Urban Technology at University of Michigan week 176
On the Humble Pentel Sign Pen
End of semester, middle of December, just on the brink of vacation. While we are heads down with last minute prep for next semester, this issue is an ode to the most tool, a cheap plastic pen. Not just any plastic pen, though: the Pentel Sign Pen. Want to muster newfound confidence in your writing? Pick up a Sign Pen. Aspire to make a mark? Acquaint yourself with a Sign Pen. Have some last minute holiday shopping to do? Consider the Pentel Sign Pen. Here’s why…
💬 Hello! This is the newsletter of the Urban Technology program at University of Michigan, in which we explore the ways that data, connectivity, computation, and automation can be harnessed to nurture and improve urban life. If you’re new here, try this short video of current students describing urban technology in their own words.
✍️ We ❤️ you Pentel Sign Pen
“When art critics get together, they talk about form and structure and meaning. When artists get together, they talk about where you can buy cheap turpentine.”
— Pablo Picasso
If you’re tempted to ask, “I thought this newsletter was about urban technology so why are you writing about stationery?” let’s address that directly. Picasso cared about turpentine, we care about pens. Pens matter because writing matters; writing is important because collaborative work is critical to urban technology; and collaboration is non-negotiable because urban technology requires that people step outside of whatever conceptual silos they’re coming from and work together. Even in a degree program focused on the digital, we spend lots of time scribbling notes on paper and drawing at the whiteboard. For these reasons, having tools that make it easier to communicate generously are worth the time it takes to make an intentional choice.
The Pentel Sign Pen is what we use in our studios, it’s what I carry in my bag, and if you’ve never used one, you are in for a delight. The Sign Pen comes in black and 11 inferior colors and typically sells for two bucks or less.
It’s cheap but excellent. Sold in boxes of one dozen, the Pentel Sign Pen is a perfect balance of low cost and quality. It’s a $2 pen that feels like a $5 pen. But why? The first thing you notice while holding a Sign Pen is the size of the barrel. It’s thick enough to be held comfortably even by older fingers, and executed in a more supple plastic finish than most ballpoint pens.
It writes for teamwork. The felt writing tip is resilient enough that you can lay on thicker lines when needed, while still having the option to attenuate your marks with relative ease, but the Sign Pen does not let you make tiny lines. The Sign Pen wants your work to be legible to those who are sitting a few chairs away, and the design of the felt tip helps its user write in such a way that this happens naturally. (For students in UT 330, it affords writing at a larger scale.)
It dignifies the studio. With a circular profile at the end cap, hexagonal shape at the grip area, and then coming to a long point prior to the writing tip, the Sign Pen is a miniature sculpture. Even the box is delightfully simple, feeling more like a livery for stationery.
It stays with you. The raptor beak-shaped clip is worth celebrating because it’s cast as an extension of the cap itself, which makes it nearly impossible for the clip to be fidgeted and fussed right off of the cap. When on a flat surface, subtle facets across the pen’s circumference help it stay put.
It’s not permanent. You can choose to interpret this as deeply as you like. All true.
Not paid by Pentel. This post is written with pure appreciation as we close out the year: appreciation for the things that make our work just a tiny amount easier, and for you reading along. We appreciate you being part of the now 1,000+ people who are supporting our work at University of Michigan by following this newsletter. See you in 2024.
👨💻 Are you hiring for summer 2024? Reply to this email if you’re interested in having urban technology students join your team as interns. They have skills in UX design, service design, python, javascript and a zeal for urban challenges.
These weeks: Wrapping up fall semester, gearing up for winter semester. UT330 final reviews. Protogrant Demo Day. Studio build out final touches. Breaking quadruple digits in subscribers!!! 🏃