2 for 1

These both were taken near the Bitter End on Clement St.

signage 2

signage

Photos of signage--especially weird signage--will be the 'Cap's theme for the next few days. This guy got creative with the dry-erase board as a cost-cutting measure it seems. I like his rendition of the aol guy. Who uses that anymore though?

estate sales

Whenever I'm out and I see one of those pink estate sale signs, I have to go find the house and check it out. Nine times out of ten all you'll find are a bunch of Johnny Mathis records, some beat-up old fur coats and a table full of kitchen utensils, but you're always hoping for that Diebenkorn that some lucky asshole finds occasionally.

I'm actually kinda ripping off my photography teacher by posting these. That was her thing--the idea of the estate sale as this largely vacant space and searching for clues to the identity of the person who once lived there amongst all the crap that was left behind. I don't know if, after seeing this home, I know the person who lived there any more than that guy I walk past on the way to work--actually, that's not true--I know she was into art and Shakespeare and those large Nutcracker Christmas ornament things; but so are a lot of people, right? I don't know. Just check these photos out. Maybe you can figure out who this person was. And maybe then we can all go the funeral together.

the mirror has fifteen faces

Stupid title - couldn't think of anything cleverer.

photoblog

This blog is currently undergoing a change of focus. To be honest there never really was a focus. The nightcap has always been a potpourri of purposeless observation, commentary and critique. I like it mind you, but I have a bunch of photos that I want to post here. Gone will be the profound insights you've come to expect from one of the blogosphere's sharpest minds--at least for the short-term. For now, enjoy the photos!

I just really like this picture

Not a perfect image - it's too light and washed out but there's something hypnotic about it. Maybe it's the emerald tone or the way your eyes are drawn to the red shoes in the middle.

self-portrait

semicolon

Just fashioned this little graphic for this biweekly copy newsletter at work. My boss and my wife were both put off by it--thinking it overly morbid and weird. Is it really that gross? I think it's kinda funny.

Window dressing

I've always wanted to get a photo of the window-dresser as he enters his space. Makes for an odd nexus of reality and make-believe. Never had my camera on me until this time.

font talk

I consider myself a fan of design. I like to keep a largely untrained eye on trends and developments in the industry. I'm interested in the psychology behind a given typeface or approach--what makes something work or not. And I'll tell you, one thing that isn't working for me anymore (don't know if it ever did) is the manner in which holistic/wellness services are advertised.

I'm not sure why it is, but it seems that designers in this field are only aware of one font and its numerous derivatives. You see this font (I think it's called humana serif) everywhere--promoting enemas, pot clubs, yoga, massage. Why are designers so enamored with it? Would it kill you to use something cleaner? Maybe a Gil Sans or a Century Gothic. Switch up your typeface and you've distinguished yourself in the marketplace--the one thing business people are always striving for. Perhaps they're afraid that consumers are so conditioned by that one font that they'd be confused by another one. Like McDonald's employing a blue trapezoid as opposed to the golden arches.