Mockup for the die-cut effect on The Black Reparations Project book jacket

Working on a project like The Black Reparations Project is always a difficult task of marrying concept with content. The editors were keen to use Theodor Kaufmann’s 1867 painting On To Liberty, which depicts a group of recently enslaved black Americans navigating an uncertain path to freedom. The publisher wanted something typographic. I opted for a combination of the two in the extreme, with a minimal jacket design that features only an ellipse (indicating the notion of “we’re still waiting [for reparations]”), but instead of the first period is a die cut that reveals one boy's face as he looks backwards rather than forwards—again, an illusion to what the book’s content is doing as well. The printed case underneath features On to Liberty in its entirety.

The jacket won an Association of University Presses Book, Jacket, and Journal Show award in 2024.

Printed case for The Black Reparations Project

Cover design for The Black Reparations Project

Jacket mechanical for The Black Reparations Project

L’Art du Quotidien is a hybrid living space, fully integrated into its neighborhood in Paris, centered around a seasonal bistro and a marketplace. The offerings are exclusively products from small local producers committed to traditional and organic farming methods.

We created a tailor-made visual identity that aligns with L’Art du Quotidien: highlight the product, transparency, craftsmanship, small producers, conviviality, and quality, all while respecting an ecological and responsible approach. The goal for them was to become an institution in a vibrant Parisian neighborhood, showcasing exceptional expertise with an excellent quality-to-price ratio.

With a space thoughtfully designed in every detail, the visual identity aimed to be modern without being trendy. The concept of becoming an institution was conveyed through classic and timeless elements such as the stamp. The use of illustrations reinforced the idea of closeness, simplicity, and transparency with the customer.

Sign painting by Ateliers Victor Bert, illustration by Sébastien Gay, photography by French Bre(a)d Studio.

Semibold, the design practice of Scott Bolton, crafted a charming visual identity for ¡ROMA!.

Named after the beating heart of Mexico City’s food scene, Roma specialises in Mexican-inspired street food, with some ‘less authentic’ takes on classics – like their famous beef birria spring rolls.

Roma’s logotype and visual language were positioned around the inverted exclamation marks used specifically in the Spanish language — personifying the wordmark as a street vendor shouting their offering. This system extends to posters, social media, and a small brand motif (that features at the centre of their greaseproof paper) — which can be seen as either a folded taco on wheels or a happy face depending on which way you look at it.

Farmacia by Nguyen Gobber is used for Roma’s wordmark and Carrie by Vocal Type for all further typography.

A Palette for the People is a monograph of the work of Shirley Woodson, a Detroit painter who was the Kresge Foundation Eminent Artist in 2021. Part of that recognition and award is a monograph of the artist's work.

I designed the cover to precisely the size of the painting, without realizing I was doing it. I discovered this at the release party for the book, which was also the exhibition opening for the artist's new work.

VTC Carrie is used for the titles, with VTC Marsha on the spine (both from Vocal Type). Subheads and text are set in Zenon from CAST and good old Benton Sans (Font Bureau) was chosen for captions and small text.

The book measures 9×12″, 80 pages, printed full color on matte white, perfect bound with soft touch cover.

In addition to a biography of the artist, the book featured short essays in response to a certain Woodson painting, written by other Detroit artists and friends in the community.

On press with the book. This photo shows the proofing table and press controls. We would proof the color with the pressman and request any adjustments to the sheet, like more magenta or less overall density in a certain section.

Two partly hand-drawn posters made to promote a group exhibition of works made outside business hours. It was shown at my design studio in Chicago. Some people brought in pottery, clothing, baked goods; and we had someone screen a film they had made outside of work.

The poster at the top features an illustration from Cheri Zhou and Carrie, a wonderful typeface from Vocal Type Co.

The one below was produced with Director, a fine typeface from Velvetyne.

Gelatissimo rebrands using Boldoni, a typeface designed by Andrei Robu from Typeverything. It is supported by Avenir Next and an unidentified sans serif [it’s VTC Carrie, see comments].

Words from Campaign Brief:

Gelato brand Gelatissimo has launched a new brand identity and positioning in partnership with brand agency Houston Group.

In developing the new positioning and brand identity, Houston Group was responsible for creating an entire new brand architecture with the new logo, colour palette, tone of voice, packaging and instore design, as well as a full set of templates.

The new brand identity is inspired by the nostalgia and fun of traditional Italian gelaterias with a flavourful twist, with Gelatissimo’s new logo conjuring images of gelato scoops. The logo sits alongside luscious, swirled patterns in a fresh colour palette of soft strawberry, tangerine and lavender, crafted in collaboration with type designer and illustrator Andrei Robu.

À ma sœur ! is a drama written and directed by Catherine Breillat, starring Anaïs Reboux and Roxane Mesquida. It can be seen as part of the “New French Extremity” – a wave of transgressive films by French directors at the turn of the 21st century (a term coined by Artforum critic James Quandt). Malmsten Hellberg designed the poster and title treatment. Another assignment for quality film distributor NonStop Entertainment in their series of films by female directors that finally get a theatrical release in Sweden. The title is set in VTC Carrie, from Vocal Type (named after women’s suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt), accompanied by Ivar Text from Letters from Sweden.

One of America’s favorite mottos – ‘United we stand, Divided we fall’ – brings to light a fundamental value cherished by the United States: unity. However, in my eyes this sentence illustrates perfectly the fragile political climate the country has been living in since its foundation, and is today at its peak.

I have always taken an active interest in the historical conflicts of the U.S., especially those dealing with slavery and the Civil Rights Movements. Furthermore, the George Floyd protests that erupted last year made me even more angry and outraged.

Through this project I wanted to expose division and racism, driven by white supremacy, a matter that has rocked the country since its birth.

I wanted to illustrate this failed melting pot through a personal editorial book, comprising of a short timeline of the African-American History, as well as historical photographs of fourteen major American riots and marches for Equality, from the 1950s to today.

The font used on cover is VTC Carrie by Vocal Type. Its designer Tré Seals designs typefaces that highlight a piece of history from a specific underrepresented race, ethnicity, or gender. The serif used for copy is Cormorant.

Zigzag by Benoît Bodhuin and VTC Carrie by Tré Seals in use for the packaging of Wild & Wunder’s in-house brand Fermentum. From the portfolio website of designer Kevin Nowak:

Fermentum supplies a wide range of fermented products (different types of kimchi, scoby mushrooms & many more). In the fermentation process the microbes have free play to create exciting flavors while bubbling intensively in all glasses and jugs. This philosophy of fermentation has been graphically illustrated on the labels.

The typeface used for the product information set in a small size is Atak from Philipp Herrmann.

Caderno Micar is an annual publication by SOS Racismo that brings together text articles and visual essays around the International Anti-Racist Cinema Exhibition, which has been held since 2014 in Porto, Portugal.

The 2021 edition seeks to reflect on the role of art in anti-racist activism, and give space to people kept on the margins, whether they are ethnic, gender, etc. minorities.

The text composition follows this premise, using mostly fonts by Tré Seals, such as VTC Carrie, VTC Marsha and VTC Martin. These type designs reflect the history and struggles of minorities, starring personalities such as suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, the transgender black woman Marsha P. Johnson, or the civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

GT Alpina Typewriter (Grilli Type) and Karrik (Velvetyne) are used in addition to the three typefaces from Vocal Type Foundry.

In the name of ♥︎ is a reference to “In the name of love” by Sarah Ahmed, published in Borderlands e-journal (2003). This work explores the use of the heart symbol in the context of social media, e-commerce and the rise of nationalist mindsets in Europe. Beyond its usual conventions (a symbol for love), how does the ♥︎ facilitate a design of trust to conceal privacy breach and to fuel stricter border closure politics?

This poem is part of an installation and a video. Five women and non-binary are reading a spoken-word piece on the female body and the idealisation of the nation-state.

The poem mixes VTC Carrie from Tré Seals (Vocal Type), Ortica Linear by Benedetta Bovani and Zorn from Laura Csocsán.

See also the post about the book In the Name of ♥︎, published as Onomatopee 192.