I was asked to put together a last-minute fact sheet for the Scalia Law fall 2022 entering class. The goal was to showcase the numbers, such as 2114 applicants, 415 admitted, and 53% women. Because of the time constraint, I decided on a typographic direction.

Based on the provided content, I created a nine-column grid system to organize all the numbers and the corresponding texts. For typesetting, I chose Acumin, designed by Robert Slimbach, for its variable fonts, which provided a wide range of weights and widths. Once the grid system was in place, I filled in the columns with the numbers. While experimenting with variable fonts, I discovered that I could keep the weights constant, but change the widths based on the digits of the numbers. The longer the digits the narrower the glyphs and vice versa.

I ended up creating a typographic system, in which the numbers stayed balanced but dynamic. The result was simple on the surface, but sophisticated underneath with a solid grid and typographic foundation. This was one of the reasons I loved working with variable fonts. They offered limitless flexibility and precise control at the same time. Take a look at the high-resolution version of the fact sheet.

I found Sam Daugherty’s questions to ask during the interview process to be helpful; therefore, I wanted to repost them here:

Task-related Questions

• What is the skills gap you’re trying to fill?
• What are the ideal skills or experiences for someone in this role?
• What does the day-to-day look like?
• What are some high-level problems I’ll be working to solve?
• What are the backlog problems I’ll need to solve?

Job-related questions

• Is this a backfill position or a growth position?
• What does success look like in this role?
• What does collaboration and communication look like on your team and between teams/departments?
• What is the average timeframe allotted to research/design a solution?
• What is the makeup of the team and how are tasks divided?

Long-term questions

• What kind of growth opportunities are there?
• Where do you see this role/team in 3 years?
• Are there opportunities for mentorship?
• Do you see the team growing and what sort of growth do you expect?

Company questions

• Describe the culture of the team and the company for me?
• What made you want to work for [company] and what’s kept you here?
• How often do you have to work late, on weekends, or feel compelled to respond after hours?
• What does taking time off look like and are you expected to respond to messages during vacation?
• Are there opportunities to travel and meet the team in person (if remote)?

More tips in the comment section from Jared Spool:

If you open with “When you hire the right person to join your team, what would y’all be able to accomplish that you’re not accomplishing right now?,” you’re showing that you’re very interested in the team’s success. It gives you an opening for many of the follow-up questions.

Chances are, from the answer, you won’t even have to ask many of them. For example, you’ll likely learn if the reason they’re hiring is that there’s a skill gap or that they’re just shorthanded. You’ll learn if it’s work on the backlog or if these are high-level problems being solved (or high-level problems on the backlog).

You can even ask what they’ve tried in the past to accomplish these things and explore what didn’t quite work out. That’ll give you good insights into the history of “how did you get to this moment” (something that lots of folks forget to ask about), which can be quite telling about how the team and organization works.

With every follow-up question, you can mentally build up a case as to what’s in your history that would make you an ideal candidate. You can wrap things up with a summary of that.

Skiing is fantastic and I still love skiing. Last season, I learned all I could and reached my goal. I went from green slopes to double black diamonds. I will keep on skiing, but I also want to try snowboarding again this season. Last season, I took one lesson, snowboarded for one day, and gave up.

Several months ago, I bought a used board for Đán, but he didn’t want it. He didn’t want to change. Since he was comfortable with the last year’s board we rented, he ended up renting the same board again. The board I bought is a bit too long for him, but might be good for me. I sharpened the edges, fixed the base, and gave it a good wax. The board is now pretty slick. I bought a pair of brand new thirtytwo Zephyr boots on sale for a decent price.

Now that I have everything I need, I am going to make the commitment to snowboarding. I will learn on my own via YouTube. I will take my time to get it right this time. I will document my progress on here like I had done with skiing.

The wool’s removed and now I see
My leg was pulled, the joke’s on me
So heartbreaking, like loving a whore
Might hurt ya once, but never no more
It’s like trying to fly but they clipping your wings
And that’s exactly why the caged bird sings.

Malice (An excerpt from “We Got It for Cheap”)

While browsing through the Vietnamese section in Fairfax County Public Library, I came across a children poetry book titled Cây cối quê hương (Homeland Trees). The book has ten poems selected among the best in the treasury of Vietnamese literature for children. The poems were compiled by Lê Phương Liên and translated by Hiếu Trần.

After reading a few poems on the spot, I have to include them in my samples for Vietnamese Typography. The beautiful, innocent, and poetic words lit up my soul and brought me back many childhood memories. For the kids, these poems will bring them closer to nature and help with their language development in Vietnamese and English.

I spent my rainy Saturday being stuck inside and whipping up a simple webpage. For typesetting, I combined Lang, designed by Stephen Nixon, and Gimlet Sans, designed by David Jonathan Ross. For visual presentations, I got the photos from Unsplash.

Enjoy!

Update:

Rob Blake tweets:

This is beautiful and inspiring. Amazing to see the web mature as a medium for both poetry and typography.

I really appreciate that.

It’s the time of the year when I dread the most. This year, I have a new supervisor and I also have to review the Web Content Specialist who is reporting to me. I am not good at writing review of my own performance, but I am just going to plow through it. Here we go.

Job Function 1

My main responsibility as Director of Design and Web Services is designing, updating, and maintaining the main law school website.

1. The contents on the main school website are being updated on a daily basis. I work closely with our Web Content Specialist to make changes according to requests. We also make sure the contents are accurate and accessible.
2. I make incremental rather than drastic changes to the design of the main law school website. The small changes improved the user experience without catching the users off guard. Redesign is in progress and it is being rolled out in components.
3. Maintaining the backend server is the crucial responsibility in this role. Keeping the technologies up‐to‐date is essential in longevity as well as security. I implemented content delivery network (CDN) to speed up the site performance and web application firewall (WAF) to prevent hacking attempts.

Job Function 2

My second responsibility is maintaining a network of websites for the Scalia Law community. The WordPress Multisite is powering almost 50 sites ranging from intranets to centers to institutes to faculty members to student organizations to marketing sites. We let stakeholders updating their own sites, but we assist them when they need new functionalities or troubleshooting WordPress issues.

Job Function 3

As Director of Design and Web Services, I serve the Law School community with their websites, print marketing materials, and content updates. I work with outside agencies and vendors on their behalf to make sure they have all the resources (web servers, social media access, analytics) to do their job.

Accountability

• I take full responsibility for my role in keeping our web presence attractive, up‐to‐date, accessible, readable, and secured.
• I take my supervision responsibility to make sure we’re on the same page. For example, our HTML markups and coding must be cleaned, organized and readable. Our content on the web must be clear, accurate, and error‐free.
• I take full accountability in all of my areas of responsibility in order to meet the mission and goals of the law school and university.

Collaboration and Civility

• I work closely with everyone at the law school as well as colleagues in the University to provide the highest services to meet the Mason standards.
• I am a team player and I always listen respectfully to others.

Self-Development

• I always seek to learn latest web developments.
• I continue to hone my writing skills.
• I reach out to colleagues within our department or the university for projects we can collaborate.
• I always stay on top of new technologies in my field.
• I seek out new, exciting projects, which benefit the law school and also enhance my self development.

Diversity and Inclusion

• As a minority member, I understand the important of inclusive and diversity.
• I listen, respect, and contribute to diversity and inclusivity.
• I have a strong and deep understanding of the value of diversity and models inclusiveness in working with our diverse staff and all members of the law school and university community.

Leadership

• I encourage my web developers and content web specialists to reach their goals. In addition to the work for the law school, I encourage them to take on projects that will help them grow their career.
• I provide leadership to the law school community in my areas of responsibility. I make sure that my goals for the school’s websites and print projects align with the goals and mission of the law school and university.

Mentors and Coaches

• I am always opened to help others who need feedback on graphic design and web development.
• I continue to update the web design and development blog to provide in‐depth documentation on MODX and all of the special features that I have implemented over the years.
• I also encourage the staff who work for me to contribute to the blog, which allows them to improve their analytical skills.

Stewardship

• I look for resources offered by the university before considering outside vendors.
• I maintain confidential information related to work.
• I maintain the highest integrity in his work and interactions with others and adheres to law school and university core values.
• I hold myself to the highest ethical and professional standards and encourages and inspires others who work with me to do the same.

You revisit old wounds for the same reason
birds will come back to the places
their nests have been destroyed
The mind walks into the same room
because it wants to know how to fix
those floorboards, paint the walls,
turn this into a more habitable place
if it tries something different from the last time.
This is survival.
This is learning how to live through pain
once the skeletons have decided to walk out
of the closet and refuse to go back in again.
Call it the worst story you have ever owned,
a car crash within your bones
that you cannot stop staring at.
But the only way to understand pain
is to look at it and feel it
without turning away.
There is no shame in this.
Eventually, it will scab over and heal.

Nikita Gill

Responding to Đán’s teacher about his interim report:

Dear Ms. B,

Thank you for your comments in Dan’s interim report. Last night, we talked to him about his unwillingness to speak Spanish in Spanish class. We’ve learned that his lack of confidence in Spanish has prevented him from speaking the language.

We encouraged him to do his best. All we are asking from him is to put in the effort. We’re also asking Dao, his older brother, to speak Spanish as well to give Dan more exposure to the language outside his class. Dan has promised that he will speak Spanish in class. Please keep us updated on his progress.

As for math, what is he learning and struggling with? We can’t help him with Spanish, but we can definitely help him with math. Please let us know what you are teaching in class so we can follow up with him at home.

Thanks once again for bringing up your concerns to our attention about Dan’s progress. We also appreciate your compliments. He is indeed a kind and thoughtful child. With your guidance and our collaboration, he will have a successful year.

Regards,

Donny Truong

yesterday was wonderful
everything is new now
neighbors, house
i feel comfortable here
one step at a time
i find my way (sometimes)
the rest of the time is just learning
my morning routine?
wake up, go for my coffee, and
write in pencil on paper
today i wrote this
different from english
surely i will make a mistake
but that’s okay too
this is unusual, trying to
write vietnamese
i like it very much
patience
thank you, v

dipika kohli

As the youngest boy in the family, he gets all the love and attention. Despite being home with his mom and grandmother most of the time, he isn’t shy away from meeting new friends. He is outgoing and he has such an infectious smile. He is articulate for his age. He knows exactly what he wants. He is also an independent child who likes to do things for himself without getting any help for his parents and brothers.

In contrast, he isn’t quite ready to put breastfeeding behind. He still latches at night time to get his fix. He is still potty training. He doesn’t wear a diaper until he needs to do the number 2. He would request a diaper instead of sitting on the toilet. I am sure he’ll get over these two things this year.

Now that he is 4, I can start cleaning up all the toys he no longer plays with. They have been piling up in the basement for a long time. In retrospect, I don’t see him playing with toys too much. He is a digital-screen baby. He isn’t picking up sports as fast as older brothers. He seems to like skiing. I can’t wait to hit the slopes with him this coming winter.