Banff National Park, Alberta

My annual August visit to the Canadian Rockies has been odd this year. After encountering some vehicular hiccups traversing the prairies (ran out of gas, then Bettie blew a tailpipe an hour out of Calgary) I arrived in Banff and promptly succumbed to a bad cold (replete with aches, fever, nasty cough)—uncanny how you can tough things out all year, then as soon as you start to relax, BAM… you get sick.

As physical exertion was a challenge (sucking wind), the highlight of my trip was intersecting visits with friends, rather than the hoped-for summits. First long-time climbing mate Simon Statkewich, then Gregor Brandt and Janice Liwanag (all with their VW Westys—Gregor & Janice had been living in, climbing from, and blogging about theirs for four months) shared camp-sites at Lake Louise and Tunnel Mountain (I happily discovered that the latter has a few sites with a wireless signal from an adjacent resort hotel, so I was at least able to get some online work done while moping).

Images: Yours truly on a day recce to the Fuhrmann Ledges (photo by Gregor); Bettie on Tunnel Mountain, Cascade in the background; Janice & Gregor simul-rappelling off a trad climb, Back-of-the-Lake.

Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba

I’ve had fun building some bird houses this summer, using recycled pallet wood combined with found objects. The “urban aviary” shown here is designed for 8 pairs of Tree Swallows, (desirable in this region thanks to their prolific diet of mosquitoes) and features an “ethnic enclave” (intentional irony), copper-clad roofs (one with a sculptural rooftop garden replete with copper trees), and various brass findings. Perches are made of brass rifle shells… yes, more irony.

Toronto, Ontario

Popular Canadian music icons Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, and Paul Anka have been honoured with a set of commemorative stamps designed by Circle in Winnipeg. The CD-shaped Canadian Recording Artists booklets puts a new spin on this type of collectible. There are four different booklets, with each cover featuring the image of one of the recording artists. Inside, the stamps are arranged in one of four different orders, with the singer featured on the cover appearing in the top-left position. The booklets also include envelope seals and information about the featured artist. In addition, a souvenir sheet, official first day cover, and postcards are available.

These limited edition stamps are now available through post offices across the country, can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post’s website www.canadapost.ca, or by calling toll-free: 1-800-565-4362 (Canada and the United States), or 902-863-6550 (from other countries).

Manitoba, Canada

I have just acquired a butter-coloured 1981 VW Westfalia camper van. Powered (?!) by a 2 L air-cooled engine, she is fully equipped with all the necessities of a nomadic base camp—a pop-top, fold-out beds, 3-way refrigerator, running water, two-burner propane stove, and loads of storage room. Christened “Bettie” (ask me about that some time), she’s already proving very convenient for weekend outings to the granite cliffs of NW Ontario…

Toronto, Canada

This was the third year in a row that I’ve given a presentation at the Toronto FITC event (The Design and Technology Festival). My talk was entitled “Design 101: what you didn’t learn in school, or may have long forgotten,” a design primer on the basics of form, composition, contrast, color theory, communication, visual gestalt principles, optical phenomena, and fundamentals of typography. Based on participant feedback, the talk was very well received (read comments).

Golden, British Columbia

A highlight of my summer has been a week of mountaineering with a small group of climbing friends in the remote Adamant Range of the rugged Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia. After considerable agonizing (re: the questionable environmental ethics of using a helicopter for pleasure, etc.) we finally opted to chopper in to the beautiful Fairy Meadow, along with rock and glacier gear and a week’s provisions. We stayed at the ACC’s Bill Putnam hut, and were blessed with spectacular weather that allowed for numerous summits and awe-inspiring views—though physically taxing, the week was a splendid time of fellowship and rejuvenation.

That’s me on the approach to Mt. Colossal (not shown) with Peter Aitchison on a blistering hot day… the glacier was literally melting under our feet, making for some exciting crevasse crossings on the descent.

Ottawa, Ontario

Issue 6 of the Graphic Design Journal published by the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) features Canadian type and typographers. Edited by Circle’s Robert L. Peters, this issue includes articles by Rod McDonald, Nick Shinn, Walter Jungkind, Val Fullard, Richard Hunt and Matt Warburton, as well as Robert Bringhurst book reviews by Circle’s Susan McWatt Fitzgerald. Designed by Susan McWatt FitzGerald, the issue features a “Big O” cover designed by Zab (E. A. Hobart) with fly leaf illustration (An Orgy of Reading, detail below) by Marian Bantjes. In addition to the 18 Canadian fonts featured on the covers, the issue features Cartier Book Regular, Brown, Goodchild, Usherwood, Richler, and Mambo.

The Journal’s purpose is to provide a forum to encourage dialogue, to promote excellence in design and visual communication, and to help record the history and development of graphic design in Canada. Issue 6 is available through the GDC for $20. For more information about GDC and its variety of publications, visit the Society’s website.

Winnipeg, Canada

A book entitled Manitoba Climbers: A Century of Stories from the Birthplace of The Alpine Club of Canada has just been released, just in time for the ACC’s centennial celebrations. The book contains the story “First Aid for Winter Blues” by Robert L. Peters, a first-person account of a near-epic January 1996 aid-climbing outing below the Eagle’s Nest at the Gooseneck Cliffs in NW Ontario… More information about the ACC at the national website. The book is available through most book resellers: ISBN 0-920330-50-9

Edmonton, Alberta

I was pleased to have the opportunity of presenting my lecture “The Future: by Design” here in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Edmonton, and gratified that many braved the bitterly cold weather (-25 degrees Celcius) to attend on a Thursday evening. It was great to cross paths with old Icograda friends and GDC acquaintances as well… (dinner with professors Walter Jungkind, Jorge Frascara, and Sue Colberg was a special treat, as was chatting over late beers with Michael Surtees).

Ottawa, Canada

GDC Fellows are individuals who have been recognized by the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) as having made an exceptional contribution to the Society and to Canadian graphic design over the past fifty years. The GDC asked each of its fellows to develop a poster commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Society… and here is my submission.

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“Design is the application of intent. Graphic design targets the eye, and ultimately the mind’s eye, of both the individual beholder and the broader audience. Strategy, concept, message, and visual vocabulary connect sender and receiver by means of graphic acuity and attraction… you see?”

—RLP