Matthew Williams Design

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Untabled Paint

Paint Or Die But Love Me, designed by John Nouanesing.

Posted by matthew on 06/16 at 11:10 AM
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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Muni Don’t Take My Kodachrome

Since September 11, photographers have been stopped, harassed, and intimidated into handing over their personal property simply because they were photographing subjects that made other people uncomfortable, such as ship locks, trains, buildings, bridges, and bus stations. If you live in the United States, here’s a guide to print and carry with you: The Legal Handbook for Photographers. British photographers should carry The UK Photographer’s Rights Guide, since photography is slowly becoming illegal in the United Kingdom.

With that in mind (and with advice from my lawyer), I’ve designed these entirely fictitious Photographer’s Licenses.

This license is intended as art and political commentary in that one does not need a license to take photographs. This license is not an official government-issued document, nor is it intended as an imitation of an official government document, and it should not be used as such. The author expressly disclaims all liability for any use to which this artwork is put. This license is a work of fiction and is not to be used as official identification or authorization. Know your rights, and please support the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Posted by matthew on 05/14 at 04:05 PM
Design • Graphics • Identity • Photography • Projects • Travel • Art • (17) Comments • Permalink

Monday, May 04, 2009

Old School

Wu Note Records: Logan Walters redesigns Wu-Tang Clan (group and solo) album covers, Blue Note-style. More here and on Flickr.

Posted by matthew on 05/04 at 07:03 PM
Design • Graphics • Music • Typography • Art • (0) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Good Morning America, How Are You?

The last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific has a rich and dignified history. Delivered in 1944, No. 844 pulled the Overland Limited, the Los Angeles Limited, the Portland Rose, and the Challenger. After Union Pacific began using diesel locomotives to pull passenger trains, No. 844 was transferred in 1957 to freight service, and in 1960 she was retired for special service. Today, No. 844 travels the country as one of Union Pacific’s remaining “living legends”. Here’s her schedule and route.

If you’re in the Bay Area, No. 844 is on display today, from 8a to 6p at the Union Pacific yard. She pulls out of Oakland tomorrow morning at 9a sharp.

Posted by matthew on 04/21 at 12:47 PM
Engineering • History • Photography • Travel • (0) Comments • Permalink

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Voight-Kampff Logo Upgrade

When I saw the Voight-Kampff user’s manual up for auction (along with Deckard’s gun,) I decided to upgrade Voight-Kampff’s identity. Here’s the new Voight-Kampff logo, business cards, and T-shirts.

Posted by matthew on 04/16 at 05:56 PM
Design • Graphics • Identity • Projects • Typography • (0) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Yes We Did

Early this morning, a group of pranksters--apparently including someone with extensive graphic design and signage experience--changed Bush Street to Obama Street.

Happy Inauguration Day, everyone!

Posted by matthew on 01/20 at 05:09 PM
Design • Graphics • History • Projects • Signage • Typography • (0) Comments • Permalink

Monday, January 19, 2009

Yes We Can

I’m looking forward to tomorrow morning.

Posted by matthew on 01/19 at 10:33 PM
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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Subway Face

When did the New York City subway system begin using Helvetica for its signage, and why was the change made? Here’s an essay which explores the shared and intertwined histories of the New York City subway system, transportation signage in the 1960s, Unimark International, and, of course, Helvetica: The (Mostly) True Story of Helvetica and the New York City Subway.

Also, Joe Clark writes about Type in the Toronto Subway.

Posted by matthew on 11/19 at 12:03 PM
Design • History • Signage • Typography • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Celebration

Pictures of people all over the globe celebrating Barack Obama’s victory. Today is a great day, and thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Posted by matthew on 11/05 at 02:18 PM
History • Photography • (0) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Danger Diagram Database

Warning: Bad Pole Dancing. Break Dancing Will Deflect Flying Arrows. Books May Contain Wrenches. Your Planet Has Been Scheduled For Demolition. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers has a searchable database of free downloadable safety messages, hazard-avoidance, and hazard-identification pictorial representations in .eps and .dxf formats.

Posted by matthew on 11/04 at 09:16 AM
Design • Graphics • Signage • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Vintage Signage Image Linkage

Here’s a Flickr group for photos of old motel signs.

Posted by matthew on 10/29 at 08:47 PM
Architecture • Photography • Signage • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Outside, A New Day Is Dawning

Kim Shattuck--the singer/songwriter/guitarist of The Muffs--is now a professional photographer. Here’s her Flickr collection of vintage signage.

Posted by matthew on 10/15 at 09:55 AM
Photography • Signage • Typography • (0) Comments • Permalink

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Far Out And Groovy, Mom!

During the mid-1960s, my mom and dad lived in Berkeley, and they went to a lot of concerts. My mother saved the lithographed and silkscreened concert posters and handbills, and she loaned me her collection so I could scan and preserve them archivally. I’ve been uploading the scans to Flickr. Enjoy!

Posted by matthew on 09/04 at 09:37 PM
Design • Graphics • History • Music • Typography • Art • (0) Comments • Permalink

Friday, August 08, 2008

The Office

Our office was featured in Unplggd! Thanks for the feature story, Sonia!

I began working on our studio the day after Sharon and I moved into it in 2004. We were both busy with work, so whatever I did couldn’t interfere with either of our workloads. In a sense, I had to work backwards--we moved in, plugged in the computers, and then began working on how the studio should be arranged. I worked in the evenings and on weekends so I wouldn’t interfere with business, and I’d tell Sharon several days before moving or disconnecting equipment so our work interruptions were minimized.

I’d spent many years working in different office environments, so I had several ideas about how best to use our new workspace. I’d always liked the openness of the design and architecture firms in which I’d worked, and I wanted to avoid the sterility of cubicles. But we had a very tight budget, so we were constantly searching Craigslist and Freecycle for used and free office equipment. Sharon and I found chairs, a conference table, all sorts of miscellaneous items, and a free color laser printer that only needed a good cleaning and a new fuser assembly.

I bought solid-core doors from a lumberyard, coated them with Varathane, and rested them atop a pair of file cabinets to form cheap, sturdy, simple desks. Sharon found the cabinets at Ikea, and we found the poster at the Art Deco fair in San Francisco. The models, mobile, and the “Utopia" letters were design projects. The office is finally finished, and we’re very happy with the results. You can see the before, during, and after Flickr set here.

Posted by matthew on 08/08 at 12:48 PM
Projects • (0) Comments • Permalink

Friday, August 01, 2008

“Corel Draw, Gradients, and Blippo Fuckin’ Bold!”

The Draplin Design Company is embarking on the World’s Longest Yard Sale. Also: The Draplin Project, by Jess Gibson, and Why America Is Fucked. Alternate YouTube link.

Posted by matthew on 08/01 at 12:31 AM
Video • Design • Signage • (0) Comments • Permalink

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