The ZehnKatzen Times A blog by a Portland graphic deisgner about finding interesting and fun things in design and life and looking for his big payday Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 0 3575

Articles from The ZehnKatzen Times

[pdx] Not That I Can Afford Any Events There, But It Still Sucks 2007-12-13 09:57:00 1184. Vulcan is selling the naming rights to the Rose Garden Arena. Yay, us! Brent Hunsberger, in todays Big O, says all that needs to be said about it:That means the Blazers could play their home games in an arena named as blandly as Key Arena in Seattle or as omnipresent as Oracle Arena in Oakland, home to the Golden State Warriors. Or EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, named after a company that disposes of nuclear wasteIt frequently irritates me that Rose Garden events are typically priced out of my range, even the ones I'd actually want to go to; at least I liked the design of the building and the fact that I could go past it without cringing. This might sound funny from someone who fancies themselves a graphic designer, but it gets tiresome living in a world where there is no such thing as something that can't be used for advertising.And so it goes, I suppose.Technorati Tags: pdx Rose Garden Naming Rights ...

[pdx] Not That I Can Afford Any Events There, But It Still Sucks 2007-12-13 09:57:00 1184. Vulcan is selling the naming rights to the Rose Garden Arena. Yay, us! Brent Hunsberger, in todays Big O, says all that needs to be said about it:That means the Blazers could play their home games in an arena named as blandly as Key Arena in Seattle or as omnipresent as Oracle Arena in Oakland, home to the Golden State Warriors. Or EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, named after a company that disposes of nuclear wasteIt frequently irritates me that Rose Garden events are typically priced out of my range, even the ones I'd actually want to go to; at least I liked the design of the building and the fact that I could go past it without cringing. This might sound funny from someone who fancies themselves a graphic designer, but it gets tiresome living in a world where there is no such thing as something that can't be used for advertising.And so it goes, I suppose.Technorati Tags: pdx Rose Garden Naming Rights ...

[logo_design] Channel Surfing: On The 6's 2007-12-13 07:52:00 1183. We dive back into the 2-13 world of the VHF dial; we have weather and traffic, on the 6's.KAUZ, Channel 6, Wichita Falls TX, has a free and fun 6 that has a kind of cool unexpected shadow under the ascender:Also, the CBS eye is in an interesting and unexpected place. Texoma, for what it's worth, is the name for the community around the Texas-Oklahoma border centering on Wichita Falls and named in the inimitable portmanteauish way those in the south-central part of the US seem to like naming some of their regional area regions.KBBL TV and radio broadcasts to the town of Springfield. We weren't able to find the logo, but here's what their radio transmission tower looks like:KCEN, channel 6 Waco TX, does a pretty creative trick with the 6 that makes it look like a Möbius strip being constructied. And, of course, the Lone Star, which by now needs no introduction:I kept wanting to call this one KMDFM-TV, Channel 6. Whatever you want to call it, it's localed in Beaumont TX:KIVI, ... Design

[logo_design] Channel Surfing: On The 6's 2007-12-13 07:52:00 1183. We dive back into the 2-13 world of the VHF dial; we have weather and traffic, on the 6's.KAUZ, Channel 6, Wichita Falls TX, has a free and fun 6 that has a kind of cool unexpected shadow under the ascender:Also, the CBS eye is in an interesting and unexpected place. Texoma, for what it's worth, is the name for the community around the Texas-Oklahoma border centering on Wichita Falls and named in the inimitable portmanteauish way those in the south-central part of the US seem to like naming some of their regional area regions.KBBL TV and radio broadcasts to the town of Springfield. We weren't able to find the logo, but here's what their radio transmission tower looks like:KCEN, channel 6 Waco TX, does a pretty creative trick with the 6 that makes it look like a Möbius strip being constructied. And, of course, the Lone Star, which by now needs no introduction:I kept wanting to call this one KMDFM-TV, Channel 6. Whatever you want to call it, it's localed in Beaumont TX:KIVI, ... Design

[design] Funky Neighborhood Maps, IP, and Helping Oneself To Others' Ideas 2007-12-13 07:31:00 1182. A little experiment last night reminded me (of course) about thoroughly checking out something before going through with it-at the very least, making sure that I've read every link. In my defense, I'll say that the blog that I found it on has a slightly different format, but that makes it a learning experience. In my TV Logo Library exploration (which I've given the continuing title Channel Surfing to) I noticed I got a link from the esteemable Brittney Gilbert (she of http://brittneygilbert.com), a very fascinating person. My Channel 5's entry was linked from a class on her blog called "itty bitty"; in a sidebar I noticed a link to a cool neighborhood map. Clicking on it, I was taken directly to a quite cool neighborhood map of San Francisco, which was only neighborhood boundary lines with DIN Engschrift type filling the 'hoods in completely adventurous ways (view that map here).Now, I thought Hey, that's cool; wonder what it would look like if I did such a thing, then I' ... Design

[design] Funky Neighborhood Maps, IP, and Helping Oneself To Others' Ideas 2007-12-13 07:31:00 1182. A little experiment last night reminded me (of course) about thoroughly checking out something before going through with it-at the very least, making sure that I've read every link. In my defense, I'll say that the blog that I found it on has a slightly different format, but that makes it a learning experience. In my TV Logo Library exploration (which I've given the continuing title Channel Surfing to) I noticed I got a link from the esteemable Brittney Gilbert (she of http://brittneygilbert.com), a very fascinating person. My Channel 5's entry was linked from a class on her blog called "itty bitty"; in a sidebar I noticed a link to a cool neighborhood map. Clicking on it, I was taken directly to a quite cool neighborhood map of San Francisco, which was only neighborhood boundary lines with DIN Engschrift type filling the 'hoods in completely adventurous ways (view that map here).Now, I thought Hey, that's cool; wonder what it would look like if I did such a thing, then I' ... Design

[media] Channel Surfing: That Was the WEWS That Was 2007-12-11 08:42:00 1181. WEWS is on of the old-line stations in Cleveland–it's been around forever, like the old guard hereabouts. And like local stations here, they have to market. In the 70's, for example, they wanted you to tune into Eyewitness news and Catch 5...(thanks to Kevin Allman for the tip). This is such an amazing period piece–even though a lot of us lived through those times, I'm sure you can agree with me that we can't believe that that stuff was ever fashionable. Kevin describes it as a combination of The Electric Company and Peter Max and I can't think of a better way to describe it. I do, however, have a compulsion to seek out episodes of Mary Tyler Moore now.They sure knew how to have fun at WEWS. In this clip, the weatherman (with the obvious complicity of the control room staff) make fun of the sports anchor's hair:And in this one, legendary Cleveland broadcaster Dorothy Fuldheim isn't sure what she is, but she's certain it isn't bisexual:Occasionally bloopers happened o ...

[media] Channel Surfing: That Was the WEWS That Was 2007-12-11 08:42:00 1181. WEWS is on of the old-line stations in Cleveland–it's been around forever, like the old guard hereabouts. And like local stations here, they have to market. In the 70's, for example, they wanted you to tune into Eyewitness news and Catch 5...(thanks to Kevin Allman for the tip). This is such an amazing period piece–even though a lot of us lived through those times, I'm sure you can agree with me that we can't believe that that stuff was ever fashionable. Kevin describes it as a combination of The Electric Company and Peter Max and I can't think of a better way to describe it. I do, however, have a compulsion to seek out episodes of Mary Tyler Moore now.They sure knew how to have fun at WEWS. In this clip, the weatherman (with the obvious complicity of the control room staff) make fun of the sports anchor's hair:And in this one, legendary Cleveland broadcaster Dorothy Fuldheim isn't sure what she is, but she's certain it isn't bisexual:Occasionally bloopers happened o ...

[logo_design] Channel Surfing: The Channel 5's 2007-12-10 12:21:00 1180. Inexorable in our progress, we march up the VHF dial.Watch out, Channel 5's, its your turn now, whether you want it or not! Let's go...Our first stop is KALB Channel 5, Alexandria LA, right smack in the center of the state.Big, wide-bodied 5, slickly silver, with an arc suggesting a supporting disc. What's notable here is that while KALB is considered the NBC affiliate for that market, it carries CBS on a digital subchannel, thus the double-network marks.I'm quite frankly starting to flinch every time I'm seeing the words NewsChannel, News Channel, or any combination (camel capped or no). But you can't fight fashion, it's said. True that is. Further into the wilds with gun and camera, then:KCTV Channel 5, Kansas City–aptly chosen call, jauntily obliqued (but still-ready-for-action) 5, and the clever move of coloring the background along the lines of the character. Pretty nifty touch.KENS, Channel 5, San Antonio, is KGW's sister station (both are Belo properties), and ha ... Design

[logo_design] Channel Surfing: The Channel 5's 2007-12-10 12:21:00 1180. Inexorable in our progress, we march up the VHF dial.Watch out, Channel 5's, its your turn now, whether you want it or not! Let's go...Our first stop is KALB Channel 5, Alexandria LA, right smack in the center of the state.Big, wide-bodied 5, slickly silver, with an arc suggesting a supporting disc. What's notable here is that while KALB is considered the NBC affiliate for that market, it carries CBS on a digital subchannel, thus the double-network marks.I'm quite frankly starting to flinch every time I'm seeing the words NewsChannel, News Channel, or any combination (camel capped or no). But you can't fight fashion, it's said. True that is. Further into the wilds with gun and camera, then:KCTV Channel 5, Kansas City–aptly chosen call, jauntily obliqued (but still-ready-for-action) 5, and the clever move of coloring the background along the lines of the character. Pretty nifty touch.KENS, Channel 5, San Antonio, is KGW's sister station (both are Belo properties), and ha ... Design

[media, notebook] This Post Is Brought To You By The Letters K and W, and by the CBS Mandate 2007-12-07 12:42:00 1179. From The ZehnKatzen Notebooks–TV Station Call Signs, or the letters we call our TV stations. We know that all the broadcast stations in Oregon begin with K; in fact, it's a truism that broadcasters west of the Mississippi start with K whilst those east start with W; and some stations have three-letter calls (KEX, KGW, KXL) though others four (KOIN, KATU, KPOJ). Strangely, however, there's a KDKA in Pittsburgh-hundreds of miles west of the Mississippi. Ever wonder why? I did, found out, filed away the info, and then forgot it. Now, in collecting TV Station logos, I found I wanted to know again and now, thanks to Google, the answers are but a few minutes away, perforce, the following, capped with a few words on corporate style (the CBS Mandate). The following is a thumbnail of what I found out. A web-bibliography follows. The Story of the Ks and the Ws A long time ago there were only a handful of stations broacasting ...

[media, notebook] This Post Is Brought To You By The Letters K and W, and by the CBS Mandate 2007-12-07 12:42:00 1179. From The ZehnKatzen Notebooks–TV Station Call Signs, or the letters we call our TV stations. We know that all the broadcast stations in Oregon begin with K; in fact, it's a truism that broadcasters west of the Mississippi start with K whilst those east start with W; and some stations have three-letter calls (KEX, KGW, KXL) though others four (KOIN, KATU, KPOJ). Strangely, however, there's a KDKA in Pittsburgh-hundreds of miles west of the Mississippi. Ever wonder why? I did, found out, filed away the info, and then forgot it. Now, in collecting TV Station logos, I found I wanted to know again and now, thanks to Google, the answers are but a few minutes away, perforce, the following, capped with a few words on corporate style (the CBS Mandate). The following is a thumbnail of what I found out. A web-bibliography follows. The Story of the Ks and the Ws A long time ago there were only a handful of stations broacasting ...

[logo_design] The Turn of Channel 4's 2007-12-06 21:41:00 1178. And now, the next chapter in our cavalcade of TV Station Logos, in order; Channel 4.Another cable channel with some slick artistry about it: the San Diego Channel, 4SD ... Check out the Zardoz-like 4 and the Coca-Colaish stripe:KPSD KAID 4, Boise, is the flagship station of Idaho's public television fleet:KARK, Channel 4, Little Rock, with the NBC peacock once again providing coverage you can count on:KCNC, Channel 4, Denver, eyes you with this CBS mandated logo:KFOR, Channel 4, Oklahoma City, channeling news with an origami 4:Judging by some of the news lately, with all this news channeling going on, we wish someone would channel Ed Murrow. Anyhow, moving on...KGBT Channel 4 is taking action for me in Harlingen TX, which is good for me, because I'm not going to be there any time soon, which is bad for them, because they need some design help here:KITV Channel 4 Honolulu scores points here for making it abstract and interesting without making it unintelligible:A little design g ... Design

[logo_design] The Turn of Channel 4's 2007-12-06 21:41:00 1178. And now, the next chapter in our cavalcade of TV Station Logos, in order; Channel 4.Another cable channel with some slick artistry about it: the San Diego Channel, 4SD ... Check out the Zardoz-like 4 and the Coca-Colaish stripe:KPSD KAID 4, Boise, is the flagship station of Idaho's public television fleet:KARK, Channel 4, Little Rock, with the NBC peacock once again providing coverage you can count on:KCNC, Channel 4, Denver, eyes you with this CBS mandated logo:KFOR, Channel 4, Oklahoma City, channeling news with an origami 4:Judging by some of the news lately, with all this news channeling going on, we wish someone would channel Ed Murrow. Anyhow, moving on...KGBT Channel 4 is taking action for me in Harlingen TX, which is good for me, because I'm not going to be there any time soon, which is bad for them, because they need some design help here:KITV Channel 4 Honolulu scores points here for making it abstract and interesting without making it unintelligible:A little design g ... Design

[logo_design] KVDO TV-3 Logo, More Finished Version 2007-12-06 20:34:00 1177. Another despatch from Electric Logoland. This is a polishing of the KVDO logo we just presented:We've cleaned up the typography quite a bit here, and extended the type treatment into the station's call-sign. The call-letters align with the letterforms TV, leading the eye across and through. The 3 calls attention to itself through sheer size, leading the eye to the type, where we naturally reset to the left end of that string, reading back rightward to encode the information.The majuscule T and V letterforms formed the basis for almost all the rest of the type; the D was created from the stem stroke of the T and a clipped O, which was simply composed of two ellipses. The stem was again borrowed as the basis of the K, and the hairline and leg strokes for the K were kept simple so it could all be augured in by sight.To cap off this trip down Oregon broadcast memory lane, the studio building for KVDO still stands, only, of course, it hasn't been used as a TV studio since the day i ... Design