Unused Artwork: The National

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I was in contact with The National's management about a year before their fifth album was to be released (known now as High Violet). At the time, I was told they were commissioning a different poster design for every single show on what would be their first full U.S. run in support of the upcoming album and that I should get back in contact around the end of 2009 when things were coming together. Long story short; I rang them again but no one answered or replied. With that said, although not fully developed or explored, this was the first idea I had worked on.

Family History: George Wiegand

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Whilst working on my family history this summer, I've procured quite a collection of historical documents. One of my favorite things about these documents is their handwriting and/or typefaces, of course. For example, here's a sampling of the use of the name George Wiegand from my archives. There were three George Wiegand's in a generational row, mind you: George Casper (1804-1834), George Adam (1830-1887) and George Anthony (1870-1929). These are the direct ancestral links to my past and are my great-great-great, great-great and great maternal grandfathers, respectively.

Legend (top-bottom):
• October 16, 1857 – Passenger sheet from "The Shippen"
• 1890 – "Surviving Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, and Widows, Etc." census
• 1900 – Lancaster City Directory listing
• April 14, 1910 – 13th Census of the United States
• 1827 – Kurhessisches Heads of State and address manual
• June 7, 1880 – 10th Census of the United States
• October 24, 1887 – Newspaper obituary listing

Ah, the lost art of cursive, handwriting, letter presses and typewriters…

CM20: Vols. 2 & 3

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The 2nd and 3rd installments in the CM20 campaign for 2010. Only one more to go and then it's on to the expansive box set, and its limited edition version, for holiday release.

WARNING: Contains Adult Language

Note: As a self-professed font snob, this is hilarious. However, its ability to make me laugh out loud doesn't change my opinion on the matter…

I'm Comic Sans, A#@hole.
By Mike Lacher

Listen up. I know the s#@t you've been saying behind my back. You think I'm stupid. You think I'm immature. You think I'm a malformed, pathetic excuse for a font. Well think again, nerdhole, because I'm Comic Sans, and I'm the best thing to happen to typography since Johannes f#@king Gutenberg.

You don't like that your coworker used me on that note about stealing her yogurt from the break room fridge? You don't like that I'm all over your sister-in-law's blog? You don't like that I'm on the sign for that new Thai place? You think I'm pedestrian and tacky? Guess the f#@k what, Picasso. We don't all have seventy-three weights of stick-up-my-a#@ Helvetica sitting on our seventeen-inch MacBook Pros. Sorry the entire world can't all be done in stark Eurotrash Swiss type. Sorry some people like to have fun. Sorry I'm standing in the way of your minimalist Bauhaus-esque fascist snoozefest. Maybe sometime you should take off your black turtleneck, stop compulsively adjusting your Tumblr theme, and lighten the f#@k up for once.

People love me. Why? Because I'm fun. I'm the life of the party. I bring levity to any situation. Need to soften the blow of a harsh message about restroom etiquette? SLAM. There I am. Need to spice up the directions to your graduation party? WHAM. There again. Need to convey your fun-loving, approachable nature on your business' website? SMACK. Like daffodils in motherf#@king spring.

When people need to kick back, have fun, and party, I will be there, unlike your pathetic fonts. While Gotham is at the science fair, I'm b#@ging the prom queen behind the woodshop. While Avenir is practicing the clarinet, I'm shredding Reign In Blood on my double-necked Stratocaster. While Univers is refilling his allergy prescriptions, I'm racing my tricked-out, nitrous-laden Honda Civic against Tokyo gangsters who'll kill me if I don't cross the finish line first. I am a sans serif Superman and my only kryptonite is pretentious buzzkills like you.

It doesn't even matter what you think. You know why, j#@off? Cause I'm famous. I am on every major operating system since Microsoft f#@king Bob. I'm in your signs. I'm in your browsers. I'm in your instant messengers. I'm not just a font. I am a force of motherf#@king nature and I will not rest until every uptight armchair typographer c#@k-hat like you is surrounded by my lovable, comic-book inspired, sans-serif badassery.

Enough of this bulls#@t. I'm gonna go get hammered with Papyrus.

[ Ed. – You can contact Mike at mike@mikelacher.com ]