Everything in Print

Life is so unusual sometimes. I was recently thinking about my job and how bizarre it is that I work in publishing – it's bizarre because I happen to be legally blind (that means that my eyesight on a good day is 2200/20 as opposed to 20/20 or something similar); I happen to also only have sight in one eye.

I have an uncanny ability to discern colors and often find myself dissecting everything visually. I watch tv and try to figure out the color themes of shows; when I go to the movies I get hung up on the font that is being used for the title and credits.

To me fonts and how they are used are part of the overall visual message . . . down deep I know I want to know what is being said on all levels. I feel that because I am limited in my perceptions (with only one eye, I don't see in 3d) I need to take it all in. In our fast world you only get one chance to say exactly what you want.

Sometimes I think that I appreciate the world around us more because I have the opportunity to see it in my own unique way. For example, because I only have sight in one eye I build 3-d vidual cues from the lighting and placement of objects in my line of sight. When I go into a museum and see a well executed painting (and by well executed I mean that the perspective and light placement are in balance) I can mentally step into that world – who said this blind man can't travel . . .

One of my favourite movie titles is the one for the movie TRUE LIES. I love how they take the letters TRUE and rotate them 90° and place the word LIES on top. When I saw the Matrix and saw the green monitor font I was hooked – it told me what I needed to absolutely know about the story.

Well enough for now . . . who knows what font will drive me . . .