U is for...

U is for..., watercolor on mixed media paper, December 25, 2011

The Under Armour brand is a textbook lesson in good logo design. A logo should be just mysterious enough so that the first time you see it, you ask, "What is that?" Once you figure out what it is and the company it's associated with, you never forget it. I happen to think the U.S. flag is one of the best flag designs in the world. I hope we never fiddle with it. With its high-contrast stripes, it plays perfectly with the wind. Isn't that what a flag should do? I think umbrellas are fascinating inventions, but I hardly ever carry one. I'd rather make a mad dash through the rain than fool around with opening and closing an umbrella. It helps that my hair is low-fuss, rain or shine. I love letters as an art form. The love affair started early in life and continues to this day. It seems that the styling and re-styling of our alphabet by designers is endless. As long as there's space on the hard drive, you can never have too many fonts. Like ochre, umber is an old-fashioned color name. Once a color loses Crayola currency, it is doomed! It's interesting that UPS has managed to corner the market on a color. They practically own brown. Maybe there weren't that many companies competing for it. I mean, it's brown! Hip, hip, ho-hum. I own an old ukulele. When my parents went to Hawaii 30 years ago, I asked them to get me one if they could. And, they did. I never learned to play it well. I eventually graduated to six strings (guitar), which I also do not play well. I can play 88 strings fairly well though. The "undo" key is such a part of life that I sometimes find myself wishing I could apply it to things other than computer functions. Drop a dish, hit "undo." Cut my finger while chopping vegetables, hit "undo." If only.... U is for Under Armour, U.S. flag, umbrella, upper case, umber, U.P.S., ukulele, and undo.