typography « Four Fifths Design

Happycentro is a studio begun in Verona, Italy in 1998. Their work always has something to say, relying heavily on experimentation and research. Their ability to strike beauty in odd materials and forms make Happycentro an entity to draw inspiration from time and again.

Sabadì is a brand that focuses on a typical sicilian method of making chocolate. The materials used come from Slow Food presidia with respect for small indigenous communities, the environment, and biodiversity.

The results are filled with personality and character. Included are six characters, six packages, and a crowner. What’s most attractive is the attention to detail relating to the relationship between the bars and their package. One often addresses the aesthetic of the package, making it achieve a goal of its own, and then addresses the goods within as a project in itself, making sure they too look quite nice. But the visual meshing of product and product packaging is where this piece is golden. The characters breathe, and their packaging comes alive. A fantastic job indeed.

November 29, 2011

Weave Type 2

Designer: Zim and Zou

Zim & Zou is a French graphic design studio based in Nancy (France). Composed of Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann who studied graphic design, they’re now working together to offer their services. The studio proposes a contemporary approach of design thanks to a mix of different fields such as paper sculpture, installation, graphic design, illustration, web design, etc. This typography series is a prime example of the mixture of mediums often found in Zim and Zou’s work. These letterforms are beautifully crafted using woven lines composed in geometric patterns.

November 9, 2011

Mekkanika Typography

Designer: Riccardo Sabatini

Mekkanika is a typeface inspired by old mechanics technical drawings, the steampunk visual world, and modern machinery, mixed and merged all together to form letters completely made by these elements, creating a mechanical look like typeface. Intricate and complex, these pieces are worth exploring for more than just a few moments. Outside of the characters themselves, the surrounding layouts, particularly in the posters, are unique and inspiring with beautiful color choices and elements such as shadows and noise. Combined with the typography, these final pieces are worth admiring in more than one way.

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September 20, 2011

Type Made Up

Designer: Charles Williams

This personal typography project by Charles Williams is certainly a fantastic piece to admire. What looks to initially be foam core board or a similar material, is transformed into strategically dissected segments. These segments, as they are raised and layered from the original board, create connecting forms that show off depth and initiate shadows while cohesively making for letterforms and sentence. The segments are diagonal in direction, and generally seem to be evenly cut in width. When complete, the composition shows off the statement “This Is Made Up.” Whether it’s immediately readable probably depends on the viewer. But regardless, the attention to detail and the application of color make this work something to stop and stare at.

September 12, 2011

Lemniscate Typography

Designer: Rosy Gorolova

Rosy Gorolova has created a masterful work of art with the Lemniscate series and typeface. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the way in which these letterforms are created is totally unique, but I will say that the meticulous detail in these lines is pretty incredible. The slight wavering of the lines in specific pieces, particularly the numbers, is really fascinating. It helps contrast the beautiful synchronization of the rest of the lines making up the majority. Lemniscate certainly evokes movement, liquidity, and evolution – three of the most fundamental notions in typography itself.