As most of you know justifying type means that the margins are even on both the left and right margins. It’s a way of organizing lots of text and making it easy for the eye to read.

Unjustified type sets the type ragged on one side. This can also make for an attractive and readable setting.

In order to justify type, space is inserted between words and, sometimes, letters, so that things line up. To a certain extent, this additional space compromises the integrity of the type and makes it less attractive. However, the overall effect can be that the eye has an easier time reading.

At Working Design we use both methods frequently and oftentimes within the same publications. However, we haven’t extended that to our use of type on the web. We are rag right only adherents. And that’s because the web can’t deliver the fine type adjustments that make justified type attractive and readable.

Here’s an excellent blog we ran across recently that underlines that point.

http://www.slaw.ca/2010/01/21/lawyer-type-4-ragged-is-right/

So, do you know what type you are?

English design house Pentagram has an amusing online survey that matches you to “your” typestyle.

Can four simple questions really find a match between your personality and a typographic design?

Check out the entertaining video and see! Go to http://www.pentagram.com/what-type-are-you

Enter the password “character”

There are several groups and activities you can be in touch with, get involved in or attend in order to help fight the proposed BC arts cuts.

A loose coalition of artists and organization has launched a website which is both informative and allows you to send email to the BC government: www.stopbcartscuts.ca

And, you can attend Wrecking Ball at the Vogue Theatre on Monday, November 23. For information: www.stopbcartscuts.ca/thewreckingball

The Alliance for Arts and Culture counts 350 arts organizations as members and has been a driving force in protesting the proposals. Their website has a wealth of information. www.allianceforarts.com

Also, there is a group on Facebook you may want to join called “Organizing against Campbell’s cuts to the arts”.

This holiday season we are urging our friends, colleagues and clients to support the arts in BC. The BC government has announced its intention to chop arts funding by 92 per cent over the next three years. The current 47 million budget will be slashed to just under $3 million dollars.

Besides letting the government know what you think of these crippling cuts, we’re suggesting you promote BC arts and culture.

Support artists, writers, artisans, musicians and their businesses and organizations. If you exchange gifts during the holiday season, consider subscribing to BC magazines, sharing BC books and visual art or music. Buy tickets or make donations to your favourite theatre company or festival. Go to a gallery or volunteer your time.

Here’s a list of some of the groups, people and businesses we work for, are friends with or simply love! Not all of them have been hit by the government’s funding cuts. But all of them are worthy of your support.

And you can start this weekend! You have an excellent opportunity to see and buy the work of hundreds of artists and artisans at the annual Eastside Culture Crawl.

And then there’s:

Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture
Coastal Sound International Choral Festival
Coastal Sound Music Academy
Vancouver Review
BC Bookworld
Beats Without Borders
Momentum Magazine

Coastal Jazz and Blues Society
Vancouver International Film Festival
PUSH International Performing Arts Festival
The BC Arts Council
New Star Books
Solo Collective
Duthie Books
Ronsdale Press
Arts Starts
Headlines Theatre
Alliance for Arts and Culture
Firehall Theatre
Vancouver East Cultural Centre

We’d love to hear your suggestions for arts groups that you care about.

Proposed changes to the way BC Courts operate could make trials cost more and take longer. Working Design is proud to have helped develop a campaign launched today to oppose those changes. Sponsored by the Trial Lawyers Association of BC and the Consumers Association of Canada, the campaign has a website at http://www.protectingjusticeforbc.com and print ads appearing in a variety of newspapers starting this morning.

We worked on this effort in collaboration with our colleague Bill Tieleman of West Star Communications. In addition to designing the website, Working Design developed the overall identity for the campaign materials.

We’re proud about our work on this important initiative and pleased to play a role in spreading the word to all of you through our e.newsletter!

Our tip sheet on Top Tips to Writing Great Email has been getting a lot of response, hits and circulation. http://www.workingdesign.net/blog/tip-sheets/17-top-tips-for-writing-great-email/

A recent article in the Vancouver Sun alerted us to a similar effort by the University of Victoria’s Information Systems Department.

Entitled “Better Practices for Email” the brief report discusses how to write, use and manage the email you receive. Check it out at: http://www.cass.uvic.ca/betteremail/use_email.php

The 31st Annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival is this weekend! I look forward to seeing many of you there.

In the meantime check out the interview I did with the Georgia Straight’s Alex Varty in my role as a board director for the Festival.

http://www.straight.com/article-153727/folk-festival-looks-future?

Late California poet Richard Brautigan wrote in the 60s and 70s, well before personal computers became ubiquitous. Sweet vision!

All Watched Over
by Machines of Loving Grace

by Richard Brautigan

I’d like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.
I like to think
(right now, please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.

I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace.

We want to thank all of you who entered the Working Design contest and provided us with many useful comments about our new site. Much appreciated.

We’ll be announcing the contest draw winners next week.

Working Design is having a contest draw with free prizes to celebrate the launch of our new website and to encourage you to visit and let us know what you think.
What do you like? What would you change? What would you add?
Everyone who sends in comments will be entered into a contest draw for the following prizes:

• 2 gift boxes from Saul Good Gift Co. (valued at $100 each)
• a three-month yoga pass to YogaSukha (a $240 value). YogaSukha is located around the corner from the Ridge Theatre at 16th and Arbutus in Kitsilano.
• Camino Fair Trade chocolate bars (this chocolate has quickly become a studio favourite in the past year!)

The draw will take place June 25. Enter TODAY by sending an email to ideas@workingdesign.net. Please put “Website Contest” as the subject line.
If you’re reading this, you are eligible and encouraged to enter!