Illustrating “Modern Love”

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000

On Nov. 3, the New York Times opened its doors, and its heart, for an exhibition of illustrations by Brian Rea and Christopher Silas Neal. Culled from their fruitful output for "Modern Love" -- a much beloved column in the paper’s Sunday Styles section -- the work speaks for itself, of course, but also for the talent and intelligence of the art directors. The illustrations are strong enough to stand on their own, even divorced from their newsprint context; and when they’re collected together in a new setting, a rich tapestry of experiences and stories emerges.

As Modern Love’s creator, Dan Jones, writes in the show’s introduction:

Shopping for typefaces

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

You walk into the showroom. Here is the salesman: affable, dressed the part. Here is the promotional literature, detailing the features, benefits, and provenance of the product. In the center of the room, you are invited to see yourself with it, your image imposed upon the design. Finally, you look up to find the centerpiece. It glows and spells out its virtues, and you are moved by its luminance.

No, you are not shopping for the latest VW Bug. Your salesman is no slick-talking charmer (although he is quite charming). Rather, he is the type designer Christian Schwartz, and this is a week-long pop-up shop advertising the release of Marian, a new font in nine weights from Commercial Type. Called “Thieves Like Us,” the show is a collaboration between Commercial Type and Dino Sanchez, an industrial designer and artist, and it offers a new and ambitious way to present specimens of type to designers.

Salon.com > Ben King

Illustrating “Modern Love”

Shopping for typefaces