MaKey MaKey is an invention kit for the 21st century. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It’s a simple Invention Kit for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything in-between.

I love the spirit behind this. As the father of a 15 month old, I can imagine that this will amount to infinite hours of creative invention for me him in the future.

For that, I used the fantastically simple mac app, Glyphs. It gets an A+ for suiting my needs perfectly. I put in a B+ amount of effort for results I’m pleased as punch with, though as I learn & test I may shoot for minor improvements from time to time. The font icons may render a tad on the jagged side for older machines, but it’s a fair tradeoff when you’re browsing from a retina iPad.

In addition to Icon Fonts are Awesome, check out Displaying Icons with Fonts and Data- Attributes from John Hicks for help with implementation. If you’re looking to create custom web fonts, check out Shifticons.

While I think the Freelancers Union site has some great resources & goals, I can’t get on board with the attitude of the longest invoice page. Since being in business, I’ve had 2 unpaid invoices. Sure, I’m disappointed in the clients, but I’m more disappointed in myself. I run a small business and like the fact that the buck stops at my desk, but I also realize it’s my responsibility (through things like contracts, legal advice, and payment schedules) to be sure that the buck gets there in the first place.

This post is my small way of participating in Ideas of March.

The project (and overall cause) reminded me of this story Aaron Draplin tells about an old sign he bought on Ebay and its horrific replacement.

Aaron’s right. Nothing depresses me more than seeing shoddy replacements for classic American signage. I recently heard we could have lost the neon signs at The Bluebonnet Cafe (site redesign coming soon) due to a proposed city ordinance in my hometown.

Thankfully, the city council seems able to recognize the historic nature of the signage and has taken a sensible, negotiable position on things. I grew up visiting the Blue Bonnet for pie happy hour, and that sign is part of what makes summers on Lake LBJ so memorable. Heck, I’d argue it’s the coolest thing in the entire city.

This project was a collaborative effort. Jean François Porchez and the Typofonderie team designed their new logo and all the specimens & images found on the live version of the site. They’ve been adding content to the new site for a couple of months now, and it’s great to see them fully moved in. Taecho Group worked with us on development, primarily in the Ecommerce department. Adam and Robert are the real deal, and the Paravel team was thrilled to seize the opportunity to work with our Austinite comrades.

The Typofonderie fonts were a joy to work with. We used Allumi and Le Monde Courrier for the site text and spent a great deal of time getting to know the typefaces while developing some guides for specimen creation. Here are a few samples of what Paravel came up with:

Thanks to Typofonderie for all their hard work, and for hiring us. Now, go buy some fonts!