Sign painting is an attractive activity not just because I’m a type nut, but also because I’ve always enjoyed the satisfaction that comes with making physical things as much as digital ones made of ones and zeros. But let’s be clear — sign painting is not an easy pursuit — it can be physically challenging and incredibly difficult to do well, but it’s fairly low-tech and therefore approachable.

The above is a photo from my workshop. I completed the sign on the bench this past weekend. It’s far from perfect, and while I could have cheated and used stripping tape to mask the various shapes of the chromatic letters, I did this one freehand to work on two essential skills — improving my muscle memory with a brush, and speed. Ultimately, the lesson for me coming out of that project is: chromatic type is really hard to paint. Unless perhaps you happen to be John Downer.

Next up — practice, more practice, and then more practice. After that I’ve got an ammo case I picked up at the Alameda Antiques Faire that needs sprucing up.

In that time I passed quickly through orientation and hit the ground running on two projects which shipped within my first six months on the job, visited Seattle for An Event Apart, moved from my initial home base at the Sheraton in Palo Alto to a short-term apartment, walked a lot (note: cities along the California peninsula are not really designed to make walking all that easy), bought myself a new bike from Mission Bikes and started riding to and from the office 4 or 5 times a week (approx. 20 miles roundtrip), and after a difficult and tiring search, found a fabulous house in San Carlos and moved again at the beginning of May.

After getting settled (meaning: a new bed, couch, and setting up internet access and other utilities for the house), I started researching and preparing a talk I gave at Typecon in Wisconsin on Quentin Fiore’s design work with Marshall McLuhan and Buckminister Fuller and slowly getting ready for the family and all our stuff to arrive.

That week-long visit to Wisconsin, aside from being full of good friends, laughs, drinks, and of course amazing talks, also included a fabulous day drawing letters with Neil Summerour, Corey Holms, James Todd, Laura Worthington and many others plus a day trip to the Hamilton Wood Type Museum.

Immediately after returning to California, my family finally arrived and we adjusted to our new surroundings including Gillian starting first grade and turning 6. Thankfully we found a new groove without too many tears.

In September, I spent a weekend with my friend Naz at New Bohemia Signs in San Francisco learning the basics of sign painting. I haven’t had as much time to practice as I would have liked since then, but am gearing up to do more very soon.

September, October and November saw us venturing out more to explore San Francisco and the surrounding bay area — including a stop at the San Francisco Center for the Book for their annual Roadworks Steamroller Print Festival, a visit to Muir Woods, canoeing down the Russian River, a long weekend away to visit Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz. Oh, and more work for me.

By the end of the year, I had shipped a considerable number of projects across a diverse set of cross-functional teams, learned a lot, and even performed with pals Greg and Everett at the Facebook Design holiday party.

The end of the year also saw a number of departures from the team. While in pretty rapid succession, these changes and the challenges that have come with them have brought the team closer together and made us more resilient. The transition into the new year definitely hasn’t been easy but it’s definitely not been dull.

While I’m thankful for all of the fun, excitement and opportunity the last 365 days has offered, I’m honestly looking forward to a few uneventful moments in a pool with a tasty beverage real soon. Oh, and maybe soon being able to properly talk about the release of the thing I’ve been pushing for over the last couple years and which finally got greenlighted at the end of last year. Soon. I think. Then maybe I’ll even finish one of the 10 or 12 failed redesigns of this site.

If I had to define 2012 on a deeply personal level, what immediately comes to mind is clarity, focus, quiet, reduction, challenge, reinvention.

Here’s to continuing that trend in 2013.

What’s special about the Hamilton — aside from simply housing one of the largest and most impressive collections of wood type anywhere, is that it’s a working museum. Visitors can work with a large portion of their collection of more than 1.5 million pieces of wood type, and if you’ve lucky as we were, also get a glimpse behind the scenes to see how wood type has been produced for decades by one of the last pantograph operators in the United States.

Recently the Hamilton was notified that they must move out of the original Hamilton building which dates back to 1927. And so the staff is now tasked with the difficult challenge of raising the $250,000 they need to preserve this important historical collection and locate a new home for the museum and workshop by mid-February — a daunting task and timeline.

Even after only a short visit, it’s easy to see why the Hamilton captures the imagination of designers — and it would be truly tragic for such a magical place to disappear.

I encourage you to join me as a member of the museum or to make a dontation of any size to help ensure that no part of the great history of the Hamilton is lost.

I have a hard time believing that people have really fooled themselves into thinking that any elected official can really act on everything they'd like to in such a short period of time. Given the complexity of the political machine, nothing is simple and four years is not a long time. Little ever happens overnight.

While my instincts tell me I probably don't need to do anything to encourage my US friends, I hope they all exercise their voting rights and give Obama (the guy I would vote for if I could) another four years to continue the process of turning around the mess he was left.

/End political commentary

The sentiment of this brief quote from English poet, John Milton (1608-1674) echoes my own feelings towards books, and I’m certain, my father-in-law’s as well.

While I’m generally enthusiastic about digital books, I caveat it with the simple understanding that digital is not the answer for everything. Some books just don’t belong trapped as backlit ones and zeros. Instead the illumination of these books comes from their physical existence — from the impact they have in three dimensions. The loss of that would be a terrible tragedy.

To celebrate, and in a way, say thank you to those first billion people, we produced an ad. My suspicion is that a lot of people won’t get it. It’s a little opaque. It’s definitely not safe, but wants to be quiet and humble. It’s also probably not what anyone would expect.

The magic of an ad like this, like Apple’s famous 1984 ad, is that it’s completely open to interpretation and it’s impact most likely won’t be truly appreciated until much later. Until then — this journey is 14% complete.

It reminded me that there are times when the best thing to do is to look ahead and not dwell too long on the past. To not forget how you got to where you are, but to press ahead, to pick a point somewhere off in the distance and head towards it.

As much as I’ve been cynical about social services in the past, getting to see behind the curtain at Facebook has altered my perspective and allowed me to see that there’s more to the company’s vision than just talk. Be open. Be bold. Build trust. Again, I see that point in the distance.

The warm and encouraging welcome I’ve received speaks to the quality and maturity of employees, and of the organization itself endeavoring to be transparent to all. It’s allowed me to comfortably find my rhythm, to carve a path, to have an impact, and to do meaningful work that I connect with.

Across the board, the Communications Design team is top notch. The level of insight, integrity, commitment, and carefully nurtured creativity each person contributes and that allows the team to succeed is impossible to ignore. That the same reaches out to every facet of the company — all the way to the top —makes it that much more impressive.

It’s those things that further highlight why this has been the right move. There’s a genuine effort to support one another, to allow people to move fast and iterate, but most importantly, to do things right. In my experience, that type of environment is rare.

That the organization has been equally patient and empathetic during such a long transitional period means a great deal. At this point there’s only a couple weeks before the movers show up, pack our stuff into a truck, and haul it out to California with my wife and kids not trailing far behind.

While I’ve been back to Toronto twice so far since March, being 3000+ miles away from family and close friends for four to five weeks at a time has been tough. For me, and I’m sure for them too. To say Emily has been a trooper wrangling the kids largely on her own doesn’t begin to express the effort she’s put in and sacrifices she’s made to make this work.

I could attribute how I’ve been affected by this to the change of scenery, the temperate climate, or having the unique opportunity to work alongside so many people at the peak of their careers, but whatever the case may be, the top is down, the sun is shining, the stereo is blasting, and as far as my eyes can see — the roads are clear ahead.

Except on the 101 where it’s bumper to bumper for miles.

Think of it like this -- remember that scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (I know, I know [groan]) where the knights must answer three questions before being allowed to cross the Bridge of Death? In this case, to cross, you must first read this book. Then take a test. Then read it again. And then maybe do it all again for good measure.

Throughout the book's roughly 150 brief, entertaining, and no fluff pages, Mike lays all the cards on the table -- face up. He provides simple, clear guidance on how to run not only a successful and profitable design practice, but also one that plays to your team's or your individual strengths.

There are no claims that this stuff is easy. It's not. Design is a job. Like any job, you need to work at it to be good. You need to keep working at it to be better, and you need to know when to call in the reinforcements (e.g. the lawyers) when necessary.

That means more than just improving your Photoshop skills. It means learning about business. It means being able to not just communicate and justify your decisions, but to sell them. Your job is to lead, not follow. As soon as you give up the reins on your process, or let a client walk all over you, you're done for; and as Mike says, ultimately surrender any claim on the title "designer".

Stop trying to get your clients to "understand design" and instead show them that you understand what they hired you to do. Explain how the choices you've made lead to a successful project. This isn't magic, it's math. Show your work. Don't hope someone "gets it," and don't blame them if they don't -- convince them.

Throughout the book, Mike consistently reinforces how fear, a lack of shared trust, and misunderstanding your clients' and your responsibilities are critical failings for so many designers -- whether in-house, freelance, or part of an agency of any size. Again, these things aren't always easy to acknowledge, but success means more than just showing up, it means stepping up. Understanding and doing something about these things are catalysts for change.

While I can relate to, or have experienced nearly everything he discusses in the book during my career, there's one particular story that resonated with me the most. Mike talks about going to see a client one day and discovering the entire team he was working with was gone. I've been there, more than once. It's not an fun problem, but still one you can both protect yourself, and recover from. Luckily, both our stories had similarly positive outcomes.

If nothing else, the fact that I haven't stopped thinking about Mike's book is the sign that it's not just good, but brilliant. If you think you don't need this book, you probably do. And if you do think you need it, you definitely need it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go read it again.

Want a primer on the book? If you haven't already, watch his, um, colourful Creative Mornings SF talk from March 2011 on, er, getting paid.

If you asked me to sum up the last several months, I’d say they’ve been about evaluating, prioritizing, doing, undoing, showing, talking, thinking, considering, reconsidering, and preparing. They’ve been a convergence of opportunity, serendipity, and, I don’t know, something else. I think. Probably.

There are times when an opportunity comes knocking, when the effect would be profound, when plans, tactics, goals and values perfectly align, and when patience pays in spades.

While I’ve been fortunate to have recently discussed a number of amazing, and frankly, flattering opportunities, at the end of March, I’m grabbing one by the horns and headed south-west from Toronto to California to join the Communications Design team at Facebook, with my family following in the months following (once the school year is out).

To say I’m excited for the opportunity to work with such an impressive team and to tackle new challenges would be an understatement of the highest order. Seriously, this is a bad-ass team of designers and I’m truly humbled to be included in their company.

Of course none of this is going to be easy — it’s a big deal to move, let alone move from one coast to the other, to cross borders, and to be away from your family for a signifiant stretch of time. But we’ll make it work. We’ve made it through three very intense major home renovation projects and the birth of two kids after all…

Like others (ahem, @splorp), I’ve had my share of apprehension about Facebook over the years… and frankly, just about every other “social” service, but what I’ve seen, based on the brief glimpse behind the curtain I’ve had so far has reminded me that it’s made of people. And in this case, those people are clearly trying to produce something meaningful and with lasting value to help our increasingly connected world communicate, share, and remember.

Not only do I think this is an opportunity to do some really interesting and challenging work, but also to see an immediate measurable impact. Personally, this is also an opportunity to observe some of McLuhan’s ideas and their effects from a bit of an insider’s perspective.

Although we’ll miss Toronto (sorry In-N-Out but you’re no Burgers Priest) and our families and friends — the next great adventure awaits. See you on the other side.

On a side note, I had hoped that this would be the first post on my long overdue new site, but alas, that’s had to take a back seat for a few weeks while we’ve been busy with all this business… Oh, and that Frank guy had to go make his more awesome, so back to the drawing board…

I saw and read the article the day it was posted and although I didn't intend on commenting on it, instead just hoping it might disappear into the ether, it's bothered me ever since, so here we are.

I'll give the author, Stuart, a bit of a break insomuch as I'm sure he's well-meaning and a perfectly fine fellow (we met briefly after I spoke during Typecon in New Orleans earlier this year), but it's sending the wrong message. Frankly, I call bullshit.

And I quote:

You don't get into advertising in order to stroll in at 9:26 and stroll out at 4:48. You don't get into it for the balanced diets or eight-hour sleeps.

No, perhaps not. But it doesn't mean the expectation is wrong, that it's not possible to remain excited, to love what you do, and even thrive in the industry without sacrificing a balanced life outside that world.

Sure there are times when an early morning, late night, or spat of weekend work might be required (too often the product of someone's poor planning or project management), but as soon as that door is opened, it's almost impossible to close. Such behaviour should be a rare exception, not the norm. As soon as it's a regular occurrence, you're in trouble.

Unfortunately, those new to the industry, such as Stuart, quickly fall victim to this so-called reality which perpetuates the problem. It's a slippery slope and a one-way ticket to burnout.

The worst part is that he knew going in. He was explicitly told to expect it. That it's normal -- be ready to give up your life so someone else can reap the real rewards.

Before I accepted the offer, I called a couple friends who were familiar with the agency, who uniformly said one thing: So long as you're ready to work late and on weekends (if needed), Prox is a great place to work with a killer atmosphere.

A "killer atmosphere" is nice, but it's hardly everything. It's not enough to make up for what you'll sacrifice in the process -- something typically not apparent until it's already too late. It's not enough when you're automatically nominated to be a punching bag for the agency (or their clients), or subject to someone else's misguided sense of normalcy.

The only way to truly put an end to the problem is to say "no" to this reality. For yourself. For everyone that will follow after. Unfortunately for Stuart, he went in anyway, which meant he was already screwed.

In those new chapters, Brian provides an introduction to the use of the CSS @font-face syntax, and I cover a handful of the new(-ish) CSS properties such as border-radius, box-shadow, text-shadow, multiple backgrounds, and background gradients.

Because this book is aimed at newbies, it was an interesting challenge in restraint, and also my ability to distill some complicated properties, along with the use of vendor prefixes down to something a mere mortal can comprehend. If you've ever spent any time with the background gradient syntax for example, it's... um, complicated. That I managed to write something which makes learning the basics of CSS3 gradients simple, I consider that a win.

Aside from some minor aches and pains writing and editing in Word, the process was both a great learning experience and fun. And I, of course, would be remiss to not mention the expert editorial guidance provided by Bruce and our editors Cliff and Robyn.

Brian and I have some ideas cooking for something new, so I suspect this is not the last you'll see from us in book form. Until then, you can pick up a copy of the HTML5 & CSS3 Visual QuickStart Guide from Peachpit or Amazon.com, or if you happen to be in Canada, from Amazon.ca, or Chapters/Indigo.

While considering whether or not to attend a book reading by Steve Jobs biograher Walter Isaacson tonight in Toronto, I was reminded of the above quote from Bukowski. It defines Steve for me perfectly, and equally contrasts with McLuhan, who most would say falls into the opposite camp of people who expressed simple ideas in a complex way. I like to think McLuhan just made you work a bit to understand.

The funny thing about the opportunity to review these books in advance is that as much as I might have a lot to say about them, my inclination is to let them speak for themselves. A lengthy review feels contrary to the spirit of the books themselves.

Instead, I'd like to make or reinforce a few observations about the series and it's overarching relevance to designers, developers, content strategists, project managers, business executives, and everyone in between.

As with previous titles, HTML5 for Web Designers, CSS3 for Web Designers, and The Elements of Content Strategy, they paint an unapologetic picture of what the web could be and where those leading the charge are taking it. These books are ammunition.

Because I was already familiar with many of the ideas expressed throughout both books, what became evident was that I wasn't the primary audience. Ultimately, the real readership is not the early adopters. Those people -- myself included -- don't need convincing. Early adopters have already read the articles and blog posts, or heard Aarron and Luke speak on their respective topics. Nevertheless, I found myself nodding in agreement pretty much the entire way through both.

Newness of the content to early adopters aside, it's the relevancy, timeliness, length, and quality of these books, and the time required to comfortably read them that positions them to hold the attention of clients, managers, executives, and other decision makers (and yes, your common design nerd); to convince those people to explore a new approach, to make the web more expressive, more beautiful, and more future friendly.

Should you pick up copies of one or both of these books? Yes. Should you pick up copies to share with a manager, client, or co-worker who's less enlightened than you? Yes... yes you should.