On obtient la partie imaginaire en tournant le modèle d’un quart de tour is a research-based, transdisciplinary fiction developed by designer and professor Camille Chatelaine during a residency conducted in dialogue with the Laboratoire de Mathématiques de Besançon (LmB). The project explores parallels between artistic practice and mathematical thinking, approaching mathematics as a narrative and speculative tool rather than solely a system of calculation.

The research is materialized as a journal of residency, conceived as both a mediation object and a call for participation addressed to the LmB research community. The publication makes expressive use of Ready and Petit Frère, both distributed by Plain Form, to support the project’s fictional and conceptual framework. Ready is used on its own (tracked and not), as initials, and occasionally for its emoji.

The project is led by the École supérieure d’art de Franche-Comté (ISBA–SSAC) and supported by the DRAC Bourgogne–Franche-Comté.

Memojit (read the announcement on typo.social) is the unofficial successor to the emoji matching game Duomoji, which had disappeared. The game uses DJR’s Megazoid for the title and Gimlet Sans for the body text.

Screenshot of Memojit #54, showing the bone emoji correctly matched

Konstlek på Raby is a collaboration between Konstfrämjandet Västmanland and Västerås Konstmuseum, hosting creative activities for children and youths.

The project was designed by Lina Forsgren, with a logo that’s inspired by their wonderful neon sign created by Josefin Eklund – based on letters that took shape in a workshop together with children (see image 2).

For the logo, the designer used a mix of custom-drawn letters and such that were taken for typefaces: Knopp, ABC Maxi Round, Selfie Neue Rounded, Decoy, and Pickle-Standard.

As part of the identity, a library of flower emojis was created, to be used both as decoration and to cover kids’ faces in photos.

Network Imaginaries is a project that reimagines distributed practices. It is published by Hackers & Designers, a non-profit workshop initiative that organizes activities at the intersection of technology, design, and art. The publication brings together diverse voices, creating a space where new perspectives unfold:

The contributors span a wide range of practices and reflect about network technologies in experimental and hands-on ways. They push the boundaries of existing technology and programming platforms (webware, hardware, software), online/offline networks, high and low tech (internet, IPFS, darknet, peer2peer, blockchain, bot networks, radio), and user experience — in a practical manner and while addressing the ethical implications of the proposed technologies and processes.

This publication was designed with ChattyPub, a self-made publishing tool leveraging an open source chat interface (Zulip) to apply css styles to the contributions. ChattyPub explores how a process of co-designing a publication unfolds in a chat environment, specifically when several people are designing and interfering at the same time. Through workshops H&D opened up the process of making this tool, and explores together with participants its possibilities and limitations.

Network Imaginaries embraces a diverse range of free typefaces created by women, with a design that playfully engages with digital culture aesthetics—from the raw look of terminal windows to the expressive realm of emojis. The contrasting duo of Compagnon Light and Compagnon Bold establishes a strong visual hierarchy, with their weight and style difference providing distinction to the content. Their monospace nature gives a grid-like structure to the text, typical of coding environments. This foundation is complemented by Anthony and Movement Indirect Thin, adding an eclectic flair to headlines and subtitles, while Authentic Sans and Literata balance the body text with clarity.

Happy Ending is a new casual cocktail and natural wine bar, from the people behind Nektar. It resides in an old massage studio in the heart of Oslo. The website has a built-in day/night colour mode, that automatically changes when night comes. The identity tries to bind the cheeky word play all together, balancing between the humorous and something a bit more kinky. Designed by Smuss Studio, and photos by Simen Øvergaaard.

London-based studio They That Do has rebranded Protein Studios, an event space and creative co-working community.

Drawing inspiration from the 90s, the new pixelated identity incorporates the lively F37 Britain Sans typeface, which provides a more dynamic and relaxed feel compared to the polished rigidity of a neo-grotesque font like Helvetica. F37 Britain Sans is used in headlines, paired with Redaction and its pixelated styles, creating a striking contrast while keeping the energetic vibe of the identity.

Terre Augmentée (Augmented Earth) is a realistic fiction project inspired by nature, highlighting the interdependence of living beings, using two layout principles. The first involves a system of layers to build and deconstruct the layout. The second principle offers a free reading path, with the narration unfolding through page references, in the same way as browsing the Internet is done from link to link. This experimental book is part of a research project into the concept of the ecosystem book, made at ESAG Penninghen.

Büro Zwoi designed this playful campaign for the city of Lucerne using RT Dromo in a fancy combination with GT Maru’s emoji to advertise the Kultursommer 2021. The posters, the website, and even a digital cultural guide including a map helped visitors explore different venues and extensive cultural program in Lucerne.

Ryans started as an Ibiza hotel chain, but now it is first and foremost a community. The website still includes a service for booking accommodations with a pool, but it now also has an event calendar with parties and workshops organised by the community members all over the world. You can join the community by filling in and submitting a form on their website and suggest your event by reaching out to the project’s email.

Design by Achos, who picked Druk Wide by Berton Hasebe as the primary typeface for the site, social media pages and merch. The supporting sans initially was MADType’s Quantico. As of February 2024, it has been replaced by Adam Ladd’s Config Condensed.

The logo of The Ryans Times uses Chomsky. The site additionally uses Apple Color Emoji in the ticker-style menu as well as various typefaces for the travel stickers. This includes Millionaire Script (“you”), Sister Spray (“Ibiza”), and Imperator (“Ryans”).

From Kaide:

KAIDE is a creative studio dedicated to transforming the Finnish societal communications space towards a more imaginative version of itself. We specialize in sound branding, motion graphics and commercial videography productions. Our clients include some of the most prominent societally relevant actors in Finland, including NGO's, private companies and municipalities.

Their website, showcasing a variety of work, from promotional videos to music and podcasts, uses Lay Grotesk throughout. The sans-serif is paired with both contrasting styles of Nostra (Sett and Stream), mostly used as singular characters (including emojis). Note the unusual hover effect on the menu, that changes discreet Lay Grotesk into chunky Nostra Sett!

Graham Clifford Design, the team behind the recently launched We Love NYC campaign, writes about the project:

How does one expand on a pure original and stay true to its spirit? We were asked to design the system around the sequel to the original Milton Glaser mark as part of a campaign to celebrate our extraordinary city. Since the phrase now involved “we” and the famous acronym, we needed to make it as versatile as possible: not just boldly expressive in all media and environments, but also making the phrase modular, with emojis replacing the heart to express all the vitality and variety of the five boros. Proud to be a part of it.

On March 20th, 2023, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and the Partnership for New York City launched “We ❤ NYC” — “a civic campaign to showcase the city’s strengths and mobilize New Yorkers in every community.”

According to the official website of the City of New York:

The citywide campaign will kick-off with a celebration of New Yorkers who are making a difference through community service and will identify volunteer opportunities where everyone will have the opportunity to contribute.

There are three typefaces used in the system thus far:

The logo uses caps from the Black weight of a Helvetica – possibly Neue Haas Grotesk, which is distinguished from Neue Helvetica by a shorter middle bar in E. It might also be another version, with customizations. According to Graham Clifford, the logo is meant to invoke the subway system’s use of Helvetica: “The subway system is the veins or the beating heart of the city,” he told the New York Times.

The secondary display type is New York Line, designed by Coert De Decker and published by Kustomtype.

The typeface used on the website and for text is Proxima Nova, designed by Mark Simonson, published by Mark Simonson Studio.

Graham Clifford Design worked together with agencies MaryamB and Founders and illustrator Rox Cristaldo.

From a tweet by the campaign, with replies tellingly disabled.

The sixth RUFA annual report, designed by Intorno Design (Guido Lombardo, Roberta De Cristofaro, Fabrizio Crollari), presents the two-year period 2020–2021 as a single temporal unit, the time of COVID-19, the narrative of a year made up of 24 months and 320 pages, the most voluminous academic report to date. The graphic, photographic, and illustrative choices respond to the horror vacui generated by the pandemic and recall the artifices, physical or digital filters, that society has chosen to adopt as tools to stem the contagion. The variety and saturation of the chromatic tones serve as a sort of artistic compensation: having lost the warmth (human, relational, vital), we return it and compensate it in the form of color.

The choice of GT Maru by Grilli Type, which incorporates many emoji within the stylistic set, the type composition and layout refer directly to the modes and practices of digital devices, to which we have been and still are overexposed every day.

The photographic project on the first pages presents portraits of people with leading roles within the Academy who interact symbolically and playfully with a physical Plexigas filter often used in academic premises.

The illustration project introducing each course of study, on the other hand, pays tribute to the great international personalities who passed away over these two years, leaving a great legacy through their work to the students and creatives of today.

The photo project presenting the RUFA staff also evokes attitudes and moments of life that we all experienced during the pandemic period, ironically mocking the collaboration of the academic team.

Home page

Call On Courage is my website where I offer hand drawn illustrations about courage, unique portraits, a podcast, and more.

The main font is Ziclets which has a really spongy 70s playful feel and informs the whole website. I chat to people about their overcoming stories but with a good deal of hope and humour. I think Ziclets embodies this. I’m biased but I’ve not seen many sites use this typeface, it’s an unsung headline typeface with a psychedelic vibe. On the website it’s supported by Goudy Bookletter 1911 and Apple Color Emoji.

Podcast

Fearless Friends

Earn with me

Meet ‘Penny 2.0’. ‍Penny have found a way to automatically find all your old misplaced pensions and then collate them into one place. An “incredible offering for a generation who change their jobs on average every five years”.

Back in 2021, the new fintech company Penny approached us to create a super playful identity system that would separate them from the very formal visual language common in the financial sector. See the award-winning work we created for them on our website and on Fonts In Use.

Now, after an amazing year of growth and a hugely successful round of investment from Google, Penny came back to us to help them mature the brand with the challenge of helping them take their 10,000 users to 1 million.

Our approach was to keep the ‘coin’ at the heart of the identity and create a familiar feeling visual home, not too far away from the beauty and excellence of Apple, while keeping Penny’s playful spirit.

For the typography, we used a stunning typeface from CoType Foundry: Ambit. An eccentric and unique sans serif inspired by early grotesques, but adapted for the 21st century. It has a distinctive personality and a subtle playfulness, resulting in a logotype full of character while also feeling established.

Source: vimeo.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Still from the “Dictator” commercial.

Omnes is the branding and advertising typeface for Trolli.

Trolli is a German company selling gummy candies and soft licorice gums in over eighty countries. Berlin-based agency Heimat created a striking identity for the brand. They introduced a new slogan, “Let the fun win”, and a new typeface to go with it: Omnes Black is the heaviest weight of Darden Studio’s rounded sans. With its chubby yet distinctive shapes, it’s the perfect equivalent for the yummy titbits. Omnes Black is combined with photography that focuses on Trolli’s multicolored products themselves.

The new identity was launched via a couple of TV commercials that set the bonkers tone. It was soon followed by a large-scale poster campaign that borrowed the slang and syntax of internet memes, complete with double entendres and other puns. For the Trolli website, Heimat specified the slightly lighter Omnes Bold for headlines, and paired it with Arial Rounded for text.

Darden Studio. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Bit cute how sour [mad] everyone is here.”

Darden Studio. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Me: No sweets this week.
Trolli: LOL”

Darden Studio. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Everyone else: Boohoohoo.
You: Nom nom nom.”

Darden Studio. License: All Rights Reserved.

“What your stomach sees just before it's happy.”

Source: vimeo.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Still from the “Guru” commercial.

Source: www.instagram.com License: All Rights Reserved.

“How do 40 dinosaurs survive in a bag? They’re all vegan.”

Source: trolli.de License: All Rights Reserved.

Homepage detail featuring Omnes Bold with Arial Rounded.

Source: trolli.de License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: trolli.de License: All Rights Reserved.

OneTrickPonies skincare has “no shady ingredients.” They also state each product’s “superhero” ingredient right there on the packaging, using OH no Type Co.’s Cheee Wowie. Cheee is also used for the OPT logo and for the website ticker. It’s paired with Lineto’s LL Brown.

Website detail, with thumbs down in various skin tones, from Apple Color Emoji.

Website detail

Bright—a platform for interactive learning sessions with creators, icons, and experts—has adopted a bold, colorful rebrand designed by Lobster Phone.

Lobster Phone’s founder and designer Kristine Arth chose Gimlet Display Condensed as the headline typeface, with Acumin stepping in for supporting text. Gimlet’s energetic design is amplified by vibrant bands of color that permeate the identity.

Bright’s custom wordmark drawn by Ruggero Magrì is a bold condensed sans serif with a biform g that echoes the construction of the B. This B/g shape is carried over to the asymmetrical brackets that surround the logo and also form an abstract B when used on their own. These brackets surround the headlines as well, adding an interesting design element to the text and breaking to follow the right rag of a multi-line lockup. These brand elements are supplemented with icons and playful emojis that incorporate the logo’s distinctive g.

Meet ‘Penny’. A new pension company set to shake up the world of pensions. Amazingly they automatically find all your old misplaced pensions and then collate them into one place. (I know, no one knows where their old pensions are right?!)

Penny set Good Habit the challenge of creating an identity that cut through the formal visual language common in the financial sector and instead create a playful brand that set them apart from the pack.

Good Habit’s approach was to deliver an informal identity that balanced the tricky tension of being ‘playful’ whilst maintaining the necessary ‘sturdiness’ of the pensions industry (after all they are dealing with your life savings!) For the typography we used a stunning typeface from Grilli Type, GT Flexa. A typeface with plenty of personality and versatility, resulting in a forward thinking logotype full of fun and character but also feeling established and safe.

Along with the brand ‘look and feel’ Good Habit created layouts for their brand new app and mobile site.

Animated numbers for the balance in the app.

Animated view of the mobile site.

Visual identity designed by Alliage for Schiev Festival, a music festival which takes place in Brussels. The website design and development is credited to Variable. Lausanne is used for all text. The bitmap illustrations are composed of Apple Color Emoji.

From the festival’s website:

Whether electronic or acoustic, traditional or futuristic, schiev offers a broad vision of avant-garde pop music. Diversity and discovery are the essence of our artistic programme. We want the widest possible audience to have access to Belgian and international projects that are aiming to overcome the boundaries of their genre, or push it to its limits. We present what gives our name its meaning, the most ‘schiev’ artists out there: those who seek, innovate and freely experiment with textures, influences, rhythms and composition.

Arnold Böcklin is the typeface used for the logo of That ’70s Show. Originally released in 1904, this Art Nouveau design saw a revival in the late 1960s and 1970s.

From Wikipedia:

That ’70s Show is an American television period sitcom that originally aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in fictional Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979.

The main teenage cast members were Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, and Lisa Robin Kelly. The main adult cast members were Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, Tommy Chong, and Tanya Roberts.

The opening titles show the cast riding in in Eric Forman’s Vista Cruiser and singing along with the show's theme song. The credits are set in Hobo.

The letterforms are typically shown with multiple colored contours and a gradient fill.

DVD box with the numeral 0 substituted by a smiley.

On the covers of this DVD edition, the season numbers are set in (a digital version of) the rounded bottom-heavy Scorpio, a quintessential 1970s typeface.