Almost April Fool's

It's Friday and there's dead mouse smell lingering around my cubicle. That must mean it's time for a link roundup. At some point in the near future I plan to again add some real content to this site, but in the meantime links to others adding real content will need to do the trick. Also, I'll make another plea: If you have any thoughts on the design of this site or want to help me by taking a look at my thoughts for the redesign, please let me know.

April Fool's Day

Yup, it's that time of year again.

• As usual, Waxy.org has a list going of all the pranks.
• Chuck Klosterman has a review of the still much awaited Chinese Democracy by Guns 'N Roses. It includes this choice quote: "Several songs make thinly veiled references to the architect who designed Rose's backyard topiary garden, a move that may confuse casual listeners."

Design

• Autobahn has developed a font based on the grid of a fence. Perfect for street art.
• In Search of a Comprehensive Type Design Theory has an interesting take on why there's a newfound interest in typography: "Just as the purpose of DNA analysis is to identify the location and function of every human gene, so the study of typefaces can be seen as an attempt to understand the formal appearance of the smallest unit of the written word."
• Kevin Cornell creates all the illustrations for A List Apart. Over at his blog he has documented the process for creating one of them.
• Designers must write. Here's why: "Design is not solely visual. Those who believe it is, make an unconscious decision to confine themselves solely to craft. This limits these individuals from growing and taking on more complex and broad challenges." Right on.

Two Favorites

1. Apparently there's a section in New York Magazine called High Priority and each week they ask a different designer to create a graphic for it. According to Design Observer the rules are simple: "The illustration is 4.4 inches high by 6.875 inches wide; it has to include the five events, the dates of the week, and the words "High Priority;" and it can only use two colors, red and black." Check out the full gallery of designs.
2. I like Guy Kawasaki. Check out his recent post The Art of Driving Your Competition Crazy. It includes eight ways to go about doing it, but more importantly, it's all based on being obsessed with the pursuit of excellence and better customer service rather than beating the competition.

Word up. That's it for now.