The latest round of Cyberattacks on the Baltimore D.Center have been successfully repelled by our web guru, Amber Shriver. And not a moment too soon, fast on the holidays, there are two fascinating posts by Design Center co-conspirators to point you to.

The first is from Baltimore Museum of Art Director Doreen Bolger has written a comprehensive look at the lifestyles of the young cultural producers in Baltimore:

Here, in Baltimore, it’s a rising creative class, young people who came of age in the anxious decade following 9/11. Many, but not all, of these culture-creators studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), now among the very top art schools in the nation. Add into the mix the creative types attracted to vibrant arts programs at Towson University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and by the music of all kinds at Johns Hopkins University’s incredible Peabody Conservatory. These kids are transforming Charm City.

Read the rest of the article on Charm City Current here, we’re very glad to discover that this only the latest installment in what seems to be a regular column from Doreen. (Doreen, why didn’t you tell us?!)

Another regular column is Elizabeth Evitts Dickenson’s Letters From Baltimore. Check her latest on revived tradition of letterpress printing in the city, by way of a visit to the Gilah Press.

We got a closeup look at typesetting and letterpress printing at Design Conversation #14: Absorb. This was hosted by Holly Burke, and featured a presentation and demonstration by another local letterpresser: Kyle Van Horn:

(photo by Marian April Glebes, for more, see the D.Center flickr page here)

We also heard some thoughts on the changing nature of graphic design in advertising and visual culture from Holly, illustrated by way of a few clips from the 2007 documentary Helvetica (the first feature length film starring a typeface, but hopefully not the last). And I was able to contribute a few images of the ongoing decay of a side project of my own: link.

Keep an eye out for Design Conversation #15, this coming wednesday, Jan. 6th, as always, at the Windup Space.