loop is larger than the hole, everything will be held in place securely. Decorate the card with a typewritten or handwritten greeting and there you go! (I love to use my vintage typewriters—it is fun to type out a line of text the old fashioned way.)
Collecting: Typewriter Tins
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Chris from Seattle shares pictures of his typewriter tin collection, displayed with magnets. As most collectors can attest, he started with just one!
"I bought a ribbon tin (unknowingly) several years ago with my daughters at an impromptu "garage" sale underneath Pike Place Market in Seattle. Loved it. Looked it up (big mistake). Found them on eBay (of course), but became enthralled after seeing your flickr collection (beautiful)."
Type Tuesday: You're Just my Type
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By now everyone is well aware of my fondness for typewriters! Thanks to Hannah for introducing me to her company, Nancy & Betty Studio.
"Nancy & Betty Studio is a small stationery design brand, created by Hannah Bidmead. After studying Fine Art (BA) Hons, Nancy & Betty Studio was created and is now based in our studio in Canterbury, England. Inspiration also comes form the simple and often quirky things, involving subjects such as typewriters and Polaroid cameras – beautiful, functional objects. We like simple graphics and strong colours, with a nod to retro themes."
