Typeface of the Month: Giramisu

Posted on by Juliane Lipp

Check out our newest Typeface of the Month: Giramisu!

Giramisu is an edgy monoline script font, taking a formal approach from 20th-century neon signage towards a present-day display typeface. If there’s one defining characteristic, it is: urbanity—seamlessly combining the formal language of neon sign makers with the self-expression of urban tagging.

Technically, Giramisu is an incredible shape-shifter that expands from Tight to Wide and tilts from Left to Right, ranging from -26 to 26 degrees. Most of the letters connect throughout the entire design space, but—in the dictation of a funky rhythm—certain pairings in the tighter states do not. These stylistic gaps are bridged only in wider conditions to ensure legibility. Explicit fitness for all-caps text setting is given by its own set of isolated capitals. 

Typeface of the Month: Giramisu

Foundry: phospho
Designer: Roland Hörmann
Release: May 2024
Formats: otf (Static), ttf (Variable), woff, woff2
Prices: Single style: € 23, Complete Family: € 60; Variable: € 60

BUY

beyond tellerrand Düsseldorf Recap

Posted on by Helene Hohmann

The 2024 beyond tellerrand conference in Düsseldorf, held on May 13th and 14th, was a vibrant gathering of professionals and enthusiasts from the realms of design, technology, and web development. The event, which took place at the Capitol Theater, featured a diverse lineup of speakers and workshops aimed at fostering creativity and innovation. The phrase beyond tellerrand combines the English word beyond with the German expression “Über den Tellerrand schauen,” which translates to “thinking outside the box.”

First day started with an inspiring talk by Chris Campe, a lettering designer from Hamburg who talked about her transition from a designer, who draws what her clients ask her to draw, to an artist, who write her own texts and initiates her own projects.

Key highlights included talks by Stefan Sagmeister, who discussed long-term perspectives on global issues in his talk Now is Better, and Maggie Appleton, who explored the impact of generative AI on digital spaces in The Expanding Dark Forest and Generative AI. Sophie Tahran spoke about her work at The New Yorker as Director of Content Design, Laura Kalbag a British designer discussed ethical technology design, Oliver Schöndorfer on typographic accessibility, Natalya Shelburne on the role of artists in the age of AI and David Thomas addressed the human aspects of web engagement. Ferdinand Ulrich gave the audience a very exciting insight into his work as a typographer and a type history researcher.

And the list of motivating and inspiring speakers doesn’t end here: David de Léon, Adrienne Tacke and Michael Trautmann were also part of the conference.

Overall, the 2024 beyond tellerrand conference continued its tradition of bridging the gap between design and technology, offering a platform for meaningful exchanges and inspiring creative solutions, providing attendees with both educational and networking opportunities​.

More info about beyond tellerrand 2024 here.

Images: © Florian Ziegler, Bart van Kersavond

Some Magazine #18—Studio Practice

Posted on by Greta Landmann

Some Magazine #18—Studio Practice delves into the concept of the artist’s studio throughout history. From its origins as a legendary and fabled place in the early Renaissance to its transformation into a dynamic and adaptable space in the digital age, the artist’s studio has undergone significant changes over time. 

This issue examines how artists’ practices have shifted alongside with technological advancement and artistic trends.

The magazine examines the concept of “studio practice” and describes how artists organize their creative processes from inspiration to presentation. This issue invites readers to explore the multifaceted nature of creative work and the diverse approaches creative practitioners pursue in shaping their artistic practice.

Since 2010, changing editorial teams of young design students research, write, and layout the bi-annual Some Magazine. It is a part of the experimental design course of Prof. Sven Völker at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

Some Magazine #18—Studio Practice

Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Editors: University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Prof. Sven Völker
Design & Concept: Prof. Sven Völker, Annalena Nerea Abramczik, Jade Cassidy Eder, Laura Höpke, Iuliia Krasnoperova, Eva Wilimzig
Release: May 2024
Format: 17 × 24 cm
Volume: 80 pages
Language: English
Printing: full-color offset printing, Printmedia Solutions, Germany
Workmanship: softcover with perfect binding and hot-foil embossing
ISBN: 978-3-948440-72-5
Price: €12.– (DE)
Buy: slanted.de/product/some-magazine-18-studio-practice

Design Month Graz 2024

Posted on by Juliane Lipp

For the third consecutive year, Slanted Publishers had the pleasure of attending Design Month Graz—this year themed What now?—and the opening weekend did, as always, not disappoint.

The venue of the opening ceremony, a defunct industrial space behind the main railway station, has been creatively repurposed into a dynamic hub of ideas and innovation, fitting perfectly with the festival’s theme of navigating a changing world.

From the moment we stepped into the former coffee production facility, the ambiance was buzzing with creativity. The raw, industrial backdrop provided a striking contrast to the vibrant installations. This interplay between the old and new, the transient and the enduring, set the mood for a month of exploration and inspiration in the whole city of Graz.

The main exhibition, aptly titled What now!?, is a highlight of the festival. It features 30 visionary solutions across various domains, including industry, mobility, food, housing, and architecture. Each project offered a unique perspective on sustainability and the future, inviting visitors to reflect on how we can reimagine our world. From innovative urban farming concepts to groundbreaking sustainable architecture, the diversity and creativity on display were truly impressive.

The rest of the opening weekend of Design Month Graz was filled with further inspiring events. One highlight was the opening of the exhibition by Croatian artist Boris Bućan, a renowned Croatian artist who is celebrated for his innovative and vibrant graphic designs and posters. On Saturday evening, there was the traditional reception at the impressive Murinsel Graz, a major landmark of the design city, featuring excellent drinks and delicious food. Sunday included the traditional excursion of the opening weekend, with a visit to Schloss Hollenegg, where the lady of the castle, Alice Stori Liechtenstein, personally welcomed us. We toured the current exhibition Woodland there. The day continued with a visit to the exhibition Schwarze Luft in Trahütten, intriguingly set on an old tennis court. Our next stop was Austria’s first queer hotel, Absteige zur bärtigen Therese, where hosts Itsche and Io warmly welcomed us. We enjoyed outstanding wine and delicious food. To conclude the day, each represented nation performed a song, in the old tradition of the opening weekend.

What sets Design Month Graz apart is its ability to not only showcase innovative ideas but also to contextualize them within broader societal and environmental challenges. The festival encourages visitors to think critically and creatively about the future, making it more than just a series of exhibitions, but a call to action.

The opening weekend was a testament to the festival’s success in bringing together a community of forward-thinkers and change-makers. It was inspiring to see so many people engaged and passionate about designing a better future. Design Month Graz 2024 has once again proven to be a beacon of innovation and creativity. The festival’s thoughtful curation and engaging programming make it a must-visit for anyone interested in the future of design and sustainability. We at Slanted Publishers are already looking forward to next year’s edition.

Images: © Slanted Publishers, Miriam Raneburger, GEOPHO

ARLES Magazine #7 & Bioregional Design Practices

Posted on by Julia Kahl

The last time I was in Arles in the south of France and visited LUMA, I noticed two fantastic publications that I would like to introduce to you.

ARLES Magazine #7—Summer 2023

ARLES is a magazine rooted in a geographical region, yet open to the world. It offers a new perspective; a view from the south of Europe, shedding light on creativity from the Mediterranean region. Its perspective is independent, offbeat, exotic for some, and is the product of a region that has been buffeted by the forces of history yet retains a humanist heritage that dates back thousands of years.

REMEMBER TO DREAM: Artist Carrie Mae Weems speaks with Maja Hoffmann about the uprisings and hopes that inspired The Shape of Things, her major exhibition in the Parc des Ateliers.

PEOPLE OF THE RHÔNE: Aboard her half-boat, half-camper, Anita, photographer Yohanne Lamoulère travelled up the River Rhône, capturing a gentle, scarred land through her lens.

THANK YOU, SEMPÉ! Sempé was a humble legend who drew a poetic, optimistic version of France in his seventy-year career.

CONSTELLATION: On the occasion of the centennial anniversary of Diane Arbus’s birth, an immersive installation plunges visitors into her haunting corpus, still very much relevant to contemporary photography.

ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE: The last of the former railroad workshops has reopened its doors, after being renovated. Le Magasin Électrique is now home to the program Atelier LUMA

Publisher: LUMA Arles, Maja Hoffmann
Editor: Christophe Cachera
Design: Sarah Kahn
Format: 25 × 29 cm
Volume: 98 pages
Language: English, French
Buy here

Bioregional Design Practices

The book “Bioregional Design Practices—Pratiques de design bioregional” takes a retrospective and reflective look at the projects and research conducted by Atelier LUMA between 2019 and 2023. It is the continuation of the book Design as a Tool for Transition, which covered the first three years of Atelier LUMA’s existence from 2016 to 2019.

This publication formalizes and exemplifies the working approach and methodology that has been developed over the years of design practice in Arles and internationally.

Texts and iconography presenting the work are complemented by a series of essays by authors engaged in social, environmental, and design issues to contextualize Atelier LUMA’s activities within global challenges and range of actions.

The book is printed in tri- and quadrichromy on papers of different textures and colors. It takes the form of a folder, like a manual where different formats of documents and images are juxtaposed.

With contributions by Maja Hoffmann, Mustapha Bouhayati, Jan Boelen, Caroline Bianco, Louise Schouwenberg, Jane Withers, Anaïs Voy-Gillis, Amélie Klein, Nicolas Nova and Yaprak Hamarat.

Publisher: Atelier LUMA Arles
Editorial Committee: Jan Boelen, Marianne Dos Reis Martins, Charlotte Dumoncel d’Argence
Managing Editor: Joanne Journée
Design: SJG / Joost Grootesn, Dimitri Jeannottat
Format: 19.3 × 24.3 cm
Volume: 280 pages
Language: English, French
Buy here

Internship at Slanted Publishers—apply now!

Posted on by Julia Kahl

Du liebst Typografie und Editorial Design und möchtest in einem internationalen Verlag arbeiten? Dann bist du bei uns genau richtig! Wir vergeben ein 6-monatiges Praktikum im Bereich Redaktion/Grafik ab Ende August 2024 und suchen eine(n) engagierte(n) Studierende(n), der/die Lust hat zu erfahren, wie wir arbeiten und für 6 Monate Teil des Slanted-Teams wird.

Wir bieten:

  • Redaktionelle und grafische Mitarbeit an unseren Publikationen
  • Redaktionelle Mitarbeit am Slanted Blog und den Social Media Channels
  • Einblicke in unsere Verlagstätigkeit (Konzeption, Redaktion, Organisation, Vertrieb, PR etc.)
  • Studiofotografie, Bildbearbeitung
  • Verantwortungsvolle, selbstständige Arbeit und unter Anleitung
  • Mögliche Teilnahme an Designkonferenzen im Rahmen unserer Medienpartnerschaften

Das sollte der/die BewerberIn mitbringen:

  • Abgeschlossenes Grundstudium im Bereich Grafikdesign (o. Ä.)
  • Sichere Anwendungskenntnisse in InDesign und Photoshop
  • Großes Interesse an neuen Strömungen in den Bereichen Typografie, Type Design, Design und Kultur
  • Redaktionelles Interesse
  • Selbstständigkeit, Weitblick, Flexibilität, Kreativität und Ideenreichtum
  • Sehr gute Deutsch- und Englischkenntnisse
  • Organisationstalent und Kommunikationsstärke
  • Gewissenhaftes und genaues Arbeiten
  • Das Praktikum erfolgt im Rahmen eines studienbegleitenden Pflichtpraktikums

Das Praktikum bei Slanted Publishers findet vom 26.08.24–28.02.2025 in Karlsruhe statt und wird vergütet. Bewerber*innen sollten erklären, warum sie ihr Praktikum bei uns machen möchten. Bitte richtet Eure vollständige Bewerbung als aussagefähiges PDF-Portfolio (Anschreiben, Lebenslauf, Arbeitsproben) ab sofort bis spätestens 09.06.2024 an Julia Kahl, [email protected]. Die Bewerbungsgespräche finden nach Sichtung aller Bewerbungen statt.

Wir freuen uns sehr auf Eure Bewerbung!

Moodbox

Posted on by Slanted editors

As designers, Mona Kerntke and Anna Lea Trumpetter see it as their responsibility to develop not only aesthetically pleasing creative solutions but also those that convey a deeper meaning and a clear message. They enjoy experimenting with new technologies to think progressively in their designs.

At a time of growing understanding of emotional health, emotional research is becoming more and more important. We communicate emotions through gestures and facial expressions, but a large part of them often remains hidden. This is where the Moodbox comes in. The visual exploration of the topic encourages people to reflect on their emotions to support their communication. The focus of the work is the interactive generator, which enables users to create an individual image of their emotions based on a questionnaire.

How can emotions be visualized? How can emotions be combined in a visual system? How can an individual mood image be created? Based on Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, the Moodbox explores the relationships between emotions, colors, and shapes. Each emotion is visualized by a shape and a color combination. Within the emotion, subtle changes are made to create different intensities. By visualizing emotions in a 3D space using generative design, we created a flexible visual language.

The concept and the scientific base of the flexible visual system were captured in a detailed book, which allows a deeper insight into the bachelor’s project Moodbox.

German Design Award 2025

Posted on by Julia Kahl

Companies, designers, architects, and agencies worldwide are invited to submit their products and projects for the German Design Award 2025. This award, presented by the German Design Council, sets international standards for innovative design and global competitiveness, highlighting groundbreaking projects and positive developments in circular design. Winners gain visibility, a valuable network, international reach, and additional market opportunities. The registration deadline is September 6th, 2024.

The German Design Award platform demonstrates how design contributes to sustainable economic transformation, addressing current challenges through multiperspective approaches, sustainable and circular design processes, and environmentally-friendly production. The award aims to promote these transformations and provide guidance through outstanding examples.

Focus on Circular Design
Starting this year, companies and designers can submit their projects in the additional category Circular Design. This category highlights particularly innovative solutions that implement the current goals of the circular economy and set inspiring impulses.

Categories and Jury
The prestigious international jury of the German Design Award honors these groundbreaking design achievements in three main categories: “Excellent Product Design,” “Excellent Communications Design,” and “Excellent Architecture.” The German Design Award makes design trends visible across industries in a glamorous setting. The award show in February 2025 in Frankfurt am Main is one of the largest design events of the year, where international guests from various industries meet and exchange ideas. Additionally, the “Gold” winners will be showcased in an exhibition.

New Category
To make forward-looking developments in architecture through the influence of artificial intelligence and digital design methods visible, designers and developers can now submit projects, service designs, and virtual architectures in the category “AI in Architecture and Metaverse Space Design.”

Exclusive Access to the American Market—through TV Partnership with ByDesign
The German Design Council has established an exclusive TV partnership with the new US docu-series Europe ByDesign by CBS/Paramount, offering the winners of the German Design Award extensive opportunities to position themselves in the US market. They can present their work in the next season of Europe ByDesign, which will be broadcast during prime time on CBS in the USA and streamed worldwide.

About the German Design Council
Founded in 1953 by the German Bundestag and funded by German industry, the German Design Council promotes design as a lever for economic success. Today, it is a leading competence center for communication and knowledge transfer in design. Through competitions, exhibitions, conferences, consulting, research, and studies, it opens new horizons for the economy and design disciplines, highlighting design’s value for business success. Its donor circle includes over 330 of the most significant German companies.

German Design Award 2025

Call for entries: April 23rd, 2024
Early bird registration: until June 21st, 2024
Deadline for funding applications: August 30th, 2024
Registration deadline: September 6th, 2024
Jury meeting: September 26th & 27th, 2024
Award show: Early February 2025
Information and entry documents here.

Meet Your Local Printer

Posted on by Julia Kahl

Slanted is part of Meet Your Local Printer, an event around creative print, paper, binding, and finishing in Amsterdam on the 13th of June.

Whether you are an accomplished graphic designer, a novice photographer, an experienced producer, or an enthusiastic student—this event is specially tailored for you. In the dynamic print industry, where print is becoming increasingly sustainable, high-quality, and diverse, all seven partners cherish exchange and inspiration to push boundaries together. The show starts at 2 pm and runs until 6 pm at the Grafische Werkplaats Amsterdam (GWA), featuring live printing and talks moderated by our editor Lars, with guests like Floor Wesseling.

Meet five very different printing houses, take a look behind the scenes, and discover all the print options at:

De Kijm Creative Printmakers – specializing in riso, letterpress, and more, located in Den Haag.
Krijger Vormgave – offering high-end silkscreen printing, based in Zaandam.
Robstolk – known for quality offset printing and books, situated in Amsterdam.
Rodi – specializing in web-offset printing in all dimensions, located in Diemen.
Ruparo – offering sustainable and digital printing services, based in Amsterdam.

Additionally, Anna Cairoli Binding, a top-notch hand-bookbindery from Amsterdam, and Metapaper, a high-end e-commerce platform for paper, will showcase their products.

Get a chance to ask questions, witness innovative techniques, and discover the magic behind printed matter. And, of course, enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks.

When: Thursday, 13th June, from 2 pm to 6 pm.
Where: Grafische Werkplaats Amsterdam (GWA), NDSM-Plein 27, Amsterdam Noord. Accessible by train—take the ferry towards NDSM from Central Station—bicycle, and car.
Free registration at: metapaper.io/en/Amsterdam
Partners:
De Kijm Creative Printmakers
Krijger Vormgave
Robstolk
Rodi
Ruparo
Anna Cairoli Binding
Metapaper

LINGUISTIC SOLUTIONS—HUMAN SOLUTIONS

Posted on by Slanted editors

Translations in the era of artificial intelligence. This discourse revolves around the paramount significance of human experiences—a significance that resonates even within corporate and technical texts. S/BM, frequently engaged with the automotive and horological industries, eloquently showcase how the emotionality and precision derived from personal human experiences starkly differentiate themselves from texts generated by AI.

Studio Last has endeavored to reflect this ethos within the design of this visual identity, eschewing all sentimentality; quite the contrary. Their design for this Visual Identity is decidedly minimalist, encapsulating the contemporary ethos of human translations.

Concept, Design & Code: Studio Last. 2024
Team: Matthias Last, Federica Habara Code: Andreas Luszik
Typefaces: Asfalt & Diatype by ABC Dinamo

 

Print Media in the Marketing Mix – A Comprehensive Perspective on Corporate Publishing

Posted on by Greta Landmann

The IGEPA Academy webinar series Crossing Dimensions concludes with Print Media in the Marketing Mix – A Comprehensive Perspective on Corporate Publishing on June 4th, 2024.

The series comes to an end with ideas on how paper and print can play a key role in marketing. Paper and print offer a unique opportunity to convey authenticity and substance in the corporate context. Amidst a flood of digital content, the tangible experience of paper creates a special connection and stands out. Topics include: The importance of tactile marketing according to research, the role of paper in the cross-media mix, and three impact studies by the Content Marketing Forum (on print, social media, and digital corporate content)

Following conception, design, and production, we present a captivating panel discussion on our favored topic, featuring the expertise of Regina Karnapp, Andreas Plettner, and Marian Rappl in marketing, journalism, and PR, respectively.

Regina Karnapp, Content Marketing Forum’s Managing Director since 2020, brings over a decade of experience in content marketing and journalism. The CMF, representing top content marketing expertise in the German-speaking region, champions the integration of printed customer magazines alongside digital media, supported by their recent studies.

Andreas Plettner, Marketing Director at MedienSchiff BRuno, Hamburg, has a career journey deeply intertwined with Corporate Publishing, from starting as a ship’s boy at Axel Springer to pivotal roles in major newspapers like BILD and returning to Hamburg with ZEIT. Today, he navigates the waves of both print and digital media from the production agency’s perspective, never losing his passion for people and their stories, as evident in his interviews and previous expert talks.

For the past seven years, Marian Rappl has overseen communication and marketing at the Printing and Media Association Bavaria (VDMB) in Munich, following previous roles as a communication manager in the energy and insurance sectors. The recently launched campaign Umwelt.Bewusst.Gedruckt. by the Printing and Media Associations provides factual information on the value of print, especially regarding its relatively positive environmental impact. Marian will share his experiences and ambitions with the campaign, as well as insights on achieving broad reach with a small budget.

Print Media in the Marketing Mix – A Comprehensive Perspective on Corporate Publishing

When?
June 4th, 2024
10-11.30 a.m.

Sign up here for the webinar.

 

Leipziger Typotage 2024

Posted on by Julia Kahl

The 29th Leipziger Typotage 2024 explore how gender, social, and ethnic stereotypes manifest in typographic design. We were happy to be part of the event at the Museum for the Printing Arts in Leipzig on Saturday, April 27th. It was a day packed with interesting talks, centered around the influence of stereotypes in Graphic and Type design, and how they change our visual landscape.

This year, the event introduced exciting new elements, including an exhibition featuring works by the speakers. It opened on April 26th and showcased posters, designs, and publications. The exhibition was located in the same room where the lectures took place.

The event began with a talk with Uliana Bychenkova discussing Feminist Self-Publishing, its role in challenging patriarchal norms, and its impact on female visual workers, using her work Perlamur. Ukrainian Feminist Culture in Exile as an example, on Friday April 26th. Christine Hartmann and Alexander Works moderated the conference, leading us into the topic.

Jihee Lee was the first speaker, sharing her experiences as a female Korean graphic designer living in Germany since 2011. Through projects like Somewhere in Between and Feminism Reboot, she addresses the everyday racism and sexism faced by herself and many others. Then Irmi Wachendorff discussed her research on Typographic Self- and Other Constructions, exploring typography’s role in expressing identity and perpetuating stereotypes, with examples including (resturant-)signage, stickers,commercial advertisements in public spaces, album covers, and product packaging. She has a particular interest in typography in urban spaces and in research that combines typographic and linguistic perspectives. Golnar Kat Rahmani lecture and work aimed to counter the negative associations surrounding Arabic-Persian script post-Islamist terrorism by creatively introducing its principles and visual culture, using experimental typography to foster curiosity, aesthetics, joy, and intercultural understanding while dismantling stereotypes. Hannah Witte talked about exploring gender-sensitive language and typography, offering strategies from her book Typohacks to disrupt discriminatory norms and challenge the binary gender system through typographic interventions.

During the breaks between talks, we were delighted to host a stand featuring our latest publications and other great books, engaging in conversations with fellow conference attendees.

Katharina Koch discussed her master’s thesis, examining experimental typography through a feminist lens, advocating for a new, feminist practice in graphic design that challenges traditional typographic norms and embraces chaotic reality to create visually diverse worlds. Andreas Blindert presented on the exploration of the subjective nature of design, especially typography, in his master’s thesis Politics of Type, in which he questions its principles, power dynamics and access regulations with the aim of offering insights for conscious designers. Anja Kaiser shared her unconventional graphic design toolbox that navigates between autonomy and commissioned work through chaotic, collaborative strategies, exploring tool boundaries, bureaucratic creativity and alternative narratives.

After the final talk, a group discussion was initiated, followed by a visit to the exhibition to apply the new insights gained from the talks. The event concluded on Sunday, April 28th, with a screen printing workshop by Golnar Kat Rahmani on Type & Politics and a letterpress workshop.

The 29th Leipziger Typotage provided yet another critical look at the use of typography and its impact. The event offered an engaging program for enthusiasts. The entire day was impeccably organized and executed by the speakers and organizers. The venue at the Museum for the Printing Arts in Leipzig added to the experience, allowing attendees to explore old and new printing presses between sessions. Many thanks to all involved, and looking forward to the next event!

Josephine Schröder visited Leipziger Typotage 2024 for Slanted Publishers and contributed this text and images.

Space Trash Signs

Posted on by Julia Kahl

Have you ever thought about space debris? When I stumbled upon the Space Trash Signs project, I became quite intrigued. There are over 160 million pieces of human-made space debris in Earth’s orbit. Traveling at speeds of 15 kilometers per second, even a small piece can cause significant damage. Space pollution threatens to destroy satellites and other crucial space infrastructure vital for life on Earth, including telecommunications, navigation, disaster management, environmental protection, agriculture, financial services, and more.

The project, introduced by a coalition of private and public aerospace organizations, created the first astronomical constellations made from space debris to draw public attention to space pollution ahead of a pivotal UN meeting.

We talked to Art director Rohil Borole & Copywriter Shruthi Subramanian from Serviceplan Innovation, to learn a bit more about the project:

Most likely, few people deal with space debris in their everyday lives. Had you ever engaged with the topic before the project? What facts surprised you?

Space debris (a result of space exploration) threatens critical space infrastructure that we need for telecommunication, navigation, food production, monitoring of climate change and so much more. The realization of the direct impact in our daily lives is what led to the project.

What is the general design concept behind the project?

The problem of space debris is invisible. We wanted to create a virtual space observatory, a viewfinder that makes the problem visible. The primary visual device is of course the constellations. These simple icons make all the data behind this complex topic understandable. Due to the scarcity of debris imagery, we utilized point clouds to depict the extensive debris clouds around Earth, mimicking environmental litter. The design also features neumorphic user interfaces reminiscent of space-tech consoles, organized through a margin-based layout system influenced by space monitoring equipment. An accent of orange color highlights the potential danger, while the presentation of graphs, maps, and numbers adopts a textbook-like, factual visual language, allowing users to form their own informed opinions.

The project is based on scientific data. Visualizing this data and making it accessible to the public in an understandable way is no easy task. Have you received feedback on whether this has been successful?

The familiarity of constellations has helped us reach a wide audience, regardless of their technical background or age. We’ve been able to help the public engage with an extremely complex subject. Especially by focusing on student groups and spaces such as planetariums. We hope this initiative leads to the rise of more space environmentalists around the world.

Did anything change for you personally as a result of the project?

We’ve come to understand that all exploration comes with a cost. Space is just like the rest of the environment on Earth, and is shared by all of humankind. It’s not meant for any one nation or party to exploit. It’s high time the international community reached a consensus on this issue.

Thanks a lot for the insights. More projects like this!

Creative Direction: Serviceplan Innovation
Design Studio: Eat, Sleep + Design
Digital Design Studio: Moby Digg
Development Studio: Owls Department
Sound: Jürgen Branz, Christoph Groß
Type Design: Michael Clasen
Production: peoplegrapher
Motion Designer: Hendrik Sommerfeld
CGI Studio: Non Zero

WAS IST GUT 2023

Posted on by Greta Landmann

The German Designer Club (DDC) awarded ideas and projects in its design competition WAS IST GUT 2023 (transl. What is good) on September 22, 2023, aimed at making the world a better place. 12 winners were selected through a democratic and discursive process by the awardees themselves. A publication documents the works awarded in the DDC competition from 2021 onwards. This serves as a representative and discursive reference work for the design scene in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The German Design Club stands for good design and is the leading club for designers of all disciplines in the German-speaking world. For over 30 years, the DDC has embraced design holistically to create sustainable value for society. How do we design things that add value? How do we create value-based living environments? How do we shape content with value?

In the second edition of the DDC Design Competition, the focus was on asking the right questions. WAS IST GUT—DDC Design Competition: Discursive, Participatory, Democratic by the German Design Club recognizes projects that are good and important because they create values and promote a social, democratic, and environmentally sustainable future. The publication not only showcases the awarded world-improving ideas and winners but also discusses the question What is good? in relation to design. After all, the Competition is also innovative in its process.

At WAS IST GUT, the participants themselves act as the jury – discursive, participatory, and democratic. With contributions from Robin Auer, Simon Daubermann, Claudia S. Friedrich, Felix Kosok, as well as from Georg-Christof Bertsch, Friedrich von Borries, Kirsten Dietz, Jonas Larbalette, and Ruben Pater.

Publisher: form publisher
Designer: Pascal Botlik of BÖE studio in Zurich, with consulting by Barbara Glasner from the form publisher.
Volume: 460 pages
Format: 16 × 12 × 3,7 cm, 560 g
Language: German
Workmanship: Softcover with flaps, open thread stitching, and Cradle to Cradle printing.
ISBN: 978-3-943962-75-8
Price: € 29,90.–

Get more information here!

Que des numéros 10

Posted on by slanted-api

Don’t produce new jerseys. Print empty!
Urgent creation of football jerseys without consequences.
Choose the remaining sports equipment in a second-hand store. Multiple cuts and colors.
Zico, Zidane, Bergkamp… be a number 10! Cut out and stick the numbers 10 on the back of the jerseys. Print an entire silkscreen frame in vibrant green. No need to attach content, just stamp empty. Remove the stencil. The number 10 fades away, revealing the original fabric. The rectangle creates unity.

Annulation-By-Addition

Posted on by slanted-api

Typography as the writing of absence, or the attempted erasure of a form by its double.
Want to annul the information on your T-shirts? Apply a layer of silkscreen in a color as close as possible to that of the fabric. Urgent, tools need to be reactive. Use stencils!
The support becomes the place where two fragments of identity coexist and challenge each other.
Watch out for the resurgence of the pre-existing sign. Its disappearance is always visible, perhaps even more visible than it once was.

Animal Farm

Posted on by slanted-api

Just as Tetsuya Ishida portrayed Japan’s lost decade, contemporary Chinese youth have opted for passive resistance, adopting a laid-back approach in the face of existential anxiety. They are reluctant to immerse themselves in work, eschew romantic pursuits, encounter challenges in acquiring homes, and harbor little hope for starting families. Modern anxiety permeates every aspect of life, intensifying as the challenges of existence become increasingly daunting.

HST 2023

Posted on by slanted-api

The knitted piece was created on the knitting machine and was the visual identity of the University of the Arts Bremen 2023. The typography on the knitted poster is interwoven like the wool it is made of and also just like the disciplines taught at the HfK. In addition to the poster, a trailer was created in which the model wears the knitted piece. In this way, the graphics become wearable and combine classic graphic design with fashion.

Typeface of the Month: Rialta

Posted on by Juliane Lipp

Welcome our new Typeface of the Month: Rialta! It is the latest addition to the Playtype catalog. A do-it-all and intentionally neutral grotesque that perfectly adapts to whatever you throw at it.

Crisp, clean, and contemporary—Rialta draws inspiration from and pays tribute to the multitude of neo-grotesque styles that came before it. Loosely rooted in Swiss design heritage, but without enforcing a strict dogmatic approach in its use of references. With its large x-height and low contrast, it is highly legible and works perfectly as a text typeface, communicating clearly even at small point sizes. It is available in nine different weights, ranging from Thin to Black, with corresponding Italics.

Rialta supports a wide range of OpenType features, including stylistic sets. This provides access to alternate glyph shapes, which adds even more versatility and functionality to this utilitarian typeface.

Typeface of the Month: Rialta

Foundry: Playtype
Designer: Jeppe Pendrup
Release: April 2024
File formats: OTF, WOFF, WOFF2
Weights: Thin, Thin Italic, Extralight, Extralight Italic, Light, Light Italic, Regular, Regular Italic, Medium, Medium Italic, Demibold, Demibold Italic, Bold, Bold Italic, Extrabold, Extrabold Italic, Black, Black Italic
Price per style: € 50 / Full font family; € 450 (50% off)

BUY

Wage Against The Machine

Posted on by slanted-api

Wage against the machine is a hybrid project between typographic & artistic research practice enhanced by Ismahane Poussin.
When she began her project, her desire was to hijack the tools of fashion, and more specifically knitting, to turn them into a space for typographic and protest questioning, exploring the border between patterns and letters with messages against fast fashion. She works with hacked machine (brother kh910 + arduino connected to an open source software, Ayab).

Mauhan.com

Posted on by Juliane Lipp

Mauhan.com is a personal website and social experiment, created in collaboration with—and for—Máuhan Zonoozy (known as M), to defy the ordinary and make people think.

The concept for the website started with an observation: today we are all terminally connected. So, what if we took this concept to the extreme, and created a website where M is always available, 24/7, for a 1-on-1 call, with a truly permissionless connection? How would people feel about being catapulted in an intimate setting with him? Just to discover that maybe he wasn’t really there? This became our social experiment.

As people land on the website, they think they are landing on a Google Meet, and see M walking in the room and staring at the screen as if he’s distracted by something else on his desktop (it looks like he forgot to exit a meeting and left the camera on).

For the experiment to work, we had to make the experience feel believable, so we carefully designed every element of the landing page (including a custom set of animated emojis) to look realistic, while also conveying M’s unique and refined look and feel.

As users interact with an interface they are familiar with, their actions surprisingly take them to additional unexpected pages on the website. Only then it may occur to them that it’s all meticulously staged, and that M is not, in fact, there.

Once M shared the website on social media, the response was immediate, and in no time the engagement soared, reaching over a million impressions on Instagram within the first few hours of sharing. As a result, Mauhan also heightened his personal profile.

Love it—or hate it—the site doesn’t leave room for indifference. Don’t believe us? Go ahead, try it for yourself!

Rites – Collection One

Posted on by slanted-api

Rites is where garments and threads hold hidden narratives, blending sustainability with artistic expression. Deadstock fabrics become limited-edition collections, weaving sustainability into style. Our canvas transcends fabric, becoming a tapestry for the mind. Hand-illustrated graphics and cryptic messages blend with traditional typesetting, crafting a visual language inspired by Renaissance codes, long Los Angeles nights, and the spirit of individuality.