SEXUALLY UNAPOLOGETIC | Flamboyantly Fluid Type

New York-based type foundry Otherwhere Collective and designer/creative director Andrew Bellamy have created a seductively cheeky rebrand for TOCA, a range of high-potency CBD anal and vaginal lubes.

The new designs centre around a custom typeface, OC TOCA, which bears deliciously flamboyant, curving letterforms with an aesthetic that marries French turn-of-the-century, Art Deco elegance and eroticism with stylishly hippie-leaning '70s vibes.

"It's a rebrand more in line with their personality: it's elegant and sensual, playful with a subtle subversion and a sense of humor, positioned as affordable high-end," says Bellamy, who adds that the brand had said it "wanted to make some noise and talk about things considered taboo so that was a green light to break out of the cliché botanicals photography and be a bit more subversive and incendiary."

The references for the designs include collage artist Linder Sterling (she of the iconic cover design for The Buzzcocks single Orgasm Addict); rapper Foxy Brown; Grace Jones; Roxy Music (specifically the sleeve design for Country Life), Barney Bubbles' stunning work for space rock legends Hawkwind; vintage porn; German architect and industrial designer Peter Behren; Herb Lubalin and Ralph Ginzburg's collaborations on seminal1960s/70s editorial design for Eros, Fact and Avant-Garde; Jamie Reid (he of Sex Pistols sleeve design fame); Austrian graphic designer and painter Alfred Roller; designer Busby Berkeley (who's known for his cinematic "elaborate dancing-girl extravaganzas"); Austrian graphic artist Koloman Moser; and the rather brilliant campy, retro-futuristic 1970s/80s music genre, space disco.

BRODIE KAMAN | Avoiding the Unnecessary

BRODIE KAMAN'S TACTILE, TYPOGRAPHICALLY-LED PRACTICE

Berlin-based art director and graphic designer Brodie Kaman is a force to be reckoned with, boasting a captivating practice that combines a dynamic starkness with a relaxed, somewhat free-hand candidness across the work he does.

Creating work that bridges the gap between a rough, tactile, '90s aesthetic and aggressively contemporary design, Brodie commits to a very distinct style. He works primarily in the music industry, having recently created the design and typography for FKA Twigs' latest album Magdalene - a record cover/brand that is slick, striking and sophisticated as the record itself.

Producing designs with a solid punch to them, Brodie explains, "I don't set an intention for things to come across that way, but I prefer not to get caught up with unnecessary details for the sake of it. I've always been attracted to strong imagery," – where the visuals of which are a strong concept in themselves and not necessarily reliant on a rigorous, academic underpinning.

FUTURA FONT | Modern Makeover

UPDATED DESIGN PROVES CLASSICS SHOULDN'T ALWAYS BE LEFT ALONE.

Futura has long been one of the most-loved fonts in the design world. But, as you'll know if you've tried to use it digitally, it's somewhat of a struggle to do it effectively. Its problematic spacing and every-so-slightly odd range of weights mean that the only typeface to live on the moon is not adapting well to modern applications. 

Enter: Futura Now. An adaptation of the vintage Futura, which was introduced back in 1927 when Bauhaus was the only trend to follow, it's succeeded in making the font accessible and useable again. For digital environments, logotypes, and brand identities that want to imbue the timeless elegance of the bauhaus and deco styles, this collection of typefaces maintains the legacy of one of my favourite typefaces while giving it a well-deserved revival.

2021 GOUDY AWARD | Louise Fili

EXCELLENCE IN TYPOGRAPHY 

Louise Fili, an American graphic designer recognized for her elegant use of typography and timeless quality in her design, is the 2021 recipient of the Frederic W. Goudy Award for Excellence in Typography.

The daughter of Italian schoolteachers, Fili said she was “interested in design before she even knew what it was.” As a child she carved letterforms into her walls, designed book covers, and created illuminated manuscripts of Bob Dylan lyrics. A visit to her parents homeland in her teens inspired a life-long love of Italy. 

Considered a leader in the postmodern return to historical styles in book jacket design, Fili explores historic typography combined with modern colors and compositions. Fili’s work often draws on inspiration from her love of Italy, Modernism, and European Art Deco styles. She worked as a senior designer for Herb Lubalin and served for 11 years as art director of Pantheon Books, where she designed close to 2,000 book jackets.

In 1989, she opened Louise Fili Ltd., a design studio specializing in food, type, and all things Italian. Fili is author of more than 25 books on graphic design.

MID CENTURY TYPEFACE | A Reflection of Modern Architecture

HELVETICA AND THE COLD SANS SERIF

In the documentary film, Helvetica, graphic designer Michael Bierut sums up the mid-century modernisation of graphic design by describing a single Coke ad from 1969. “It’s the real thing. Period! Coke. Period! In Helvetica. Period! Any questions? Of course not. Drink Coke. Period! Simple.”

McKann Erickson’s campaign exemplifies a 1960s revolution of clean, modernist typography. The short, bold, sans-serif statement was a stark reaction to the hand-rendered script lettering and long-winded copy that cluttered print advertising of previous decades.

FUTURA AND THE CLINICAL SIDE OF MODERNISM

The credit for sparking this shift could go to Doyle Dane Bernbach, whose “Think Small” ad for Volkswagen turned heads in 1959. Designer Helmut Krone used a traditional ad layout: two-thirds image, one-third copy, with a headline between them. What made the ad so striking (besides the spare photography and Julian Koenig’s clever copy) were the short paragraphs punctuated by single-word lines, all set in a typeface rarely used for text: Futura.

Geometric and uniform sans serifs are indeed typographic symbols of modernism. But Futura, Helvetica, Univers, and Eurostile were by no means the only typefaces favoured by mid-century designers. To me, they represent the colder, clinical, machine-made side of modernism. More metal than wood.

A REFLECTION OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE

At its best, mid-century modernism married two moods: cold and warm. The strict, straight, and mechanical was tempered by a human touch and the imperfection of natural forms. And despite the emphasis on functionalism, the movement also had a sense of humour and whimsy. This was reflected as much in mid-century typography as it was in furniture and architecture.

COOPER BLACK | It's Back!

Fashion’s affairs with typefaces have been many – from the Didone styles of Vogue to the sans serifs favored by Chanel, Commes des Garçons and Fendi. But Cooper Black doesn’t have the sleek lines or sophistication you might expect from a sartorial squeeze. 

So where did this font surface from? And why has mainstream fashion gone so mad for it?

Paul McNeil, a typographic designer at MuirMcNeil and a senior lecturer in typography at the London College of Communication, thinks it has an “unexpected affability and liveliness … due partly to its bulbous serifs, its large, lower-case letters and its tiny, gleaming white counter forms.” 

It could well be its brand of familiar charm that is helping it win fashion’s favor now. It is all about retro nostalgia – it just says ‘1970s’ the minute you look at it.

It was created by Chicago-based typographer, illustrator and commercial artist Oswald “Oz” Cooper in 1922. It quickly became ubiquitous in advertising. It's foundry declared it to be the “world’s bestselling typeface in 1927”. It was marketed by the foundry’s sales manager Richard N McArthur as “the selling type supreme … it made big advertisements out of little ones”. But in the 60s, its gregarious characters fell slightly out of favor with the ad world.

Nevertheless, it has become visual shorthand for the late 60s and early 70s because it was in that era that it was brought out of adland and into the popular culture mainstream on a wave of west coast harmonies, appearing on the cover of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds in 1966 before going on to be the typeface of choice on the Doors’ LA Woman in 1971 and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust in 1972. It was the typeface of The Garfield Show and M*A*S*H.

It was also in this era that it kicked off another meaningful relationship: with hip-hop. Breakdancing crews used iron-on transfers of the letters on their T-shirts and it later appeared on albums and merchandise. More recently, in nods to the earlier DIY days of hip-hop, it has been used by Odd Future, on Tyler the Creator solo albums and Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange.

In a way, it was never out of fashion – it is something of an American street-culture classic. So when mainstream fashion chooses to adorn T-shirts with Cooper Black, it is subliminally referencing all these things – hip-hop, the 70s, sitcoms and now, Louis CK.

It is all of these cultural anchors that lead to another tenet of its popularity. With a sense of authenticity Cooper Black has a cheery gaucheness that makes it look untutored and uncontrived.

PIET ZWART | Everything Must Change

A fascinating documentary about Piet Zwart (1885-1977), an idiosyncratic and stubborn designer, who lived for innovation and prepared the way for the international success that is now known as Dutch Design. Piet Zwart worked as an interior and industrial designer, commercial typographer, photographer, critic and lecturer, playing a key role in defining the design climate in the Netherlands in the Twentieth Century. He is especially known for designing the famous ‘Piet Zwart’ kitchen for the Dutch company Bruynzeel: a kitchen that could be easily produced and consisted of standardized elements. His versatility and influence on present-day designers led the Association of Dutch Designers to award him the title of “Designer of the Century” in 2000.

Piet Zwart is counted among the international avant-garde without any reservations. His work reflects the work of artists such as Kurt Schwitters, El Lissitzky, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Jan Tschichold, but always retains its own authenticity. His work corresponded with similar experiments at the Bauhaus, where Piet Zwart was a teacher.

This documentary enters the mind of the artist Piet Zwart with his almost obsessive urge to innovate.

TYRSA x LIBERTÉ | Le Tyrsamisu

The arts of pastry-making and typography came together at LIBERTÉ patisserie in Paris to present a touch of sweetness engraved with dark chocolate tones: the TYRSAMISU. 

Pastry chef Benoit Castel, in collaboration with the famous Parisian graphic artist Alexis Taieb aka Tyrsa reinterpreted the famous Italian tiramisu with three different recipes that are as savory as they are graphical. 

Watch the process of the two art forms slowly coming together creating and exquisite dessert combining two of my favourite things...pastry-making and typography.

If you're feeling inspired, here’s an easy Tiramisu recipe, minus the typography.

PINK FLOYD RECORDS | New Visual Identity

Design consultancy firm Pentagram has created a new identity for Pink Floyd Records, the label established to put out the recent Pink Floyd: the Early Years boxset.

The project saw the team, led by partner Harry Pearce, take the original lettering from the Animals album and extend it into an entire alphabet.

“Pink Floyd’s impact on music is immeasurable, and is only seconded by their impact of visual culture. Famed by their relationship with the design collective Hipgnosis, their LP covers are part of the cultural consciousness, creating moments of shared experience for millions of people around the world,” says Pentagram.

Harry worked closely with Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis to create the visual identity for the label. Taking inspiration from the original lettering on 1977’s Animals record cover, Harry and team build a complete alphabet based on the album’s stencilled lettering in both outline and solid form. This lettering has been used to make a unique mark and headline font for the band and business.

The box set, which features previously unreleased material including the band’s first recording, you will find original artworks by John Whitely have been used on the CD booklet covers. “The box sets follow a simple one column grid and uses typewriter-esque typography to create an archival aesthetic, which is built upon through the careful arrangement of historical photographs of the band,” says Pentagram.

HOW TO PRONOUNCE | Helvetica

Just for fun.