designguide.at logo

designguide.at, a project of my “friends”¹ andi and tom, is now also available in english.
it contains lots of information on

• logo design – from basic principles of perception to logo evaluation methods
• typography – from the first written symbols to the composition of entire bookworks
• colours – from the physical definition to the measurement of colours
• and even more.

designguide.at/en – all things logo design, typography and colour

check it out if you’re into the topic, or just surfing around!

me, as a southpark character

if you like southpark, check out the official website at www.southparkstudios.com.

there’s a “full episodes” link in the top left, where you can watch all the episodes online for free.
brand-new episodes are online for 7 days after the premiere, and then permanently after 30 days.
 

(thanks to stefan for the link)

i’ve prepared a few photos of a bat skeleton from last summer.
it’s a preparation of a greater mouse-eared bat (myotis myotis, grosses mausohr), that i received for a bat presentation. it had been used for demonstration purposes for a long time, so the ribcage is damaged.

i think it’s fascinating to actually “trace back” their evolution and see how over time, the fingers were prolonged, connected with skin (similar to the webbed toes of a duck) and made into wings.
the photos also show that these little creatures adhere to the basic “blueprint” of all mammals.
 

[view photos: bat skeleton]

who needs easter bunnies when you’ve got a shrew?
hiding eggs might turn out to be a problem, though: it’s so small, it easily fits into an egg.

greater white-toothed shrew (crocidura russula, hausspitzmaus)
(click to enlarge)

granted, it’s not a very sharp photo, but i thought it was a nice one.
more photos are under way.

my hobby: finding animal references where others wouldn’t look for them.

“payANT”
french parking fee reminder in strasbourg, france

previously found: my hobby (animal references, pt. 1)

rainfall is very rare in the desert – that’s why many species of desert plant have developed special mechanisms that help them to increase the offspring’s chances of survival.

cheiridopsis sp. (family aizoaceae) is one of these species: it has dry woody fruits that protect the seeds during dry periods.
when it starts to rain – sometimes it takes years from one rainfall to another – time is of the essence: as soon as a drop of rain lands on the capsules, they absorb the water and hydrostatic pressure opens them.
within minutes, seeds are released onto humid ground and find a good base to germinate.

while in south africa last september, i tried it myself: a drop of water sufficed, and the seed capsule was completely open just 10 minutes later.

i’ve also created an animated time-lapse gif that shows the process: [more...]