Bob Wertz
@bobwertz.com
Creative director and Ph.D. Student at the University of South Carolina. Type designer. Gamecock fan. Cubs fan. F1 fan.
Enjoyed Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. 🍿
December 14, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Enjoyed Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. 🍿
My last day in this job is tomorrow… my office is mostly packed up and I’m checking off the last few things off my to-do list. I’m realizing that on Monday, I start an entirely new job with an empty to-do list and an opportunity to rethink how I organize notes, track tasks, etc.
December 11, 2025 at 1:16 PM
My last day in this job is tomorrow… my office is mostly packed up and I’m checking off the last few things off my to-do list. I’m realizing that on Monday, I start an entirely new job with an empty to-do list and an opportunity to rethink how I organize notes, track tasks, etc.
Some personal news… I’ve accepted a different position at the University of South Carolina as Director of Research Training in the Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub. I’m so incredibly excited about this new role and can’t wait ... https://bobwertz.com/2025/12/08/some-personal-news-ive-accepted.html
December 9, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Some personal news… I’ve accepted a different position at the University of South Carolina as Director of Research Training in the Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub. I’m so incredibly excited about this new role and can’t wait ... https://bobwertz.com/2025/12/08/some-personal-news-ive-accepted.html
Saw a McLaren on my way home from the grocery store today, close to my home. Yesterday, I saw a Lamborghini. I recently saw a Ford GT. Where are all of these luxury sports cars coming from?
November 26, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Saw a McLaren on my way home from the grocery store today, close to my home. Yesterday, I saw a Lamborghini. I recently saw a Ford GT. Where are all of these luxury sports cars coming from?
Spending the day working a graduate school paper. Camped out at a coffee shop listening to New Order and writing. Hopefully, I’ll get my first draft completed today.
November 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Spending the day working a graduate school paper. Camped out at a coffee shop listening to New Order and writing. Hopefully, I’ll get my first draft completed today.
This afternoon has been a long day.
November 19, 2025 at 7:47 PM
This afternoon has been a long day.
This really resonated with me this morning. Seth Godin on Captaincy:
"Captains set the agenda, create tension and lean into possibility. Captains aren’t just doing their job, they’re creating something that others thought was unl... https://bobwertz.com/2025/11/14/this-really-resonated-with-me.html
"Captains set the agenda, create tension and lean into possibility. Captains aren’t just doing their job, they’re creating something that others thought was unl... https://bobwertz.com/2025/11/14/this-really-resonated-with-me.html
November 14, 2025 at 1:06 PM
This really resonated with me this morning. Seth Godin on Captaincy:
"Captains set the agenda, create tension and lean into possibility. Captains aren’t just doing their job, they’re creating something that others thought was unl... https://bobwertz.com/2025/11/14/this-really-resonated-with-me.html
"Captains set the agenda, create tension and lean into possibility. Captains aren’t just doing their job, they’re creating something that others thought was unl... https://bobwertz.com/2025/11/14/this-really-resonated-with-me.html
Seth Godin: “Stuck is a situation, stuck might be a problem, and stuck can be a choice."
November 13, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Seth Godin: “Stuck is a situation, stuck might be a problem, and stuck can be a choice."
I’m playing around with Affinity. Lots of good options to customize the interface. Some really nice typography features. But why can’t I export multiple artboards?
November 8, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I’m playing around with Affinity. Lots of good options to customize the interface. Some really nice typography features. But why can’t I export multiple artboards?
Thirty years ago, Liz and I went on our first date. Crazy to think that we’ve been together for 3/5 of my life…
November 6, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Thirty years ago, Liz and I went on our first date. Crazy to think that we’ve been together for 3/5 of my life…
Watching Gamecocks Women’s Basketball. So much talent on this roster. I think they are going to be fun to watch this year.
November 4, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Watching Gamecocks Women’s Basketball. So much talent on this roster. I think they are going to be fun to watch this year.
One app, three modes: The most interesting thing about the new version of Affinity isn’t the price.: https://bobwertz.com/2025/11/03/one-app-three-modes-the.html
November 3, 2025 at 9:24 PM
One app, three modes: The most interesting thing about the new version of Affinity isn’t the price.: https://bobwertz.com/2025/11/03/one-app-three-modes-the.html
I’m conflicted about Canva making Affinity free. On one hand, Affinity will continue to provide a high-quality option to an Adobe subscription that won’t break the bank. But I don’t trust free software to be there for the long haul…
October 31, 2025 at 12:18 PM
I’m conflicted about Canva making Affinity free. On one hand, Affinity will continue to provide a high-quality option to an Adobe subscription that won’t break the bank. But I don’t trust free software to be there for the long haul…
My peer-reviewed journal article, Logo Love? An Exploration of American Consumers’ Critical Attitudes toward Logos, is finally live on Visual Communications Quarterly. Excited to finally get this released.
October 31, 2025 at 1:56 AM
My peer-reviewed journal article, Logo Love? An Exploration of American Consumers’ Critical Attitudes toward Logos, is finally live on Visual Communications Quarterly. Excited to finally get this released.
When you start your day discovering a plumbing issue… it’s not a crisis, but it is something I’m going to have to deal with when I get home tonight. Hopefully, it is something I can just handle…
October 28, 2025 at 12:09 PM
When you start your day discovering a plumbing issue… it’s not a crisis, but it is something I’m going to have to deal with when I get home tonight. Hopefully, it is something I can just handle…
Finally made it to City Limits Barbeque. Even with all the hype, it exceeded my expectations. Outstanding.
October 25, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Finally made it to City Limits Barbeque. Even with all the hype, it exceeded my expectations. Outstanding.
Impressed with the new Methodical Coffee in The Bull Street District in Columbia. Really awesome to see this area finally coming together.
October 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Impressed with the new Methodical Coffee in The Bull Street District in Columbia. Really awesome to see this area finally coming together.
I’m taking the day off from work to just be a Ph.D. student today. I’ve got a paper to work on, I’m attending a research symposium and I’ve scheduled a meeting with our grad school coordinator about my dissertation process and comps.
October 24, 2025 at 11:56 AM
I’m taking the day off from work to just be a Ph.D. student today. I’ve got a paper to work on, I’m attending a research symposium and I’ve scheduled a meeting with our grad school coordinator about my dissertation process and comps.
Rian Hughes is one of my favorite type designers. This brief interview covering his 30 years of type design and promoting his Kickstarter was wonderful. (Also, I completely backed the Kickstarter!)
October 22, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Rian Hughes is one of my favorite type designers. This brief interview covering his 30 years of type design and promoting his Kickstarter was wonderful. (Also, I completely backed the Kickstarter!)
Interesting that Microsoft released some process images on Instagram to explain the thinking behind their new icons. They are correctly treating this icon refresh as a type of logo rollout and people who care about the icons will appreciate the glimpse into the redesign process.
October 15, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Interesting that Microsoft released some process images on Instagram to explain the thinking behind their new icons. They are correctly treating this icon refresh as a type of logo rollout and people who care about the icons will appreciate the glimpse into the redesign process.
Hate to see that South Carolina basketball’s Chloe Kitts tore her ACL and will miss the season. She’s one of my favorite Gamecocks, and hopefully, she’ll come back strong.
October 13, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Hate to see that South Carolina basketball’s Chloe Kitts tore her ACL and will miss the season. She’s one of my favorite Gamecocks, and hopefully, she’ll come back strong.
Picking an NFL team: https://bobwertz.com/2025/10/12/picking-an-nfl-team.html
October 13, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Picking an NFL team: https://bobwertz.com/2025/10/12/picking-an-nfl-team.html
I never thought I needed to install a clipboard manager on my Mac. I was wrong. I absolutely love the clipboard history integrated into Spotlight on macOS Tahoe.
October 12, 2025 at 4:15 PM
I never thought I needed to install a clipboard manager on my Mac. I was wrong. I absolutely love the clipboard history integrated into Spotlight on macOS Tahoe.
Symbolism is strange: https://bobwertz.com/2025/10/12/symbolism-is-strange.html
It’s always funny to me what pop culture symbols acquire added cultural meaning.
It’s always funny to me what pop culture symbols acquire added cultural meaning.
October 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Symbolism is strange: https://bobwertz.com/2025/10/12/symbolism-is-strange.html
It’s always funny to me what pop culture symbols acquire added cultural meaning.
It’s always funny to me what pop culture symbols acquire added cultural meaning.
This article is about software development, but I think this passage relates to leadership, too:
"When you go too far up, abstraction-wise, you run out of oxygen. Sometimes smart thinkers just don’t know when to stop, and they c... https://bobwertz.com/2025/10/08/this-article-is-about-software.html
"When you go too far up, abstraction-wise, you run out of oxygen. Sometimes smart thinkers just don’t know when to stop, and they c... https://bobwertz.com/2025/10/08/this-article-is-about-software.html
October 8, 2025 at 2:37 PM
This article is about software development, but I think this passage relates to leadership, too:
"When you go too far up, abstraction-wise, you run out of oxygen. Sometimes smart thinkers just don’t know when to stop, and they c... https://bobwertz.com/2025/10/08/this-article-is-about-software.html
"When you go too far up, abstraction-wise, you run out of oxygen. Sometimes smart thinkers just don’t know when to stop, and they c... https://bobwertz.com/2025/10/08/this-article-is-about-software.html