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Early morning, April 4th 
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky 
Free at last, they took your life 
They could not take your pride

--Pride (In the Name of Love), U2

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I'm pretty happy I have tomorrow off (technically today--I'm writing this at 2 a.m.). Hopefully I will use this time for good and not for evil... hmm...

But, it's important to remember the reason for the holiday, and I'm loving this classy Google logo tribute to Dr. King:

Happy (belated) Birthday.

Have you heard about The September Issue?

Every year, Vogue puts out an issue in September that's even thicker and more fashion-filled than all the others; the September 2007 issue boasted the most pages to date.  Filmmaker R.J. Cutler wanted to document all the effort that went into pumping this issue out--the phone calls, the photo shoots, the substitutions, the models, the clothes (they conveniently left out the part about the poor saps like me who have to design and lay out the page spreads, but hey, I guess that's not important).

But more than that, Cutler wanted to see if he could catch big bad Anna Wintour being, well, herself, on film. If you're not familiar with Wintour, she's probably THE most feared editor in the publishing industry. She's touted as a cutthroat, ball-busting despot of a boss, who rules not only her staff but the entire fashion world--and all its designers--with an iron fist.  If you've seen or read The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep's character (Miranda Priestly) was based off of Anna Wintour. The book itself was written by a former intern for Vogue.

Since I was expecting something extreme, she actually didn't seem too bad in this documentary (in fact, a lot of the film centers around her brilliant but undervalued creative director, Grace Coddington). But the fact that she allowed herself to be filmed is momentous; Cutler is the only one she's ever allowed to document her and her staff while working on the magazine.  The motivation behind Wintour breaking her silence isn't clear (since she's rumored to not care at all about how she's perceived), but the film is great, nonetheless.

I saw the movie a few weeks ago with my magazine's art director and editor, and we all really enjoyed it. I think a lot of fashionistas will want to see the film for an inside look at fashion, but to be honest it's more about the process (and the chaos when the process falters) of throwing together a monthly magazine--something we were definitely able to relate to.  Even if people were uninterested in either subject, I think it's inevitable that they'd get sucked into the film by the human drama that's involved: the manipulation, the power plays, the frustration, and the sheer gall of some of the characters.

If you want to see The September Issue, you'll probably have to go to an independent or art theater unless you live in a big city (see where it's playing on the website). But check it out. It's worth it.

SIDE NOTE:  I checked the availability of the issue that was featured in the film (September 2007, Sienna Miller on the cover). E-bay had several copies up for sale...for around 100 bucks.

NBC, you've been a very bad boy. (Or boys. And girls. Whatever.) Bottom line: using unlicensed fonts when you're a major corporation is NOT cool.

The television network is being sued by Font Bureau, a highly respected type foundry, for unlicensed use of several typefaces. If you've been watching NBC lately, you may have noticed they're using new fonts for episode trailers in between shows. Saturday Night Live also had a slight design facelift (although I believe that logo uses Gotham, which is a Hoefler & Frere-Jones font). According to Font Bureau, who provided NBC with several of their typefaces, the network is taking a lot of liberties with their allowed use of these fonts.

You might be thinking: okay, so? They paid for it. They can do what they want. Font licensing varies depending on foundries' specifications, but it was invented essentially to protect designers. It takes an excruciatingly long time to design a typeface (font), and, like any product, designers and the firms they work for earn money by selling what they create.

The International Typeface Corporation (ITC) was originally founded by several designers in order to better market, license, and protect their work. Here's an excerpt of ITC's explanation of font licensing:

Alright, as a designer, I admit I've occasionally gotten some free fonts for whatever project I was working on in college...and they originally cost money...and I didn't technically pay for all of them. But come on, this is NBC! They have money, lots of it! And these fonts are being used in major branding campaigns seen by most of the nation!

Anyway, check out the article at Cityfile. Allegedly NBC had permission to use these fonts on ONE computer. Now, I'm sure part of the lawsuit will require proof that they have it installed on more than one, but think about all the commercials and collateral they produce. No way they could have cranked all that out on one computer, even if it were being used 24/7...but that's just my opinion.

And you thought font fights didn't get dirty! 

One of my favorite artists, A Fine Frenzy (which is what singer/songwriter Alison Sudol calls herself and her band) just came out with a second album.  It's called "Bomb in a Birdcage," and it seems to have quicker-tempo, happier sounding tunes than did her previous album, "One Cell in the Sea."  I personally prefer when she takes it slow; her ballads really showcase her vocals and her poetic lyrics better. But, I'm still gonna give this new one a chance!

After a recent Tori Amos experience (I was invited by a friend, and, while I definitely enjoyed it, it wasn't the same as seeing a band you really really love), I made myself think about who I would be willing to pay to see. Immediately, A Fine Frenzy popped into my mind. I told myself, "If she ever comes to the town I'm living in, I'm SO going."  I listened to her first album for a whole summer straight when it came out, and frequently since then. So I pretty much have her lyrics memorized.  For some reason this always makes me feel more favorable towards music, thus the phenomenon of liking horrible radio songs a little bit better once I involuntarily know every word. It's just this thing I have.

Anyway, since I follow A Fine Frenzy's Twitter updates....(yeah, I'm a loser, I know), I was made aware of the fact that she'd posted her next tour's dates. I was really hoping Austin was somewhere along the way, and lo and behold--it's the first stop!! She's coming here to perform at The Parish on October 20th, at 8:00 pm.  And, like I said, "I'm SO going." It's only $17 bucks, it's a small venue, and it's practically right down the street!

So, anyone want to come with me?

I'm going either way, but it's always fun to have a buffer against other possibly weird concert-goers. So let me know if you're interested! And don't worry about prior obligations, 'cause I'm skipping class.

Here's a song I really like from her first album...  

Think of You -- A Fine Frenzy

I love Google's changing logo. Whoever thought of that should have gotten a big raise. And whoever designs them must have a hell of a lot of fun.