Verse at the Thompson Memorial Library
Fonts In Use 25 May 2013, 9:33 pm CEST
Ann Hamilton’s public art project is a two-color cork floor laid as a field of words set in relief and located in the Thompson Library Buckeye Reading Room. The text is created by an alphabetic intersection and line-by-line weaving of three different accountings of world history that are arranged in a literary concordance. The spine along the north-south axis is composed of 299 words in A-Z order and adapted from The End of the World – a White River Sioux tale. The east west lines of text intersect this story with prose fragments from A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich (1936) and Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone by Eduardo Galeano (2009).
Read more and see a video of the installation.
The Church built by the Angels exhibition
Fonts In Use 25 May 2013, 6:35 pm CEST
Kościół zbudowali Aniołowie (“The Church built by the Angels”) is a temporary exhibition dedicated to the history of The Assumption Church in Giecz (Poland). In collaboration with Krzysztof Domaradzki my work was to create and develop all identity, elements such as branding, exhibition graphics as well as brochures, posters and catalogues. — Piotr Buczkowski, Heroes Design
The primary typeface that has been used here is Monotype Baskerville. For many, this family belongs to the boring old classics. They may prefer more recent designs like Štorm’s Baskerville with its attractive optical sizes; or looser, less familiar interpretations from that genre, like Matthieu Cortat’s Bonesana or Jackson Cavanaugh’s Harriet Series. Often, the killer argument for Monotype Baskerville is that it is free for those on a Mac, since it comes bundled with OS X. Also, it is quite unique among the seriffed system font families in that it comprises six styles – that’s two more than, say, Times New Roman or Palatino. In version 7 (as included with OS X Lion), each of the fonts contains about 1,100 glyphs, enabling language support not only for Central European languages, but also for Russian and Greek.
Not Vital x Beijing
"Nowness RSS" 25 May 2013, 6:00 am CEST
Mile-high concrete walls and imposing metalwork meets the eye, as nomadic Swiss sculptor Not Vital invites us into his creative Beijing hideaway to discuss his latest works in stainless steel, and his growing fascination with portrait painting. Vital’s atelier, in the heart of the city’s Caochangdi arts district, is itself a slick piece of architecture from young Japanese designer Mitsunori Sano. Walls of stainless steel foster a mirror effect in the central room and cleverly hide the living quarters behind. At the moment, the walls are strewn with large, white canvases, each depicting a single, blurred portrait in black, behind thick glass. Vital’s neighbor, the dissident artist Ai Weiwei, is among the friends who have sat for him as he explores the new medium in monochrome. “I asked Ai recently why he never paints,” says the artist. “He says it’s too strong for him, that it might kill him. Sculpture is more conceptual; painting comes from within. I know what Ai means.” While smog-choked Beijing seems an odd home for a multidisciplinary artist who is perhaps best known for his ongoing project to create a “house to watch the sun set” on every continent—Vital already has homes in remote parts of Africa and South America, and is buying land on the Indonesian island of Flores—he explains what drew him to the Chinese capital in 2009 and what compels him to return every year.
What about Beijing that made you to want settle and build a studio here? Not Vital: I spend about four months of the year here, mostly in my studio working all the time. I often work with stainless steel, and in China the production process is so fast. They still chase the steel instead of casting it. It’s a very labor-intensive process and requires a lot of technical skill. In Europe, they were using this technique 20 or 30 years ago, but much less now. To complete a sculpture in this way in Switzerland might take six months. Here it takes just two. I also find fewer distractions in Beijing, and it’s a city where I always feel a bit lost. The people inspire me though. I live in an area surrounded by artists. It’s a bit like 1980s New York.
Why do you shun the use of color in your work? NV: I grew up in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. For the half the year it is covered in snow and bleached of color.
You carved a sculpture of the famous mole on Chairman Mao’s chin out of coal back in 2009. What was the reaction like inside China? NV: I think most Chinese were amused and they liked the use of a common material for a work of art. Sometimes art needs to incorporate humor. The Chinese are very quick on the uptake and they have a good sense of humor. They are not so different, I find.
Which other parts of China have you found inspiring? NV: In southwest China, in Yunnan, the area around Dali is incredible. You can find stone in the ground that is very beautiful. It is incorporated into local furniture. It’s stone that, if cut from the ground in just the right way, has the look of a Chinese landscape painting. It’s as if the stone in the ground reflects the landscape above it. People help me look for this stone, but digging it up is a lottery. You never know what you will find.
Centrefold Magazine, Issue 08
Fonts In Use 25 May 2013, 12:35 am CEST
Centrefold uses Monotype Modern Extended for their logo and throughout this issue of the print magazine. The turn-of-the-century typeface sets a striking, classical tone for the publication and brand. Monotype Grotesque is a fitting companion from the same era. The website designers could have simply gone with the webfont version of the typeface (available at MyFonts and Fonts.com), but they chose Playfair Display instead. Playfair is a fine alternative with a similarly high stroke contrast, and its large lowercase helps it work for the midsized copy on the web, but its readability is really stretched at small sizes. I would consider bumping up the text or using a family like Benton Modern RE that is specifically for screen text.
“Frances Ha” Poster and Website
Fonts In Use 24 May 2013, 10:11 pm CEST
Director Noah Baumbach co-wrote his latest movie, Frances Ha, with its star, Greta Gerwig. Shot digitally with a Canon 5D, it is entirely black and white. From the IFC description:
Frances lives in New York, but she doesn't really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she's not really a dancer…
The poster has a nice verticality to it. The black and white allows for a color multiply that makes it easy to place type anywhere. The title is set in Rudolph Ruzicka’s Fairfield (designed in 1940; digitized and expanded in 1991 by Alex Kaczun).
The rather simple serif treatment gives the movie a classic feel without looking deliberately New Wave. But this is just marketing—while there’s no experimental sans here, the trailer with its hip New Yorkers could've been covered in one. Surprisingly, the type in the trailer is actually Didot, which is also used for the title on the website's navigation.
The film’s promotional site is rather adventurous. It begins with an interpretation of the poster and then a long, dotted line leads the visiter through clips, quotes, stills, Google-map locations from the film and gifs. The cast gifs even use Fairfield in some frames.
Now that it’s possible to match a movie poster’s type on the web, you might expect to see Fairfield (especially Fairfield Light which the poster uses) in use here. Unfortunately, the designer has settled for less.
The text of the site is primarily set in Fanwood, an open-source "revival" that is vague about its origins. Only its text style is served even though a text italic is provided with Fanwood’s download. So throughout the site bold and italics are faked, usually at the same time—a faux-faux faux pas.
Near the bottom of the page is a Press section that is really a Reviews section (Press is typically reserved for media kit materials). Review pull-quotes are set in all caps with Playfair Display, free via Google Fonts. In a couple instances it is combined with Fanwood. Using a different font for text that is beyond the movie's own promotional copy is not entirely a bad idea. But there's no reason to introduce a whole new typeface. With such limited use, Fairfield Heavy would be more appropriate.
Ovomaltine
Fonts In Use 24 May 2013, 8:45 pm CEST
Ovomaltine (or Ovaltine, as it is known in English-speaking countries) was developed in Berne, Switzerland. The name comes from ovum, Latin for "egg", and malt, originally its main ingredients. According to Wikipedia, in 1909 "it was a misspelling in the trademark registration that led to the name being shortened to Ovaltine in English-speaking markets" when they started exporting to Britain.
The German label sports one of Europe’s most frequently used packaging typefaces, FF Dax. The logo is customized with a modified ‘t’. The official Swiss website uses FF Dax as webfonts throughout.
New Work: Road Book Issue 2
New at Pentagram 24 May 2013, 8:43 pm CEST
The second edition of luxury gentlemen’s magazine road book has just been published in locations across Asia. Angus Hyland and his team have rebranded and redesigned Roadbook, relaunching the first edition of the magazine April (link to previous post). The bi-monthly magazine is aimed at high net worth individuals and features classic and contemporary cars, timepieces, fashion and more.
This issue includes features on Cuban cigars, Jeremy Hackett and Bruce McLaren.
Project team: Angus Hyland, Partner-in-charge and Art Director; Rhian Edwards and Richie Clarke, designers.
Domenic Lippa’s LDF Identity and Exhibition Revealed on Design Week
New at Pentagram 24 May 2013, 5:50 pm CEST
http://www.designweek.co.uk/news/london-design-festival-to-feature-endless-staircase/3036532.article
Volksfeinde by Kati Marton (Die Andere Bibliotek Edition)
Fonts In Use 24 May 2013, 5:20 pm CEST
Die Andere Bibliotek’s edition of Volksfeinde (Enemies of the People) by Kati Marton has a cover by Erik Spiekermann using a family from his FontFont library: the condensed 19th-century woodtype-inspired FF Hydra, and the much wider Text version intended for small sizes.
Die Andere Bibliothek Website
Fonts In Use 24 May 2013, 4:45 pm CEST
In the course of their new visual identity, the website of Die Andere Bibliothek was redesigned, too. The publishing program now is presented in a double list: the main column on the right has the currently available books, while the secondary column on the left holds yet to be released issues or such that are out of print. Pictograms like a crown for original editions are introduced to establish some navigational structure, but it is not always clear what they signify where. A convenient feature is the direct link to a directory of antiquarian booksellers for those books that are not available anymore – denoted by a cobweb.
Apart from the logo which is included as pixel graphic, the whole site is rendered with webfonts. Apparently, the publishing house managed to strike a special deal with Lineto, since the Swiss font makers don’t really allow their products to be used on the web yet.
While the “Reclined” styles of LL Brown add an interesting element of novelty to the printed matter, they hardly work on screen. The diagonals of these “Contra Italics” as well as those of the conventional Italics render poorly and create a distracting pattern. This is a prime example why it is crucial to consider all relevant types of media before deciding on a corporate typeface.
Die Andere Bibliothek – Fall 2013 Preview
Fonts In Use 24 May 2013, 4:43 pm CEST
Die Andere Bibliothek (“The Other Library”) was established in 1985 by writer Hans Magnus Enzensberger and book designer Franz Greno. Their idea was to publish one extraordinary book each month – extraordinary both in terms of content and form. It has since become one of the most prestigious European book series.
In late 2010, Die Andere Bibliothek moved from Frankfurt to Berlin and is now edited by Christian Döring. Since July 2012, every issue is commissioned from another book designer, many of them well-known figures like Sabine Golde, Uta Schneider, Friedrich Forssman, Victor Malsy, Erik Spiekermann or Wim Westerveld. Renate Stefan is the executive production editor.
Their new visual identity by BANK™ mixes LL Brown (Aurèle Sack) and Larish Neue (Radim Peško).
Die Andere Bibliothek – Spring 2013 Preview
Fonts In Use 24 May 2013, 4:43 pm CEST
Die Andere Bibliothek (“The Other Library”) was established in 1985 by writer Hans Magnus Enzensberger and book designer Franz Greno. Their idea was to publish one extraordinary book each month – extraordinary both in terms of content and form. It has since become one of the most prestigious European book series.
In late 2010, Die Andere Bibliothek moved from Frankfurt to Berlin and is now edited by Christian Döring. Since July 2012, every issue is commissioned from another book designer, many of them well-known figures like Sabine Golde, Uta Schneider, Friedrich Forssman, Victor Malsy, Erik Spiekermann or Wim Westerveld. Renate Stefan is the executive production editor.
Their new visual identity by BANK™ mixes LL Brown (Aurèle Sack) and Larish Neue (Radim Peško).
Monoqi “Welcome” email
Fonts In Use 24 May 2013, 3:50 pm CEST
Berlin-based online retailer Monoqi uses some pretty poor handwriting fonts on their website but I thought Xtreem (recently honored at Typographica) worked quite well in their Welcome email. Used sparingingly, it’s an energetic contrast to the calmness of the products and photography. The logo appears to be a modified Gotham.
De Etende Mens Designhuis — Raw Color http://visuelle.co.uk/
visuelle.co.uk 24 May 2013, 12:40 pm CEST
Kalup Linzy x Art Basel Hong Kong
"Nowness RSS" 24 May 2013, 6:00 am CEST
Florida-born, Brooklyn-based artist Kalup Linzy casts Michael Stipe and Leo Fitzpatrick as his co-stars in the tragi-camp world of the fictional Braswell family in his newest feat, Conversations wit de Churen X: One Life to Heal. The video revisits characters that Linzy has been working with for over a decade in acclaimed soap opera-inspired films such as All My Churen (2003). From overbearing mama to wayward son, Linzy plays nearly every character in his draggy world of high drama, song and dance, where disturbing effects such as voice modifiers give foreboding electronic depth to the Braswells' skewed universe. Though a celebrated figure in the art world, with work housed in MoMA’s permanent collection among others, Linzy's engagement with the vocabulary of daytime television runs surprisingly deep. He has crossed into more popular forms, appearing in episodes of soap General Hospital during the same period in which his sometime collaborator James Franco infamously guest-starred. While here Linzy follows the disappearance of a camp chanteuse named Taiwan from a cruise ship, leaving us with her body slumped on the shore, this weekend at Art Basel Hong Kong fair the artist will reincarnate his tragic diva at a dinner for art-world luminaries organized by Yana Peel, held on an old boat decorated in the style of 1930s Shanghai.
The Age of Wire and String by Ben Marcus, 2013 Granta Books edition
Fonts In Use 23 May 2013, 5:13 pm CEST
Until tomorrow, 24 May 2013, dalla Rosa Gallery in London exhibits …
artwork by Catrin Morgan for the new hardback edition of Ben Marcus’ book The Age of Wire and String published by Granta in May 2013. This will be accompanied by a wider body of work which takes the novel as its starting point, developing a language that draws from vintage photos, geological diagrams, and meteorology.
The typeface in use is Aurèle Sack’s LL Brown. The title is set in its “Reclin” cut, a style also known as “Contra Italics”.
Floating
things magazine 23 May 2013, 3:54 pm CEST
San Remo Brochure, 1932, by Mario Puppo, at paper graphic design from the 1920s to the 1970s / flying around the Futurist visions of Antonio Sant’Elia (via BlenderArtists) / Aortica Magazine, via Magpile / another new magazine, Special Request / Tago Mago, new sounds / Ai Weiwei first look at his new music video.
//
The Charnel-House is a blog by Ross Wolfe about classical avant-garde architecture and more. A typical post, ‘We must construct the Soviet dirigible fleet without delay‘, bringing together a host of visual material / Ship Sinking Simulator (via RPS) / Lesser Known Architecture, the hidden buildings of London, a new exhibition / a vast collection of British Car Brochures / a bit of brutalism at Eternal Opinion of My Spotless Mind, now defunct.
| More |
