Author Archives: Ian Whiteman

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About Ian Whiteman

see www.cwdm-portfolio.com

A Brief History of Transliteration

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

Language is powerful; and its written word is like a weapon which when launched out into the world enlivens or maims. As cultures and civilisations have moved and evolved through history, the way they have chosen to write their language … Continue reading →

Posted in language, miscellaneous, Publishing, typography / design, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Meccan Rebellion

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

A new book, The Meccan Rebellion, by Thomas Hegghamer and Stephane Lacroix  has just been published by Amal Press, Bristol, and typeset by yours truly (not the cover I should add) and is now on sale. To quote some of the blurbs: … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, Publishing, typography / design, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The Fly of God

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

Have you ever wondered why a mosquito or a fly lands on your face at precisely that moment in the early dawn when you know you should wake up and get out of bed? Did you swat it or did … Continue reading →

Posted in typography / design | 9 Comments

Olé

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

‘A usted‘ is the reply you will often get in Spain when thanking a tradesman or a shopkeeper and it always brings with it a smile. A small but significant courtesy. Usted (or its arabic forerunner ustadh) is the formal … Continue reading →

Posted in architectural, language, miscellaneous | Leave a comment

Relics of the First Computer Age

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

I just discovered in an old drawer a unique Seiko digital prayer wrist watch made in about 1986 in Japan. What’s more it’s gold plated which makes it pretty unique. How quickly things seemed to have moved on from that … Continue reading →

Posted in typography / design | 5 Comments

Cosmic contradictions

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

Global-warming deniers are crackpots as bad as those who thought the Earth was flat, according to Sir Andrew Motion, the new president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (and ex-English Poet Laureate). It’s interesting to me that to consider … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Be Near the Earth

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

Be Near the Earth is a phrase that caught my eye some months ago on a Zaytuna College web page. Sh. Hamza was quoting the advice of a Mauritanian shaykh he knew and its many meanings I thought worth expanding … Continue reading →

Posted in typography / design | 4 Comments

To Serif or not to Serif?

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

There was a time when to make something look cutting edge you just avoided serifs, those little embellishments on a letter of type that stops it looking like a block of wood. It was that simple. Helvetica as opposed to … Continue reading →

Posted in architectural, miscellaneous, typography / design, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Psychological Study of Typography

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Ian Whiteman

This might all be a bit arcane for most people but as everyone these days reads typeset text (when did you last get a handwritten letter?) then it’s just as well you know what underpins the science and craft of … Continue reading →

Posted in typography / design | Tagged , , | 3 Comments