New Typeface

This is BLACK SLABBLATH, a new typeface from Stefan Kjartansson releases this past February. The article says
"it began as an experiment to push the maximum amount of black into white space, yet still carve each character judiciously from its initial block." -PRINT magazine, June 2008

i particularly enjoy the bold geometry and i think it's playful, almost like blocks or legos the way the letterforms fit together.

Paragraphs?

This layout isn't anything particularly special, but there is an element that I really enjoy: the paragraph breaks. You may have to click on the image and view it larger to see what i'm talking about.

Rather than using a traditional return, the paragraphs are separated by a double backslash. The backslashes are red to provide high contrast to the thick, black ink of the text. I think it stands out nicely and is a creative way to represent paragraph breaks.

student work

speaking of student work...here's the winning piece for print's annual student cover competition. looks great! i seem to remember seeing loopy, swirly patterns like that a lot of places over the past year.

Shocking

This is a typographic illustration by an artist named Travis Sterns. His goal with this project was to "develop new characters that express the way we talk and would make it easier for others to understand our stories.

The other important thing he says is "you have to be aggressive with your designs." I think that's great advice for any designer...don't be afraid of your own creativity.

body box

since we've been working on box designs in class this particular piece caught my eye. it's actually packaging for an invitation for a "heart art" event.

i think the image on the right is the top bottom front and back unfolded...pretty cool idea for an invite.

Od d

This is from How magazines' most recent design annual. It's in invitation for something called ODD SPACES. I really enjoy how the designer used a simple but eloquent space in his typography to illustrate the title of the show. I'll never cease to be amazed at how the simplest solutions are the most sophisticated and astounding.

AlphaBits

This piece was inspiration for one of my Pretzel Letter Package designs. I think it's the cover of a child's book to learn the alphabet. I like how the letters overlap, it's very energetic...perfect for kids. I will play around more with color and vary the opacity of my letters, as well as fine tune the typography.