designandpaper.com

Daniel Ocean

There’s a scene in Ocean’s 11 where the main character, played by George Clooney, gives his business card to someone else.

The business card simply says his character’s name.

It’s one of those “You won’t find me, I’ll find you” scenes.

Well, my friend.

Helvetica has that same attitude in design.

It’s not in-your-face, please-look-at-me bold. It’s simple, sharp, and easily readable.

But it finds you - every single day.

It’s one of the world's most iconic and widely used typefaces, known for its clean and timeless design.

Created in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann, Helvetica quickly became popular due to its neutrality, clarity, and versatility.

Its popularity soared in the 1960s and 1970s as a symbol of modernity and minimalism in design. (Hippies loved it. And so did anybody making a street sign about the Vietnam War.)

In the last 30 years, it’s exploded among big brands:

• Jeep

• Microsoft

• American Apparel

• Northface

• Nike’s web paragraph font

And nowadays? Its “overuse” has caused tiffs among designers all over the world calling it an “unoriginal choice.”

Here’s my take:

I grew up playing baseball in Orange County, CA.

It’s the most competitive area in the country when it comes to elite baseball which is why it breeds the most D1 and professional players.

There was a phrase that every successful coach would use when a kid wanted to join their team:

“If you can hit, we’ll find a spot in the lineup for you.”

Well, Helvetica can hit.

Actually… Helvetica can absolutely mash.

That’s why it’s in so many lineups.

atelierlks.com

What The F*ck Is A “Serif”?

Picking fonts is one of my favorite parts of a new project.

Fonts tell a story as fast as colors, favicons, and logos do.

So let’s talk about 3 of the most common types:

1. Serif

2. Sans-Serif

3. Slab-Serif

Serif fonts have small decorative lines (serifs) at the ends of strokes, giving them a traditional and elegant look, ideal for printed text like books and newspapers (Times New Roman, Georgia).

Look at the red circles in the image above.

Sans-serif fonts lack these serifs, offering a modern, clean appearance favored for digital screens and contemporary designs (Arial, Helvetica).

Hence the use of sans, meaning “without.”

Slab-serif fonts keep the serifs but lack the elegance of traditional serif fonts.

The serifs are squared off, giving them a blocky and sturdy appearance for large headline designs on ads or billboards (Arvo, Foro).

Serifs aid readability in print, while sans-serifs excel in digital clarity.

Designers often mix both for contrast and hierarchy in layouts.

Choosing between serif, sans-serif, and slab serif depends on the desired tone and medium, impacting how text is perceived and understood across various contexts.

My favorite tool to pair fonts →

@drex.dsgn on Instagram

The Only Thing You’re Ever Selling

It doesn’t matter what the thing is.

It could be a physical product like coffee, services such as wedding planning, software such as Canva, or a digital product such as a course on taking care of your plants.

Those things are just the “vehicle.”

I’m not talking 4-wheel-drive here.

They are the vehicle for transformation.

Each one takes a person from point A to point B.

Point B is always:

• Toward pleasure

• Away from pain

Think about the transformation your product or service offers before writing your next script, sales page, or any other piece of copy.

Coffee takes a person from a state of low energy (pain) to high energy and good mood (pleasure).

Wedding services take a person from a state of overwhelm (pain) to having clarity and support (pleasure).

Canva? Design is difficult and I don’t know how the buttons work (pain). Canva helps beginners create elegant, high-level designs in minutes with premade templates (pleasure).

Plant care course? I have dead plants (pain). I have thriving plants I’m proud of (pleasure).

Every single product delivers a transformation.

Liza Koshy

From Vlogs To Netflix Originals

Years ago I was on a 6 AM flight from LAX to Chicago.

Sitting next to me was some guy named David Dobrik - one of the biggest YouTubers of the last 10 years.

I had no idea who he was but a swarm of fans were waiting for him when the plane landed.

I started watching his stuff and came across his then-girlfriend, Liza Koshy.

Like him, she started posting vlogs on YouTube from her bedroom.

They were poor quality - the lighting and audio were atrocious.

But she kept at it and racked up a massive audience through her vlogs.

Why?

Because she was one of the most authentic creators on the platform and never shied away from being her quirky self.

She wanted to go from the phone screen to the big screen - a journey that had never really been done well.

Thousands of people would comment on her videos - including hundreds of comments saying she’d never be more than a girl vlogging in her bedroom.

But she didn’t listen.

She kept writing, shooting, learning, and polishing her persona - until she became really good.

How good?

Check out her IMDB credits.

She’s got 36 acting, 6 producer, 2 writing, and 1 director credit.

From messy bedroom vlogs to starring alongside Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron in her latest Netflix Original…

Liza Koshy is doing the damn thing.

roll your windows down and vibe

My childhood dream was to be the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees. My walk-up song would be something like…

• Mary Jane’s Last Dance by Tom Petty

• All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix

• Can’t Stop by The Red Hot Chili Peppers

… But that dream didn’t work out.

So here’s what I listened to this week to make my latest dreams come to life: