Insightful essays, meticulous explanations, and striking designs make this book an important and compelling read. The attention to the letterforms throughout the book not only explains why the classic typefaces continue to play a vital role in the digital age, but also help you learn the details of type. It is definitely worthy on any designer’s bookshelf.
Tuần vừa rồi cả nhà bay đến vùng biển Miami dự lể cưới đứa cháu. Mướn khách sạn ngay biển nên hai thằng con rất thích. Ngày nào cũng tắm biển rồi tắm hồ bơi nguyên ngày nên chúng tôi cũng chẵng đi đâu ngoài ăn một tối cùng gia đình hai họ, dự tiệc cưới, và đến khu vườn trái cây của người Việt để mua nhản, chôm chôm, cóc, và ổi.
Hai đứa nhỏ bây giờ tuy quậy lắm nhưng cũng biết hưởng thụ. Vào nhà hàng đồ biển ăn uống no nê rồi kết bạn quậy. Đi dự tiệc cưới cũng vậy. Nhảy đầm cho đến khuya rồi lăn ra ngủ. Vừa xỉn vừa phải ẩm từng thằng từ xe lên phòng ngủ.
Được đi chơi vài ngày cũng vui và nghỉ ngơi. Cuối tháng này đi tiếp qua Dominican Republic cũng chỉ ăn, ngủ, nhậu, và tắm biển. Cuộc sống bây giờ chỉ đợi bao nhiêu đó thôi.
In the past few months weighing the pros and cons, I have decided to separate my personal blog from my professional work. The decision is hard to make because Visualgui has become both my personal and professional presence on the web for so many years. On one hand, I still enjoy blogging and designing for the web. With everything in one place, it is easier for me to focus my attention. On the other hand, the blog is somewhat limiting my design decision because I wanted to support Vietnamese type. In addition, the blog is always about readability.
With my portfolio separated, I can use more type choices and play more with the design. With that said, allow me to introduce ON Designs, a brand new website that showcases only my work. The concept of ON Designs is played off Omit Needless Words inspired by inspired by William Strunk’s 17th principle of composition. ON (Omit Needless) Designs focuses on the necessity of the users. A user-centered experience should contain no unnecessary elements; therefore, every design decision needs to be thoughtful, simple, and intuitive.
Even though I have been working on this site in the past few weeks, I decided to changed the typeface to Acumin, a new design by Robert Slimbach, after seeing the announcement on Typekit yesterday. To stay true to the brand, Omit Needless Designs, I wanted to make the site as simple as possible. I invite you to visit my brand new site.
A fascinating look into the process of making type in the sixteenth century. By provides the technical considerations and challenges that went into the punchcutting technique, Smeijers makes you appreciate type design. It’s an intriguing read for type nerds. Just finished through the entire book and I already wanted to reread it to soak in all the details.
Đạo is at lesson 39 with Let’s Read: A Linguistic Approach. We have been reading three to four lessons each night. He shows tremendous improvement. When we read together Đán also wants to read. I started him with the alphabet. The book doesn’t have the letters in the alphabetical order. It starts with A, I, Q, and so on. For the past five days, I couldn’t get Đán to get past the first two letters. He doesn’t seem to be focused or he’s having a hard time recognizing the letters. It’s frustrating and worrisome at the same time because he’s turning four soon. I am hoping that he’s not focusing. I’ll talk to his teachers today to see if they can help him or figure out if he has some learning disability.
Ms. Johnson ends her latest NetFlix special, Not Fancy, with her mockery of Vietnamese accent at the nail salon. Her imitation is no longer offensive, it is just pure lazy. If she wanted to make fun of a foreign language, she at least should have learned it first or done some research. Her gibberish came off stupid, if not stereotypical, even though that was not her intention. Ms. Johnson is not the extreme type of comedian because most of her materials were lighthearted and she hardly used profanity. Not Fancy is an enjoyable PG entertainment if you can get past her somewhat irritating pitch.
On a rainy Saturday, my sister-in-law’s husband and I took the boys to Kid Junction. What I like about this place is that the boys can play for five or six hours by themselves and I can read my book. They got to do some physical activities on the multi-level climber and be off the iPad. It’s well-worth the ten-dollar-admission for each kid. It’s a good marketing strategy that adults are always free.
As I cut my boys loose and enjoyed reading my book at the cafe table, a mom asked if she and her two-year-old girl could share the table. As we had our little chitchat, she asked me if I had any ground rule for the kids when they were younger. She and her husband are having difficult time with the little girl because she doesn’t understand or listen yet.
I gave her my honest answer. I had no rule in place and I improvised my way through. Although I am flattered that she asked me, but I am the wrong guy to ask. I am not good at parenting. In fact, I am terrible at it. All the things kids do that I despised when I was not a parent, my kids had done it or doing it. When I refrained from spanking them, all the rules and disciplines broke. Even when they disrespected me by hitting or screaming at me, I took them. It angered me, but it would hurt me more if I hit them. It’s a horrific feeling to hit my children, something I wouldn’t do to anyone else. Rising kids have been extremely stressful for me, but things are getting better. My six-year-old still whines a lot, but he is no longer hitting. My soon-to-be four-year-old still does it every once in a while. He hits his brother more than us. I gave him timeout and other kind of disciplines. Though he’s a lovely kid most of the time.
As far as school goes, I had not done much for them. Đạo’s reading assessment dropped in the beginning of the school year. To help him read, I have been using Let’s Read. We have been reading three or four pages each night and his reading had improved. He recognizes the words quicker and reads faster. I am so glad that I have found this book in the library. I came across it while looking for a grammar book for myself.
Parenting is a long-term commitment with patience and discipline. It is a constant challenge. Even though the excitement of the third child is not as much as the first one, I am very much looking forward to seeing him. Again I’ll just go with the flow.
Last Thursday night before I started my class, I made sure the door was shut and locked. The senseless shooting at the Umpqua Community College shooting made me took the precaution. I have 20 students under watch; therefore, I am responsible for their safety. It’s a damn shame that the U.S. has the best educational institutions in the world, and yet they are no longer a safe place to be in.
The gun law in the U.S. is in desperate need for a reform. President Obama spoke out about it in anger:
As I said just a few months ago, and I said a few months before that, and I said each time we see one of these mass shootings, our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel. And it does nothing to prevent this carnage from being inflicted someplace else in America next week or a couple of months from now.
Obama’s time is running out. The candidates who make gun control their top priority will have my vote and support. I urge you do the same to make this country not only a great but also a safe place to live.
The first project for Web Design & Usability in the Fall of 2015 has been completed. Students were assigned to the design a mobile web site. A few projects have been uploaded to Pinterest.
In yesterday’s faculty and staff meeting, George Mason University President Ángel Cabrera praised the Mason Law website. He pulled up the homepage on his phone and said that he loved the action buttons: “Apply Now, Request Information, and Visit Campus.” When he gave prop to the web developer, everyone clapped and looked at me. It was unexpected and I was too embarrassed to say anything; therefore, I want to express on here that the credit should go to the entire team, particularly my supervisor Deborah Keene and marketing advisor David Rehr.