Hand Made has come to stay

Hey there fellow spongers, (meant in a good way of course)

Well, it's been quite sometime since the first installation, and I have been very busy with many things including a holiday. 

I thought this post should be reflective of my attitude towards my craft as of late which has been rather hand made, back to basics

 and organic, and thus I am calling it...

"Hand Made has come to stay!"

Getting onto the good stuff though, I thought I'd start out with a bit of love to some other, more regularly updated blogs that should be read, if for nothing more than a bit of informative stuff!

http://ilovetypography.com - obviously!

Has some really interesting articles and a few inspirational things here and there... 

http://www.fortheloveoftype.blogspot.com/ - Mrs Eaves - a.k.a Gemma Wards blog, full of inspirational stuff for aspiring typo students!

http://spiekermann.com/en/ - always good to hear what Mr Spiekermann is up too!

http://www.dailytype.ru/ - it's russian, but who cares... it's very visual anyway.

http://www.lettercult.com/ - Not a frequently updated blog, but worth a squizz!

Something every designer should learn about, even if you don't actually ever do it yourself, is to learn about book binding! I took to it straight away and keep trying to find new reasons to make books. And it's not as hard as it looks... well there are shortcuts anyway.

Here is just one tutorial about the most traditional type of bookbinding, found in most books today. But there are many others, and many other types of (easier) binding!

http://davethedesigner.net/booktut/ 

Just for interests sake, I thought I'd add this...

I also discovered Etsy.com which is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade. If you're into creating stuff yourself, check it out for some great ideas!

Recently I was just browsing through Borders, and found a gorgeous book, of which I have a growing appreciation of (books that is). I wanted to buy it purely for the grap

hics, the concepts, the materials used, the cover... *drool*, however me being the poor uni student I am thought that I could either go without lunch for the next week, or buy the book! Needless to say I had to separate myself from it and decided to come back later when I had money. Which I did after boxing day, and to my surprise, it was 50% off! New release and all!!! I love a good bargin.

Anyway, the book is called "Like I Give a Frock" and is quiet funny reading (you probably wont get it if you are a male) and has some great graphics and gorgeous hand-made type.

You can buy it from Borders, and most online book shops I assume!

And last but never least, a little type inspiration.

Today's comes from Samantha Hahn's website. She is an illustrator, surface pattern designer, crafter, blogger, and art teacher all in one.

Check out her website which has some pretty cool stuff...

Also, I  thought I'd post a little project I did today as a little "sorry you have to go back to work tomorrow" present for my mum... It made her feel a little better...

A planner and 5 cute day of the week pegs!

What can I say, I love stationary!!!!!

The Student Sponge

Welcome to The Student Sponge blog.

Personally I like the name, and I'll probably stick to it. Lame site though. But I felt as though getting out what I need to say was more important at this point than a fancy web page. It will come with time, because I am passionate for the cause.

This blog isn't about me. It's not a spot for me to validate my being on the world wide web. It's not to impress or degrade anyone. It's for sponges, like you (who obviously came here for a reason). It's for those who have a desire to learn, to grow their knowledge, their vocabulary and ultimately their wisdom. Without learning, wisdom is never attained. I'm not claiming I know everything - far from it. This is one of the many reasons that drove me to start this concept. I guess in a way this blog is for me.

I'm also doing this (and get ready for the whinge) to combat the failing Australian Education System. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful for my education and never take what I have learnt for granted, I just know that when I went to University, I became aware very quickly, that I knew nothing about graphic design and had so much to learn. It was so bad that I didn't even know Typography really existed and mattered! Yes, I was a Comis Sans user (all the Typographers out there, please understand it was not my fault).So this blog is to combat students' lack of knowledge, to promote initiative and learning and to raise awareness.

I must admit, I am a Typography fan (my eyes have been opened) and this blog will be somewhat biased in that direction, but I plan to post all sorts of things including profiles of designers, every student should know, links to important blogs every student should read, images to inspire students in time of need and openings and galleries all students should attend, just to name a few.

I believe a blog like this, for students, by a student, is so crucial to learning and understanding. We are the next generation of designers and we need to learn from each other in any way possible.

So now that the introduction is out of the way, I have a few very important things to post to kick off The Student Sponge Blog!

Firstly, for those who are struggling to understand Typographic Design (or want a sound knowledge in it), Ellen Lupton's, "Thinking with Type" is a crucial book to read, and if you (like myself) can't afford a book and can't seem to get it from your Uni library, visit her website. I have taken everything I could find on her website and put it in a folder for referencing. If you have passion, you have to start somewhere.

Next, a CRUCIAL thing for ALL Graphic Design Students in Melbourne, Victoria, you MUST MUST MUST, visit the Melbourne Museum of Printing.

It's a small little place in Footscray, walking distance from the train station, run by a few very passionate old men (I'm fairly sure it's entirely volunteer based). It has been threatened to close down due to lack of funds, but this is not the only reason to visit (although a very good one). I ended up spending over an hour in this little shed full of old printing glory with Micheal who taught me so much about the "way things were done" that I could never replace what I learnt about Typography there, and I couldn't have made a bigger donation (I gave them everything in my wallet). Did you know that the word Stereotype comes from the origins of typography? It's $4 for concession and $6 without, open on Thursdays and Sundays and you will not walk away without learning something new. In the words of my typography teacher "Get into it!"

I think it's essential for students to know what's going on and who is who in the design world. I don't even know half of the names mentioned in my classes, and so the only way to learn is to investigate. The web can be a wonderful thing. I didn't even know about this guy until I took 5 minutes from my day to read a little about him. (See, even I learned something new today). So...

Neville Brody is a U.K born and based, graphic designer and typographer, who is famous for his involvement in The Face and Arena magazines. He runs his own studio,Research Studios (since 1994), in London with his business partner Fwa Richards and now has studios all over the world. I wanted to highlight a project he is involved in called FUSE.

I thought I would keep in the student spirit with today's type inspiration. It comes from Gemma O'Brien who studies Graphic Design, and is one type obsessed and inspiring young lady.
Read the article at LetterCult for more on Gemma and the background to this creation, but in the meantime, enjoy her genius.

That is all from me today. Hold onto your horses though, as I have much more to give!

Kirsty :)