91 THE DECODER RING
Kerning, says Christian Helms, is “a pain in the ass to do.” He firmly believes
that everyone in the design world has, at one time or another in
their career, sent to print a piece of improperly kerned work. “Those
mistakes go largely unnoticed by most of the public,” he says, “but they
scream at designers like a bag of kittens on fire.”
Helms and his fellow designer pal Geoff Peveto make each other
laugh a lot, he says. The “Kern This, Mofo” comment just dribbled
out of Geoff’s mouth one day and ended up on the T-shirt. “We
give them to fellow design geeks and sell them at Thedecoderring.
com,” he says. For some reason it’s mostly educators who buy it, he
says, noting that it gets one of two responses when looked at: “a
burst of laughter or a confused-puppy head-tilt.” Not long ago The
Decoder Ring guys attended the music poster conference Flatstock,
where they flogged their shirt. “A couple of junior-high kids
walked up, laughed out loud and bought two,” he says. “They had
no idea what kerning is. They were soon made to return them by
their parents, who felt the shirts were inappropriate for their children.”
by Dana Rouse
The Decoder Ring Design Concern | Art Directors, Designers: Geoff Peveto, Christian Helms | Client: The Decoder Ring Design Concern | Contact: www.thedecoderring.com
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