I love everything about Jonathan Boarini’s redesigned book jackets for the classics of economics. Unfortunately I don’t think these are actually available to purchase anywhere—none of my searches turned up anything. I would buy these books in a heartbeat, just for the design alone.
Final assignment for the typography class I took this semester. We had to do a typographic cover for a “Special Issue” (Spring Dining Guide, Summer Fun Guide, etc.) of a local weekly tabloid called Buzz Weekly. I had specifically avoided using my illustration background as a crutch in prior pieces, but for this last assignment, I thought I’d see what I could do with merging illustration and typography together, but in a way where the illustration was part of the type. Thought it’d be cool to do something with 3D letters, but I wanted to avoid the clean, perfect, plastic look that usually accompanies them. Pulled off the analog 3D look I was going for pretty successfully. All the bands listed on the cover are actually from my comic, The Happy Samurais. I’m sure this will end up in the comic somewhere (background poster or something one of the characters is reading).
Really happy I took this typography class. I learned a lot and really upped my game. Hoping to take Typography II (book/publication design) if it’s offered in the fall.
After Tom Muller, whom I mentioned last week, the other graphic designer that’s had the largest impact on my typography and design is Scott Hansen—he does his design work under the name ISO50. I discovered Scott’s blog 4-5 years ago and was very impressed with his style—a lot of texture and distress. On his blog, not only would he post his work, but work of other designers or things around the internet that inspired him. His blog exposed me to tons of diverse design and typography aesthetics—modern, classic and retro from every corner of the globe. Still one of my favorite blogs to this day.
The first designer that ever really caught my attention and inspired my interest in graphic design, branding, identity and ultimately typography, was Tom Muller (tumblr/web/archive).
Tom is a Belgian graphic designer living in London who was a Design Director at Kleber (where he worked on web design projects for AC/DC, Kasabian, and MTV) and then later the Creative Director at Studio Output. He’s currently doing identity and branding, motion graphics, web design, illustration and publication design on his own as helloMuller.
It was Tom’s work on Ashley Wood’s Popbot comics that first caught my eye. I couldn’t believe how much his logos, marks and publication design took the project to another level. That was when I really learned how packaging and presentation of your idea is just as important as the idea itself. How you present the idea, becomes part of the idea.
One of my favorite cover runs of the last few years was the Rian Hughes (designer) and Salvador Larroca (artist) collaboration on Invincible Iron Man #20-24. Very simple, bold color schemes complemented with nice, clean typography. I believe Iron Man writer, Matt Fraction, suggested the use of Futura as the typeface to Hughes, as it had been a personal favorite of his during his years of design work at MK12.
Kern Type and Shape Type are two interactive typography games for the web created by Mark MacKay. In Kern Type you’re presented with examples—each an introduction to a different typeface and designer—and you have to fix the kerning. Your solution for each example is compared to correct adjustment and you’re given score based on how close you came.
In Shape Type, you adjust the control handles of bezier curves to get the most pleasing path for various characters set in different typefaces. Same comparison and scoring applies.
Both are simple little games and not very deep—just 10 examples in each—but they’re a fun and interactive introduction to kerning and adjusting bezier curves.
Comic orders for May are due soon and as I placed my monthly order, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by all the amazing stuff offered this month. Sure there are the usual great comics from Marvel, DC, Image, IDW and Dark Horse. But DAMN, there are some great books out there from other publishers I’m even more excited for.
Baby’s in Black by Arne Bellstorf
Blacksad: A Silent Hell by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido
Sharaz-De by Sergio Toppi
City of Glass adapted by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli
Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand by Jerry Juhl and Ramon Perez
Number one on that list is Baby’s in Black. I’m absolutely in love with the Arne Bellstorf’s style on this. So cute. So simple. But everyone is still instantly recognizable. Plus, I’ve always been into the Beatles Hamburg period—I had a VHS copy of Backbeat back in the day I used to watch on a loop.
The fourth volume of Canales’ and Guarnido’s brilliant Blacksad, complete with extra “making of…” material? A no-brainer.
The translated version of the Sergio Toppi’s Sharaz-De? Holy Crap!! Toppi is so mind-blowingly amazing there aren’t words to describe him and now we can finally read this volume for the first time in english. Way to go Archaia.
Somehow this David Mazzucchelli gem, City of Glass, has slipped through the cracks of my collection, and I intend to remedy that with this new edition from Picador.
Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand is already out and people are saying great things about it. I’ve been a big fan of Ramon Perez for years, and on this project his work seems to be taken to a new level by the beautiful colors of Jordie Bellaire.
We’ve got a German (Bellstorf), Spaniard (Guarnido), Italian (Toppi), American (Mazzucchelli) and a Canadian (Perez). Comics rule the world!
Fontfabric is an independent type foundry founded by Svetoslav Simov that makes absolutely killer typefaces. They’ve got that modern flair that I’m particularly fond of. They’re very professionally crafted and they also offer a lot of fonts as free downloads.
IdN Magazine (International Designers Network) is basically the most amazing publication in the known universe. When I sit down to try and read an issue, I’m so overwhelmed by how mind-blowingly creative every page and element of this magazine is that I have to start pacing around the room to burn off some of my excitement. I’m not even joking a little bit.
Issues come out six times a year and from cover to cover it’s full of the most inspiring graphic design, typography, illustration, music, fashion, motion graphics, photography, and artists you’ve ever seen.
A series of posters for Dog Day Disco by dutch designer Stefan Glerum. Think Stefan is the total package—great illustrator, amazing graphic designer and beautiful typography. Love his use of textures and unusual color palettes. Be sure to check out the rest of his site to see other examples of his illustration and design work.
