Blog

The Old Mill

Hi Tim, So, I’m having a solitary late lunch in the bar at The Old Mill in Toronto, after beating the drum for Ryerson at the Mags U trade fair, and what do I see on a credenza near the bar than a small stack of DA 56. I pick up a copy to treat myself and find a fine piece on Frank Newfeld (before Alligator Pie, when he really was a magical designer) and a poem about Richard Outram, who I knew slightly, years ago, at CBC, as a long-time off-camera studio guy — props? I think so. And then something by you, titled Dingbats, Ornaments and Fancy Initials. I start reading and am charmed to learn about the barn and the Bunyans and your very smart treatment of your dad, then the fact that you’re putting the things online as downloadable shareware. Terrific, I think. I’ve got to tell a couple of designer friends, who will be tickled to have these things available.

And then I hit the last paragraph. a) I don’t remember us ever talking about those dingbats, etc. specifically, but turning them into shareware was exactly the kind of thing I meant. Good for you for picking up the idea and running with it in that direction. b) You’re very kind. Nobody ever thanks consultants publicly like that. Finding that credit was a total surprise and delight. You are completely welcome — and now on my browser list of `Favourites’. Warmest regards to all there, — Charles Oberdorf

Find the DA dingbats (and the story) here.

This entry was posted in Praise & fanmail and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Devil's Artisan is remarkable in Canadian publishing in that most of the physical production of our journal is completed in-house at the shop on the Main Street of Erin Village. We print on a twenty-five inch Heidelberg KORD, typically onto acid-free Zephyr Antique laid. The sheets are then folded, and sewn into signatures on a 1907 model Smyth National Book Sewing machine.

To take a virtual tour of the pressroom, visit us at YouTube for a discussion of offset printing in general, and the operation of a Heidelberg KORD in particular. Other videos include Four Colour Printing, Smyth Sewing and Wood Engraving. Photographs of production machinery used on these pages were taken by Sandra Traversy on site at the printing office of the Porcupine's Quill, December 2008.

The Devil's Artisan would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Magazine Fund (CMF) through the Support for Arts and Literary Magazines (SALM) component toward our editorial and production costs. Thanks, as well, for the generosity of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Sleeman Brewing Company.