Philly Field Trip: Stefan Sagmeister's "The Happy Show"

Sagmeister at work 

"I am usually rather bored with definitions. Happiness, however, is such a big subject that it might be worth a try to pin it down." 

Renowned designer Stefan Sagmeister has spent the last year working hard at being happy (and filming his attempts.) What's emerged is The Happy Film, a documentary about Sagmeister's three-pronged approach to finding the path to true happiness via meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy and prescription drugs. Through experiments and explorations “from the sublime to the ridiculous” loosely based on his pivotal book “Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far,” Sagmeister tests “once and for all if it’s possible for a person to have a meaningful impact on their own happiness.”

Now he's taking his show on the road with "The Happy Show," at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, running now through August 12, 2012. The exhibition, which spans the entire second floor gallery and ramp, includes a 12-minute sneak peak of the documentary as well as work from his 10-year investigation into the relationship between typography and happiness.

"To contextualize the maxims that appear throughout the exhibition, Sagmeister has gathered the social data of Harvard psychologists Daniel Gilbert and Steven Pinker, psychologist Jonathan Haidt, anthropologist Donald Symons, and several prominent historians."

Check out a quick preview of the the film's opening titles followed by glimpses of the show invitations being laser-cut from bologna (!!!)

Meanwhile: Want to see if design does in fact make you happier, enroll in one of 3rd Ward's many Design classes to find out.

GO HERE NOW // Test Your Typeface Anatomy IQ With Shape Type

You encounter lots of different typefaces over the course of the day, from the custom Cheltenham of the New York Times' headlines to the Helvetica that graces all of the MTA's subway signs. But how well do you really know your letters? We're not talking your basic ABCs here, but the subtle curves and proportions of typeface anatomy.

Find out by heading over to Shape Type, an interactive letter shaping game from the peer to peer education website Method of Action. Presented with mis-shaped characters from ten different typefaces, you can adjust their shape and see how good your eye is for balanced and beautiful type. It even supports multi-touch if you've got a tablet handy. Surprising word of warning: ITC Edwardian Script is tough.

-- John Ruscher

GO HERE NOW // Typeverything.com Makes Exploring Typography As Easy As ABC

Type monogram by Andrei D. Robu

Whether you're looking for inspiration for your next design project, searching for that killer new typeset or just trying to pass some time perusing some visually amazing examples of contemporary typography, there's one site we've become enamored with that we demand you head towards: Typeverything.

As self-professed typography nerds, we're fond of the fact the Tumblog's got a seemingly bottomless collection of typography designers, allowing us to scroll and scroll to our heart's content. The site also features a "shop" where you can browse designs that are available for purchase.

And if you grow tired of the alphabet, check out Typeverything's sister sites Designers Go To Heaven, which features many examples of excellent graphic design, along with They, which offers up daily inspiration for architectural and industrial design.

Meanwhile, hit the jump as we've compiled a few of our favorite designs from Typeverything.

Variation of letter “a” by Michal Sycz

Cover for the 2009 issue of Solutions by Pidgeon

Helvetica Lace by Anna Farkas

&,&,&: Part 1 - Art Print by Teagan White

LET’S MAKE ART by Marco

‘Heavy Metal’ by Tom Davie

-- John Ruscher