08/24/09 12:20 - 69ºF - ID#49618

Artvoice, Hero Design, and Design Theft

Hero Design may just be my favorite company in this burg. Their posters are consistently awesome and the boutique on Allen has a great collection of Kid Robot etc. I mean, when was the last time you were featured in Spin Magazine? That's what I thought.

Their design work is so good in fact, that Artvoice has apparently stolen some. The post to which I link is a must read -- and the images tell the story.

Now, that just takes raw guts. Stealing art from a company just around the corner? Isn't the internet big enough to find something else to plagiarize?

Perhaps there is some kind of misunderstanding here. I have yet to hear AV's take on this story, and I look forward to it. From the Hero side, though, the whole thing reeks of laziness and hubris. That's right: not just regular old pride -- tragic-plot-starting hubris.

Permalink: Artvoice_Hero_Design_and_Design_Theft.html
Words: 150

05/01/09 10:05 - 55ºF - ID#48552

Like Independent, not Jones

looks like today is Buy Indie Day. So get down to yer local bookstore and buy something!

Permalink: Like_Independent_not_Jones.html
Words: 17

04/27/09 05:52 - 76ºF - ID#48519

Zine?

Th'other day someone said to me "I like your zine". I certainly appreciated the compliment, but "zine"? I've always associated that term with collages of old magazine photos with anti-establishment text scrawled over them. I mean, I'm all for that and everything, but dang.

Permalink: Zine_.html
Words: 44

03/18/09 08:03 - 40ºF - ID#48115

Fair's Fair

GF will be at this week's Buffalo Small Press Book Fair. Come on down and say "Hi".

This fair was sort of the catalyst for Greenfern. When I attended last year, I looked around and said "huh. so it is possible". I'm looking forward to being on the other side of the tables this year.

Permalink: Fair_s_Fair.html
Words: 55

03/12/09 10:10 - 22ºF - ID#48025

Gutenberg FTW

Here's another geeky webcomic railing against e-books. Should it strike me as odd that the hardcore nerds are anti? I'll bet it strikes Amazon that way.

Permalink: Gutenberg_FTW.html
Words: 27

03/09/09 06:05 - 36ºF - ID#47999

I Hear They Shine Through

I've been giving color a lot of thought recently.

Color can become a part of something's identity. That particular orange on the binding of a Penguin book, or the blue -- dare I say cerulean? -- of a box from Tiffany. Immediately recognizable.

I would love for Greenfern to have a particular color associated with it, and I'd love for it not to be green.

On a related note, have you been to colourlovers.com? Am I sadly behind the curve on this one?

I put together a putative site for the GF last week. I headed over to one of those free website deals and just used one of their templates. It just happened to be greenish. Maybe it's fate.

Permalink: I_Hear_They_Shine_Through.html
Words: 121

03/02/09 05:45 - 13ºF - ID#47925

bufblopofo

Oh yes, my friends, it's back. Prepare yourself for Buffalo Blog-Posting Fortnight 2009.

Permalink: bufblopofo.html
Words: 12

02/28/09 03:54 - 20ºF - ID#47909

Fear Not, Bibliophiles

Thank you, xkcd, for summing it up so succinctly. I just can't get behind the e-book thing, but haven't had the guts to say they're for chumps.

Flipping pages, browsing bookracks, dog-earing your place -- these are too much a part of our society to be given up all that quickly. There's more to a text than the text; holding an actual, palpable volume in one's hands is part of the pleasure.

An unsurprising sentiment from someone who recently started a paper magazine, I'm sure, but nonetheless.

Permalink: Fear_Not_Bibliophiles.html
Words: 89

02/16/09 07:34 - 25ºF - ID#47764

FYI - More Print Shop Coolness

Got an email from the WNYBAC folks the other day. They've got another demo on the way, and I strongly recommend it.

"Wednesday Feb. 25th (6-8 pm) we will be having our Punching & Cutting machines demonstration which was previously postponed due to a snow storm.
Paper Drills, grommet machines, corner rounders, and a trusty Guillotine are but a few of the resources we have to make paper yield to your will. Some of these machines will always require WNYBAC staff assistance, but many others are just fun to put holes in paper. Get a tour of these tools that can help put that final touch on your book edition project.
Just RSVP to info@wnybookarts.org if you wish to join us."

Permalink: FYI_More_Print_Shop_Coolness.html
Words: 123

02/11/09 05:54 - 52ºF - ID#47717

The Wide Wide World of Web "Marketing"

I don't know if I'd really call it marketing. There's no conversation about "brand" or "penetration" or anything like that. (Note the use of the word "conversation" as opposed to "convo").

I set up a twitter account, so if you simply MUST know the latest, this is the place to get it.

Also, i set up a facebook group a little while ago, which, I'm happy to announce, has members that I do not know personally. ^^