h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Clever.
The neon is quite pretty too.
Most amazingly, even as a page of text it still says "wowbagger".

I mean if I saw that page elsewhere - in some totally out-of-it-context - it would still say 'Wowbagger h2g2Life' How? Why?
Is it the strange type face (font) - do you use an old manual typewriter and then scan it in, complete with its ragged serif.. or what?
I don't want that much abused and value-laden word 'ragged' to bring any unnecessary baggage to this communication of my idea so let me add that I have been very impressed with some of your cartoons featuring real or facsimile brand names, logos, packaging, photos etc and realise you must be scanning other elements into a mixed media environment. The quality is very high-end and of international magazine quality. It just finally occured to me to look for 'paste-up' text as well.

jwf

Thanks jwf

Okay... the technical stuff. I tried to imitate the blue screen of death look. The background is 'pure' blue - from a video point of view. The text is simply the 'courier' font, available on all PCs (and Macs too I think). To get the raggedy look I just got rid of all 'softening' aspects to the font - no softened edges, no anti-aliasing - that's it.

As for the other stuff, I use a blend of scanning and imitating using text that I have already. If I think anything could break copyright I warp it and change it until I think it's far enough removed from the original that no one will care .

I hope that answers all. Or at least some.

Thanks for being forthright.
Your secret is safe with me.

My experience of electronic type is that it's almost always perfectly aligned, so I never would have believed the kerning of certain letter combinations in your text could have been anything but the classic bent arms of manual-typewriter keystrokes.

On one old (1940s) Underwood of my particular acquaintance - the warmer it gets and the faster my fingers fly, the farther apart some letters get while others snug right together, some torquing slightly eastward and rising north with the increased energy of my pounding.

jwf