Seasonal Wishes from Circle...

Circle2011_SeasonalWishes, originally uploaded by Adrian J.K. Shum, CGD.

Wishing you hope, peace, love, joy, and the very best for 2012 (the year of the Dragon)!!!

In lieu of the traditional, Circle has opted to distribute holiday e-greetings (past cards drew from Chinese proverbs, ancient rune translations, etc.). This year's message was written by Robert L. Peters.

In Support of Movember 2011...

Movember2011, originally uploaded by Adrian J.K. Shum, CGD.

I've decided to participate in this year's Movember movement in support of prostate cancer initiatives... it's gonna be interesting.

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in Canada and around the world. With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer.

On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their gallantry and valor by either throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember.

You can support my Mo-growing efforts by donating to the cause: http://mobro.co/AdrianShum - thanks for your support!!!

2011 GDC National AGM - Banff...

GDCAGM2011_127, originally uploaded by Adrian J.K. Shum, CGD.

I've uploaded the photos that I took during the 2011 GDC National AGM to my Flickr, feel free to check 'em out, here. Cheers!

Recommended: Gibson Typeface for GDC...

Gibson_4GDC, originally uploaded by Adrian J.K. Shum, CGD.

Gibson is a beautiful, san serif, OpenType typeface. Gibson is designed by Canadian type designer Rod McDonald, and produced by Patrick Griffin and Kevin King of Canada Type, to honour John Gibson (FGDC), Rod's long-time friend and one of the original founders of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC).

All sale proceeds will be donated by Canada Type to the GDC, where they will be allocated to a variety of programs aiming to improve the creative arts and elevate design education in Canada.

Beautiful typeface, at a ridiculously low-cost, with proceeds going to support the GDC. Win/Win/Win IMO. Go and pick up your copy today at MyFonts.

Happy Holidays from Circle...

All the best wishes to you and your loved ones for a happy holiday season, filled with love, laughter, and good times!

For a number of years now, Circle has distributed holiday e-greetings (past cards drew from Chinese proverbs, ancient rune translations, etc.).

May 2011 (the year of the Rabbit) bring you prosperity, peace, love, and happiness. Cheers!

Warm Wishes from Circle...

Holiday greetings! May your holiday season be filled with much warmth, love and happiness! Cheers!

For a number of years now, Circle has distributed holiday e-greetings (past cards drew from Chinese proverbs, ancient rune translations, etc.).

Recommended Viewing | The Longest Way 1.0...

This video found on Youtube - The Longest Way 1.0 follows the ambitious, year-long, on-foot journey of a traveler as he attempts to walk (and grow a beard) from China to Germany. It's an enjoyable video to watch... check it out on Youtube, here - enjoy!

Learn more about this traveler's ambitious journey at http://www.thelongestway.com/ - cheers!

Burned-out?

A List Apart posted an interesting article a while back - Burnout (May 2009) written by Scott Boms. I can't help but feel as though he's talking about almost everyone I know... myself included. ;P

Scott's article brings up some interesting points for discussion... I wonder if this is a greater issue than it may appear. Stats in recent years have shown dramatic increases in the prescription of anti-depressant drugs, is society in general suffering from 'burnout'? Possibly related to visual/informational over-stimulation? Things that make you go hmm...(?)

I'd be curious to know what others think, after reading the article. Check it out over on A List Apart, here - cheers!

COOL! iPhone - Typographic Reference Manual...

I'm on the verge of taking the plunge, and getting me an iPhone... do I really need it? No. Do I want one? HELL YEAH! The fact that GDC Members can get a discounted iPhone rate from Rogers adds to the enticement... ;P

Seriously, aside from the obvious 'cool factor', the iPhone applications are what really attract me... like the one above, which was recently posted to the GDC Listserve by Marilyn Matty - a long standing contributor to the GDC Listserve. If you're a designer, I'd think that this application will be highly valuable to you... learn more about the application at their website, http://typographyapp.com/ - enjoy!

Thanks to the Marilyn for sharing the link with the GDC Listserve - cheers!

Recommended Viewing | Carved in Stone...

The Leeds School of Business flew master lettercutter Douglas Coffin from Sandpoint Maine to carve the Koelbel name into a new building.

Coffin is one of only six lettercutters in the US. View the video to see the carving in progress and hear Coffin describe the art, techniques, and pleasure inherent in this rare (perhaps dying?) art form. Watch the video embedded above or on YouTube, here - enjoy!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day! Proud to be Canadian - 'nuf said. Cheers!

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I came across the following video and felt it was an appropriate video to embed for this post. Check it out above or via Today's Big Thing, here - enjoy!

Happy 25th Birthday Tetris!

This Saturday, Tetris the world famous falling brick/puzzle game turns 25! Excerpt from CNET news:

...created by Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov in June 1984, Alexy had an immense love for puzzles, and felt compelled to create a game that allowed players to arrange distinctive puzzle pieces along the bottom of a field or "matrix." Pajitnov chose the name Tetris by combining the words "tetromino" and "tennis." The game was first made available on the IBM computer.

It quickly enjoyed popularity and was ported to a variety of other platforms. In 1987, it became a major hit in the United States. But it wasn't until Nintendo released its version of Tetris for the Game Boy in 1989 that Tetris reached critical mass. According to The Tetris Co., the Game Boy version of Tetris sold more than 35 million copies.

I have fond memories of playing Tetris on my original Game Boy (back in the day)... video games and technology has come a long way in 25 years. In celebration of this historic occasion, I offer you Human Tetris, watch the video embedded above or on YouTube, here - enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mr. Peters!

Happy 55th Birthday Rob! Wishing you all the best, on this day and the rest! May all your birthday wishes come true! Peace, love, and happiness always... cheers!

Image: ASCII portrait of Rob prepared as part of my e-card birthday greetings.

Happy 33!!!

Circle turns 33 today!

No joke. Today marks 33 years since the birth of Circle Design Incorporated (known as Circle Graphics back then), sharing the illustrious 1976 April Fools’ birthdate with a little company called Apple Computer. ;)

Happy 33rd Birthday Circle!

Learn more by visiting Circle's website at http://www.circle.mb.ca/ - cheers!

Gung Hei Fat Choy! Sun Lein Fai Lok!

Gung Hei Fat Choy! Sun Lein Fai Lok!
Happy Chinese New Year!

The Lion Dance is a part of traditional Chinese New Year festivities. If the dance is done correctly, it's believed to bring happiness and luck, and will ward off evil spirits. The amateur video footage embedded above (from YouTube user, ghodax), was shot in Victoria, BC a couple of years back during their Chinese New Year celebrations. I doubt that they'll be having any Lion Dance celebrations outdoors in Winnipeg today as it's a balmy, -40 degrees celsius (with the wind chill).

2009 marks the year of the Earth Ox. May the Year of the Ox bring all humanity, good health, peace, love and happiness - cheers!

R.I.P. Shigeo Fukuda | 1923-2009

It's with great sadness that I learned today through Rob that Shigeo Fukuda (an internationally recognized Graphic Designer, Design Sensei, artist, sculptor, and master illusionist) has passed on. Long have I been an admirer of Fukuda-san's work, I love his poster work.



The international design community mourns, as one of its brightest stars (or a comet if you prefer) has fallen. There's an article in the Icograda eNews regarding his passing, here. You can view some examples from his prolific body of work, here and here - enjoy.

Rest in peace Fukuda-san. You will be missed.

Wicked! Blue Vertigo...

Another wicked link to share (at least for creatives)... Blue Vertigo is an online archive of web design resource links. The links are vast and varied, covering topics such as fonts, stock photos, vector artwork, logotypes, Photoshop brushes, icons, 3D Poser downloads, colour tools, text generators, patterns, sounds and design contests (whew!).

Definitely worth a look (or bookmark) IMO. Check it out for yourself at http://www.bluevertigo.com.ar/ - enjoy!

Thanks to 'Segun Olude for sharing this awesome link via the GDC Listserve - cheers!

FYI...

Since MUHSASHUM was featured as a Blogger Blog of Note, I've experienced a huge spike in traffic, reader comments (which I have to moderate now... see below) and new followers, with that being said, I felt I needed to clarify a few things:

1) I don't post everyday, although I try my best... I do back-fill posts when I have time (this post would be an example), as some posts take longer to write than others.
2) I appreciate all the comments I get and try to answer any questions ASAP - I don't appreciate SPAMMERS... ;(
3) I enjoy porn as much as the next guy, but I really don't need or want any sexual/penile enhancement products nor links to 'something I might be interested in' - get a life! ARGH!
4) Thanks if you're one of the many people who send me cool things to look at, or blog about... I appreciate it.
5) If you haven't yet, please check out some of the recommended links, blogs/RSS feeds I've got in my sidebar navigation. If you enjoy my blog, then I'm sure that you'll find something amongst the links that you'll like.

Cheers!

Thanks Blogger Team!

MUHSASHUM was the Blogger Team's Blog of Note for Wednesday, December 17th, 2008. Thanks for taking the time to peruse my blog! I've definitely seen a spike in traffic, new blog followers and comments... ;) Cheers!

Recommended Viewing | The Grid System...

I highly recommend you check out The Grid System, the ultimate online resource for grid systems. Excerpt from the website:

Made popular by the International Typographic Style movement and pioneered by legends like Josef Müller-Brockmann and Wim Crouwel, the grid is the foundation of any solid design. The Grid System is an ever-growing resource where graphic designers can learn about grid systems, the golden ratio and baseline grids. Created by Antonio Carusone, graphic designer and author of the design and typography blog AisleOne.

Some very cool and highly informative stuff (IMO) on this website... check it out for yourself at http://www.thegridsystem.org/ - cheers!