The accommodations on the trip were top notch, thanks to our kind sponsor.

We will continue to blog the process on these fonts, so check back soon!

I’ve been on trips before. Met people I’ve only heard about before. Even been reminded why the West Coast is geographically superior to its East Coast brother before. But those were only supplementary discoveries to this trip. And it’s not just the sum of our experiences that totals our time spent in reverie, it’s something different altogether. We went out to California to exchange stories, to acquaint ourselves with someone else, and to build a typeface(s). I’m pleased to say we did all of the above.

But I think the most astounding part of the whole week is when I think about the idea that this typeface is still a work in progress. It wasn’t born, perfected and distributed in 4 days. The very concept of type as a work in progress is a sign a craftsmanship–the potter acknowledging that as far as the clay has come, it’s not done yet. That this “work in progress” might only be the beginning. And in a lot of ways, so are we all.

I believe we’re living in a generation that has a more difficult time with the idea of “heroes” than any time before. It’s not always so black and white. Looking at the new archetype of our superheroes in anything from film to comics and you won’t see the old world structure of wholly good vs. wholly evil. Most of them are human beings, broken and flawed, fighting against what they see as an injustice in the world. The Dark Knight being a primary example of all this. We’re privileged enough to see a sense of humanism in our new heroes but it makes *having* heroes a different sort of worldview.

I spent time this trip with those I’ve called “hero” before. I think my favorite part of the entire week was sharing meals and drinks and stories in an exchange where no one felt like a hero and no one felt like a fan boy. We were all content just to be here and now. Those we look up to and aspire to be like, those we’ve wanted to learn a technique or two from, those we’ve wanted to ask how they see the world like they do just to allow us to see it through their eyes for a small window of time.

Everyone on Field Trip SF that I had the privilege of interacting with, from the crew to those we invited over for dinner became a hero of mine. It was inspiring to leave the world of design for a bit to share a meal where we, as people and friends enjoyed the company of those we’ve admired for so long. I got to do this all week. Believe it or not, all of us have lives outside of design. Things that make us just as passionate to talk about or just as willful to share. It was a unique privilege to be a part of that. Many thanks to Eight Hour Day, Brent Couchman, Morgan Knutson and others for letting our team get to be a part of that.

Coming back home and falling in line with the spin of the world has been an adjustment. But I’m happy to say that while I’m a “work in progress” in so many ways, I can’t be more thrilled about what the next chapter of our lives will look like. It’s going to be an awfully big adventure.

Our initial walkthrough of the Mission district (which saw us out in the city for more than 4 hours) allowed us to collect so much inspiration that it made us reconsider our initial aspirations, and scale up to a larger project.

Over the past few days I’ve watched as my friends and colleagues moved from mental images to pencil sketches, sketches to vector mockups, and even some initial Fontlab work.

I’ve watched many styles float across this enormous glass top desk (dining room table) we’re all working at, and the fact of the matter is: all of them represent the Mission (referring both to the neighborhood, and our goal for the project).

Isn’t it easily as outrageous to create a font in a few days, as it is to sum up a neighborhood this gorgeous with a single font? Quite frankly I think we were overwhelmed to see such gorgeous implementations (in ubiquity) of a few styles we search for on a daily basis (on the internet and elsewhere).

I think its likely we will head back to our respective homes more inspired than ever, with projects in the works that will complete a ‘Mission Collection’. A set of display faces that together will arc back to the San Franciscan styles we’ve had the pleasure of documenting over the past week.

This collection will be bigger and badder, and we cannot wait to see these fonts to completion.

I’m creating a font based on the signage of our favorite breakfast place here – St. Francis. This is a first for me, and everyone’s eagerness to teach, help, and critique has kind of felt like a dream. Almost like we’re the dream team or something…

Beginning the third day of Field Trip SF and it’s been a whirlwind of an experience. From the sign-spotting sidewalk safari to late grocery store runs, couch surfing to joint working sessions around the watering hole (a la beer fridge), San Francisco has proved a worthy host for this first ever documented type extravaganza.

We commandeered a bus for a flavorful account of San Francisco’s transit authority and waded our way through an army of weekenders to party hearty with Dropbox, courtesy of the gentlemanly Morgan Knutson. Believe me when I say that should I ever have to live in an office permanently or fortify myself for the eventual zombie apocalypse, Dropbox is where I’m doing it. Between scootering about the office like a real-life Mario Kart challenge to chowing down on the most eclectic spread of food, drink and everything in between, these guys played the part of the most epic hosts to date. Can’t thank that crew enough.

But while the type has been inspirational and the beer has been ever-flowing and refreshing, the only thing better has been the company we’ve kept. The people we’ve interacted with, the friendships that we’ve built. Watching this group excel as masters of their craft has been all but dwarfed by the mere interactions and time we’ve spent together as a group of people united by more than just our love of pixels and points. Working and living in a design bubble has the potential to limit our conversations with those we co-labor with to a strict “all work, no play” approach to our interactions. Being here, living communally, I find I’ve been most inspired in the more mundane, unstructured moments of simple human connection. It’s in the evolution of our relationships from bouncing chat icons in our docks or screenshot sharing portals to a time where we’re creating new stories and digging into more than technique and takeaways.

Looking forward to the remainder of this trip, dreading the end, excited about what’s to come.

James leaving a note for 826. The note previously left, as seen to the right of his lettering, reads “-I love jerks.” “-I am a jerk.”

Group projects are another shitty idea. Most often, the group you’re assigned to is made up of one third slackers, one third dummies, and one third people like you. You’re forced to pick up the slack, making sure everything doesn’t come out like a steaming pile of dog shit.

What the hell Riley? What have you gotten us into here? Yeah this is a “field trip,” but a miserable one where you get poison oak, a wedgie, and you’re really starting to miss your parents.

Though this weekend has the makings of a shitshow, there is one saving grace. Each one of the folks involved are capable of seeing a project of this scope through to the end, and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it. Being around talented creatives you trust and admire is rare, and with this three day type design experiment, I’m confident we’re making the most of it.

Could it all be a huge failure? Of course, but there’s beer here, so I’m gonna stick around to see how it goes.

Before last summer, I had no idea who Riley Cran was. I was one of the last designers on dribbble (at least it felt that way). He reached out to me. We talked process. He even complimented my work, which was unexpected. All of this happened over iChat. As time progressed I realized that Riley was onto something special. He and Tyler Galpin started this little thing called “Lost Type” (maybe you’ve heard of it). I was instantly intrigued. Riley’s passion for typefaces and design in general became contagious. He quickly submerged me in the dribbble community while introducing me to several of his digital friends and peers. I was blown away by the warm reception.

We got our human connection. What started as a fun conversation between he and Linda Eliasen became a way to finally meet some of the designers I highly respect – as well as give us an opportunity to create something together. I am so humbled and thankful to be part of this group of incredible people.

So get ready. This is real.

For the longest time to me, ‘lettering’ and ‘font building’ might as well have been the names of courses offered exclusively at Hogwarts. The production of a typeface seemed more like a mysterious form of magic than a tangible practice I could take on by myself.

Then I met some designers who approach things differently. If there isn’t a typeface that serves your purpose in a design, don’t settle. Just make it yourself. I’ve only done a little bit of lettering and hardly any type building, so being here in SF to build some type with the guidance and knowledge of the Lost Type crew is going to be such an incredible learning experience.

In preparation for this trip I started to find lots of inspiration in hand painted signs and vintage goodies. People have been creating custom type for a really long time, and if you look hard enough you can find some gems out there, like this Boraxo tin that a friend showed me. Each letter in ‘BORAXO’ is so beautiful, and the accompanying extended version for “cleans” and “hands” is so wonderfully crafted that it makes me shout curse words.

 
I found this beautiful script on a cigar box in my grandfather’s pantry in April. It contained old coins and arrow heads he found when he was a kid, and when the script on the outside of the box caught my eye more than the treasures inside did, he laughed with surprise as he’d obviously never noticed that script before and never would have thought twice about it in a million years.

I’m really looking forward to working with everyone this weekend, and I will be posting my inspiration and process as we go.