St Bride and freshers week

 

This was our first week of real activities! The freshers week, except we are not freshers, some of us have freshers already too many times!
Tuesday some of us went to St Bride Library in London, where we are supposed to be found the next months lots of times, talking to Nigel, our host at the library, trying to explain him what we need for our research! It was a very nice introduction!
Before that I wondered in the streets of Soho and Convent Garden, when I saw this new Apple shop, and I couldn't resist to play with the new Ipad! It's amazing! I love it to go online, maps, and all the apps, except reading, I love books, and I wont take an Ipad to read in bed…
After the visit to Saint Bride we went back to Reading, already getting used to the trains at Paddington. The next morning awaited!
Wednesday morning was the induction to the department, the welcome day.
It was very nice to meet the last few ones integrating our group for Typedesign and also the other MAs, for Bookdesign and Information design, and also the Phds this year, that I was very glad to meet Alice Savoie and Sébastien Morlighem.
We were all day on campus doing bureaucratic stuff and then a social gathering at the department, that lead us to a pub nearby to finish our first meeting of the year with everybody!

P.S.
One funny curiosity, when doing the student card, when of the nice girls asked me what I was here to study, and then she replied, "Is Reading still the only place where you can study that? ", quite funny!  Of course right now it's not the only place, because we all know about KABK Type Media course, and also some new ones appearing in Mexico and Portugal. But still I said, "No, there are others, but this is still the best!" I had to say that!

First days

After almost eight days in Reading, I finally get the quiet and will to write. It has been a long week adjusting to life in the UK. Especially the weather, it's not easy not to have much light, but well, one gets used to it! Some say it's the latitude, that makes us feel very tired the first days, especially for us southern europeans.
But well this is just some weather adjustments one needs to do when moving away from your country!
The program hasn't started yet, but this year we had homework, so everybody is home drawing, reading, and doing some exercises. But we find time to go out and get to know the city, and
the department.
It's very interesting to meet our colleagues, that are from all over the world, really, from Japan, India, Greece, Holland, United States, just some of them… So our English is a mixture, very
funny sometimes!
We also had the chance to meet some previous students that gave us precious advices, especially work hard, concentrate, and try to follow your instincts, and ear what the professors can taught us, lots of wise words.
It's nice to see them all happy to finish but at the same time sad that it's all over! But it's never over! Hopefully also some previous students of past years will also be teaching us at the department, and that is very good sign!
Right now almost all students are arriving to Reading, the last ones arrive during the weekend! Next wednesday is the first meeting at the department with all students, this year we are 18! Let's hope everything goes smoothly, I believe it will!

In the mean time a nice calm weekend just organizing for a full start on tuesday in London at the St Brides Library!

AtypI 2010 Dublin

AtypI 2010 Dublin

Last month started with a visit to Dublin to attend AtypI 2010, The Word.
The journey in the world of letters started and it was very intense! Lots of information and learning, new people to meet, many familiar names but unfamiliar faces.
Of course I can't compare with previous editions because this was a first, but still I can say that almost of the conferences I saw were amazing, with lots of interest.
It was very nice also to meet some of my future colleagues of the MA Typeface Design at Reading, and lots of the previous students who were very nice giving us inside information! We need all we can get! Many of the speakers were in a way connected to Reading, and that was interesting giving a very important first approach to our academic life this year. I admired the friendship between people who are competitors in the same field, it felt that they had a very healthy relationship.
I can't help myself to thank all the portuguese and Brazilians present in the event, they were so nice and brought some latin flavor to the parties!
The visit to the print museum was also a high point on the event and lots of us got his/her name on Lynotype machine!There were lots of interesting papers, for example from Jo de Baerdemaeker on Javanese typefaces.I was happy to meet Miguel Sousa, the first Portuguese to ever do the MA at Reading, now working at Adobe.
It was a very well organized event, the food was great, and the venue very comfortable. Always a nice cup of tea or coffee to warm you up!
I felt happy, I still do to have found a group of people that has the same interests, that for normal people are strange things, but for us it's a passion for the written word, it's story and design.
As future colleague of mine said going out together of a bookshop, "it's the first time that I walk around a bookstore with someone looking at covers and lettering!", that's us!
Looking forward for next year at Reykjavik 2011!

Home(working)

The homework is in progress. Reading and drawing.
I already have everything ready to take off to Reading in September. After weeks of running from doing the passport, getting the health card, I finally have almost 100% of things done. I already have a room in a very nice house with other MA students!
So, after all that business, I am finally drawing something more, at the Studio DSTYPE at Matosinhos, Portugal, where my professor of Typography at ESAD open his studio doors and gave the opportunity to share his space and knowledge. And also Pedro Leal, who already has a very successful typeface named Mafra.
I'm struggling and remembering Fontlab!
It will be just for a couple of weeks more to shake off the vacations mode!
I hope the work is more or less with a good appearance to show you in the beginning of September.
One thing I have already have noticed, or felt, is that working with typography, at a foundry has nothing to do with the work in a design studio, is different, more precise, more focused on what the client needs, is solving a real specific problem. I like that, this kind of approach takes me again to the way of thinking of the architect.
I will post another text about that.

Homework

Augusts is being a very warm month, here in Porto! I profit the beach close to my house, and try to keep in store some of the sun, that won't be so much when go to Reading.
In the morning I go for a walk, or a bike ride, and then an hour at the beach, and in the afternoon, I do some of the homework.
And has we can see everything starts early!
Meanwhile I finished my BA at Esad!
Right now I am happy on vacations, with preparation for the year at Reading, logistics, housing and stuff! But in the beginning of July, Gerry sent us some emails with lots of information, and also some homework!
I started to go on the books to read, got most of them right now to read. Read a few, and also some sketches too!
I went to buy some pencils and sketch books to hand draw some typefaces!

Some of the books to read before October.

Adicionar legenda

Want to come to the beach?

Gothics

Last Spring at ESAD we had really nice workshop on Gothic alphabets with Professor Dino dos Santos, it was very nice, to try the new pens. Here are some pics, enjoy.

This one are mine.