Masala Egg with Cheese on Toasted Bagel by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
This morning, I decided to build something hearty, savory, spicy, and warm for breakfast. I decided on an egg sandwich and did a few things to make it a little special. First, I got out a bagel and split it, some American Cheese, and some crushed tomatoes. I seasoned all of that with garam masala, salt and pepper, before putting all that in the oven for 5 minutes at 300° Fahrenheit.
Masala Egg with Cheese on Toasted Bagel by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Then I cooked an egg in an egg pan, covered on very low heat for 5 minutes, checking intermittently. I scrambled and seasoned the egg with garam masala, salt, and pepper as well. When it was done, I topped the cheese with the egg.
Masala Egg with Cheese on Toasted Bagel by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
After bringing the sandwich together, I cut it so that it was easier to manage. The tomato was warm, a bit spicy and savory. The egg was clean, still a bit soft due to the low heat, and added a nice bit of protein. The cheese acted as a de facto sauce, creamy and cooling. The bagel was soft on the inside, but had a satisfying crunch on the outside. All told, the sandwich is about 450 calories, and a very delicious way to spend them.
Masala Egg with Cheese on Toasted Bagel by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Tame The Web logo rev4 by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Tame The Web logo workspace by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Here is a final image of the workspace that I used to create the new Tame the Web (TTW) logo using Inkscape, with the help of Michael Stephens. Michael has been the heart of TTW since its inception, and wanted to have a logo to present his organization to a larger audience. He reached out on Facebook (where I get most of my work) and asked about logos on his page. He got some feedback, and in the process, Lori Reed decided to tag me, and I responded that I’d love to be involved in the logo if possible, and that I’d work for free. Michael contacted me and we began. I asked him to fill out the design brief on this site (it’s in the menu above) and when I got the response, I did this.
Tame The Web logo revision 0 by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
I tend to start logo work with the fonts. In this particular case, I used some of the information from the design brief to create a possible logo. In the brief, Michael talked about the past branding work that he had done and what had been present. He wrote that a heart symbol had always been a constant in identifying TTW. He also shared a palette, some quotes, and some clarifications in order for us to work through the logo. Michael understands brand. When he saw the image above, he said that the logo I proposed was beautiful, but that it was not the right feel. He said that it had a certain old-timey feel to it, and that he was looking for something a bit more contemporary. I understood, and decided to focus on fonts, as I usually do. He told me he liked a few of the fonts in the first submission, and I decided to focus on those.
Tame The Web logo rev1 by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
In this revision, I took the fonts that Michael liked and tried a few subtle differences, including the pipe between elements,. the kerning, and the imagery. I never thought the whip would go very far. 🙂 I sent them to him, and he said that he loved the curve in the line, but that straight spoke to him more. He also liked the tighter kerning in some of the versions. He liked the horizontal version as well.
Tame The Web logo rev2 by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
After he gave me feedback I focused just on the elements and kerning that he liked, and decided to incorporate the palette he had suggested, with deep blues. I grabbed one of my favorite deep blue palettes, and applied the colors to the elements. I sent it back.
Tame The Web logo rev3 by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
But there was still the issue of the missing heart. I decided to play a bit with text and image to introduce hearts, which Michael enjoyed. We agreed that the solid blue heart worked best, and worked best ahead of the title.
Tame The Web logo rev4 by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Here are the final two versions of the logo, one horizontally aligned, and one block sized. I absolutely loved the opportunity, and I’m so grateful to work with someone like Michael. Even though I always have great, creative, and interesting clients, Michael was a standout.
Divine bovine made of text by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Bovine made out of text
Here is the latest in my text based animals series. Cow-Schmow, she’s a bovine.
‘Bovine comes from the Latin word for “cow”, though the biological family called the Bovidae actually includes not only cows and oxen but also goats, sheep, bison, and buffalo. So bovine is often used technically, when discussing “bovine diseases”, “bovine anatomy”, and so on. It can also describe a human personality, though it can be a rather unkind way to describe someone. When Hera, the wife of Zeus, is called “cow-eyed”, though, it’s definitely a compliment, and Zeus fairly melts when she turns those big bovine eyes on him.’
from “Bovine | Definition of Bovine by Merriam-Webster” at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bovine curated by lemasney creative. Feel free to share.
A very simple idea, and quite a simple design. A great font with some kerning applied, essentially. I try to make this one of my daily reasons for being.
A monogram for Dan Wadlinger #cc #design #typography #inkscape #dw
A monogram for Dan Wadlinger #cc #design #typography #inkscape #dw
I’ve received a strong response of interest (maybe jealousy?) in the “friend monograms” sketches, and I’m saying right here that if you ask for one, I’ll make every effort to make you one, or in this case, 12. I think letterforms and their relationship are art. I got a lot of help from fontographers on these, but the kerning, custom nodes, placement and relationship, etc., is mine. Thanks for asking, Dan! That’s what this project is all about.
A set of monograms for friends by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #cc #design #typography
A set of monograms for friends by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #cc #design #typography
So this was inspired by the recent sketch of my longtime monogram as well as a conversation with Sarah Badawy about how some combinations of letters work better than others. In order to do each of these, I went through the same workflow in Inkscape each time:
Using the text tool, type the first and last initial and highlight them both
Using the font dialog, flip through each font until the right font shows up. The right font is one that properly represents the subject, provides an interesting way to connect the letters, creates an interesting shape, and is visually attractive.
After the font is chosen, you can use the kerning features of the text tool (alt plus arrows when you have the cursor inserted) to move the letterforms into the perfect relationship.
If there is any part of your font that you don’t care for (I don’t like dots on the letter i, generally) you can use the select tool to select and convert the text into a path (shift-ctrl-c) and then ungroup the text (ctrl-u) in order to work with the letterforms independently and also use the node editor to directly manipulate the text turned paths.
You can do it. You can also extend this methodology to any string of text to make logos, wordmarks, and text based art and design.
