The Q, W, & X Turkish Comeback Tour

 and its fellow trouble-makers Q and W are finally free. We were shocked that these letters had technically been banned in Turkey since 1928. Our outrage was short-lived since we only learned of this after reading about the release of Q, W, and X from Turkey’s alphabet jail. 

GDL Studio can’t help but crack a little smile for Q, which has had more than its share of setbacks during its lifetime. We can’t help but notice that the Periodic Table of Elements is still Q-free. But we feel like the momentous Turkish decision may be the start of a major comeback for Q. 

Need to celebrate Q, W, or X? We can help over at our Etsy shop.

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Re-Discover America on Columbus Day with State Letter Collage Prints

e’re going to have to go with Columbus Day to celebrate the discovery of America until there is an official holiday that honors the first people to populate what is now known as North America. So on this day that commemorates a great feat of discovery (or re-discovery) we introduce a new way to explore America: the State Letter Collage Print collection. 

As you may know, we’ve spent years roaming from sea to shining sea seeking the coolest, funkiest vintage sign letters. We snap photos of old signs, crop the choicest letters, and put them into new contexts. In this case, we are using our vast letter collection to spell out the name of your favorite state in a repeating pattern. This design is dropped into the iconic outline of your state. 

And for your geographically-challenged friends, we also put the name of the state in a normal font. (If you are a purist, we can remove that part. Just let us know.) Learn more about the State Letter Collage Print collection.

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When Life Gives You 500 "E"s, Make Super Giant Mega Photo Letters

ery many. That’s how many versions of each letter of the alphabet we have in our ever-growing photo library. Our collection includes 500 “E”s alone. Now we admit, not every letter is a winner. But they are all special in their own way. And we finally found a way to showcase even the homliest “Q” -- Super Giant Mega Photo Letters at our Etsy shop. 

Each Super Giant Mega Photo Letter is inspired by 800 point Helvetica letters. Up close, you can make out all the little letters that combine to form the super-sized letter. When you step back, you see the letters blur into a colorful mosiac pattern. Our “g” includes 218 “G”s and “g”s, to give you an example of how many letters go into each big letter.

We print each Super Giant Mega Photo Letter on 8.5 by 11 inch sheet of cardstock.  But the letters are scalable, so we can handle a range of paper sizes. Drop us a line if you have a special request.

Use these mega letters to spell your name, your hometown, your initials, antidisestablishmentarianism, you know, whatever you like.

Keep your eyes on this space, as we have some other big ideas coming soon.

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Kickstarter, Chickens, and Handmade Notebooks

nderstanding that Kickstarter is a dangerous place for us to visit, at least from the perspective of our savings account, doesn't deter us from visiting now and again. We backed a number of pen projects and now are enjoying our Solid Titanium pen that can handle a wide range of ink refills.

So naturally, we need something cool to write on using our amazing pen. Where to look? (See where we’re going here?)

Um, yes, Kickstarter. Sure there are plenty of notebooks already out there. But we are excited about Mirth & Co.’s potential line of notebooks straight out of Austin. These gems bring together two of our favorite things: handmade products and the French Paper Co. And how can you not love the blimp logo?

Image via Mirth & Co.

We don’t mention too many Kickstarter projects on the blog, but we are rooting for Mirth & Co. If you know anyone who might want to support this campaign, which runs through Feb. 23, 2012, please spread the word. The world needs these notebooks. 

Plus any promo video that involves dental hygiene and chickens is a winner in our book. It's worth watching even if you don’t need notebooks. But after experiencing this video, you’ll want the notebooks. 

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Making Your Charity Dollars Go Further: IKEA and Toys for Tots

IKEA stuffed animals headed to Toys for Tots charity.

Mission Workshop backpack at work.

GDL Studio ventured out to IKEA this holiday season to load up on stuffed animals. But they are not for us. This motley crew is headed to needy kids in the Washington, DC area through the Toys for Tots program.

You may recall we did a similar trip last December. We love going to IKEA because the critters are cute, not too expensive, and, as an added bonus, IKEA donates a dollar for each stuffed animal sold to UNICEF and Save The Children.

This year, we busted out our Mission Workshop backpack to haul this very important payload. While our weatherproof backpack didn’t face any inclement weather, it performed our animal transport mission handily.

We encourage you to make your charity dollars go further by purchasing IKEA stuffed animals and donating them to the charity of your choice. Please tell us of other retailers that donate toy proceeds to charity.

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Snake + Calendar = The 2013 Snakalander

he topic of animal songs came up recently as Mrs. GDL Studio asked me if I was familiar with the tale of a snake who was apparently somewhat sneaky. I nodded knowingly and replied “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Mrs. GDL Studio offered the executive summary, the details of which escape me at the moment.

While putting the finishing touches on a then-unnamed calendar, the curvy aspects of the calendar reminded me of a certain slithering (and possibly sneaky) creature. To honor snakes everywhere, we present the Snakalander. (See what we did there? Sneaky, no?)

In case you were curious, no snakes were harmed in the creation of this calendar.

If you’re looking for a calendar where the days proceed from left to right, this is probably not the calendar for you. Be warned that in some months, the Snakalendar’s dates start at the bottom of the page and finish at the top.

The design may be a bit unorthodox, but it does offer some advantages. Putting up a few months at a time creates a frame, which leaves space in the middle for a photo. The pages can also be squeezed into tight spaces on crowded cubicle walls.

Act soon before this offer slithers away.

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Snakalendar serving as a frame.

Snakalendar cover.

Five of our Favorite Modern Calendars

ome of our favorite modern calendars are not found in the Calendar section of our shop on Etsy.

1 -- Stendig Calendar: The first time GDL Studio ever experienced calendar envy was walking into a beautiful Logan, UT, home and seeing this fine specimen of paper-based time keeping. A few minutes later, we sat in an Eames Lounge Chair for the first time. Together, they sparked a modern design epiphany. We ran home to order one of these items. (Hint: it didn’t come with a matching leather ottoman.)

2 -- 365 Typography Calendar by Studio Hinrichs: Not only is the cover cool, but each month features a different font with a brief history of that font.

3 -- UrbnCal: GDL Studio loves to roam the streets looking for numbers and letters to photograph, but the fine folks over at UrbnCal have raised this to an art form when it comes to calendars. Each month is made up of number photos from various Nordic cities.

4 -- CATS LET NOTHING DARKEN THEIR ROAR: GDL Studio doesn’t generally support kitten calendars, but we let this one slide. Wonderful use of typography to “hide” the name of the month in a cat-related phrase.

5 -- Hayes Architecture Minimalist Calendar: Etsy is a great place to find interesting calendars. This is one of our favorites we have stumbled across this year. Simple. Modern.

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