I love reading blogs, and I’m going to make a wild assumption that you love reading blogs too, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. In my daily excursions deep into the heart of the Internet, I come across sites that blow my mind (especially when considering that someone investing precious time to create them). These sites are so quirky and fascinating that I couldn’t bear keeping them to myself. So on this lovely Friday, give your brain a little break and check out these sites!
1. Premier Issues
The first issue of Adbusters, 1989
This website is neat because new issues are always being added, which means that people are still driven to create print magazines. Plus, the archives provides a sweet collection of oddball, ultra-artsy magazines that the general public would never find elsewhere. These are the publications with monosyllabic titles such as Egg, Douche, and Foam.
2. Design History: An Interactive Timeline
For those wanting to completely immerse themselves in all things design history, this is the site for you. The minimalist design is easy to follow and fun to click. Causal browsers are welcome too!
3. Encyclopedia of Typefaces
Are you a typography maniac? Our graphic design intern Taylor Francis showed this one to me, exposing his deep-seated fascination with typefaces (can you say design nerd?). Truly, this is a great resource to classify, categorize, and connect typefaces.
4. The History of Colour Systems
Athanasius Kircher, 1646
Ok, so this one isn’t necessarily a complete website, but the content is so killer I thought I’d let it slide. For the color theorists and optical physicists, this specific blog entry showcases illustrations dating back to 550 B.C., exploring the history of human conceptualization of color. You have to admit, this collection is intriguing just for its historical context alone!
5. Letterheady
This site is probably my favorite on this list, mostly because of the variety of pop culture and historical icons included in the collection. From Ghandi to David Bowie, take a look at how some of the most famous people in the history of the world branded themselves on a piece of paper. I warn you though, your whole afternoon might disappear when cruising through this one-I speak from experience!
6. Lorem Ipsum
I remember the first time I saw this filler text. The linguaphile in me always wanted to find its origin, but professors and classmates repeatedly told me it was just gibberish. So I lit up with delight and when I found Lorem Ipsum, confirming my suspicions that the text may be based on actual text. Bonus points go to the Hampden-Sydney professor here in Virginia that made the discovery. Besides fulfilling my need to always be right, this site also claims to be the original Lorem Ipsum generator. (Apparently, other Lorem Ipsum generators tend to mix dirty words into the text. Yikes!)
Newseum is a popular museum in Washington D.C. whose exhibitions focus on news and media. News+Museum=Newseum, get it? Aside from the clever name, this popular museum’s website has a vastly different approach to what we consider an online news aggregator. Rather than collect articles from different online sources, the interactive Today’s Front Pages displays the front page of 905 papers in 85 countries. I spent most of my time hopping around the various front pages of previous cities where I lived. It’s also interesting to make comparisons between newspaper layouts.
The Visual Dictionary is a collaborative project, with worldwide amateur and professional photographers submitting images of words found in real life. Words can be found in signage, graffiti, advertising, and even tattoos. This site really gives you a 20,000 view of all the different colors, fonts, typefaces, and designs that we use to communicate. (Note-the cover photo from this post is in the Visual Dictionary!)
I hope you find as much enjoyment in these sights as I have, and that your brain is freshly stimulated to finish strong on a Friday. Now get back to work!