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.