typofont

Put an egg(nog) on it! These coasters come with a pre-glossed glass or cup stain so that you don't feel guilty about ruining the adorable illustrations. Plus, it should be required that all Christmas gifts use candy cane-colored string.

The coasters were printed on a durable 40pt smooth silk paper with rounded corners and a spot UV varnish on both sides. The tags were printed on a 12pt smooth silk paper with an emboss and a die cut for the candy cane string to hold it all together.

Project Overview

DESCRIPTION

Coasters

CLIENT

Self-Promotion

DATE

November-December 2011

DESIGN CREDITS

Asano Designs: Creative Director: Michael Campasano

PRINT CREDITS

New Print Factory

TYPE CREDITS

Luxury Royal

Production Details

QUANTITY PRODUCED

500

PRODUCTION TIME

2 weeks

DIMENSIONS: WIDTH × HEIGHT × DEPTH

4.5 in × 4.5 in

PRINT METHOD

Offset

PAPER STOCK

Smooth Silk, 40pt

NUMBER OF COLORS

CMYK

VARNISHES

Spot UV

Cheap and widely accesible, plywood gained its popularity thanks to a number of renowned early-20th century as well as mid-century modernist designers who favoured what was once described by the American magazine Popular Science as ‘a layer cake of lumber and glue’. Now, to celebrate this versatile material, New York’s MoMA has gathered a number of examples [...]

Richard Baird will be contributing to The Dieline to cultivate our next Opinion Series: CRIT* tell us how you really feel. This Designer & Blogger will share a critique on packaging that merits discussion in addition to the weekly post that receives the most traffic. Read about Richard and check out his first CRIT* below. Be sure to come back (at least) every Tuesday to read Richard's CRIT* on the top post of the week!

Brandpersonality & Chocolate in one product.

We absolutely adore this packaging and the extra effort that was put into the product/packaging photo shoot. Simply gorgeous.

"The Sauza, 1800 and El Jimador tequila brands have captured double-digit share growth while the category leader Jose Cuervo is in decline.

Join us on our photographic journey through the exhibition halls of this year’s edition of imm cologne and Design Post. In the next five parts of Architonic’s popular photo tours, we focus not only on the products, but also on their setting and context.   to Architonic’s tour of imm cologne 2012, Part 2   including: B&B Italia, Böwer, Bordbar, [...]

"Bocanegra, craft beer made in Monterrey. It is a tribute to all working people.

The most important indulgence of the day and it features last weeks Trending topic from The Wrap: Stripes!

"The student brief was to create a brand for a concept jewellery company, Nue Galley, and to then use this as inspiration for packaging to suit a range of jewellery.

Check out these two package designs by Krista Farrell, a Senior Graphic Design student at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

"Consumed correctly," explains Manic, "this bundle will produce the most magical effects — eternal youth; a keen nose to guide you to the nearest bar; an outstanding sense of humour; and an insatiable desire to be merry." We'll have to take their word about all that but what's for sure is that this kit produces joy to the eyes with all the different elements delightfully put together by hand by the team. Plus, it reminds me: Need to get some disco dust for the office.

Read more about the water here

We learned that we're actually pretty good at menial labour such as bottling, silkscreening, and making boxes with the office printer and a penknife. It's not as tedious as it sounds and can even be thoroughly enjoyable with the right company. We also learnt that the office laser printer can take a fair bit of punishment.

Project Overview

DESCRIPTION

Manic Christmas Kit

CLIENT

Self-promotional

DATE

December 2011

DESIGN CREDITS

Manic Design

TYPE CREDITS

Aspect Eames Fenway Knockout Neutraface Slab Radio Sentinel Soho Stag

Production Details

QUANTITY PRODUCED

25

PRODUCTION COST

$200

PRODUCTION TIME

1 month

PRINT METHOD

Laser Silkscreen Chalkboard paint

NUMBER OF COLORS

CMYK

While we caught ourselves glancing at this plywood stool for an above-average period of time before we finally unravelled its intertwining form, the structure of ‘Jo’ is, in fact, surprisingly simple. Developed by two Taiwan-born Berlin-based design students Eric Chang and Johnny Hu of Eric and Johnny Design Studio, ‘Jo’ is made up of three, j-shaped legs which all connect [...]

The Fobe House by Guilhem Eustache graces the otherwise empty two-hectare plot of land, located near Marrakech. This featureless landscape is a perfect backdrop for the pristine white architectural ensemble, which is comprised of four parts – main home, pool house, caretaker’s residence and garage. The facade features two overlapping walls that conceal the staircase to the roof between them. The opposite side of the main building is overlooking the swimming pool and the rest of the premises. Here is how the architects describe the concept of the house:

In this 2.5 hectares area the buildings occupy only 240 sqm. The volumes and their arrangements permit to avoid a floating effect in this empty space. Before discovering the layout we first need to go along the clay walls, which remote the neighbours away while allowing the sight of whites geometries.

I like how the unobstructed sunlight brightens the white cubic structures and creates sharp shadows through patterned openings. All these elements play off of each other, accentuate the emptiness of the land and focus the eye towards the house.

Photography by Jean-Marie Monthiers.

Fobe House is a post by Natalia Repolovsky on Minimalissimo.

Wrapping up our Fresh & Hungry series, Chris Rubino speaks with London-based Sean Freeman.

CHRIS RUBINO: I think your work is probably the most developed of the winners this year, it’s quite impressive that you are still under 30. How early on did you realize such a strong vision for your work? How did typography become the voice for that vision?

SEAN FREEMAN: Thanks! I don't think a strong vision for my work came consciously, more that over the years of experimentation it’s become tighter and I feel I know more now about where I want my work to be and at what level.

I've always been very into illustrated type and have a particular love for words so I enjoyed combining that love for words with being naturally curious.

I started playing with type when I first graduated in 2007, I used to work a day job as a designer then when I got home I’d fire up the Mac and start the night work. I'd be working into the small hours toiling away shooting things and experimenting with different ways of exploring textures—looking at how I could use these elements typographically and I've been working on my own stuff full-time now since 2009.

That’s the best way! You’ve experimented so extensively with process in your work, obviously with great success. I’d be curious to hear about some of the disasters that might have resulted from this level of play?

Often I’m working with fingers and toes crossed that its all actually going to work out. I know the “FEAR” piece which I did for Wired magazine was a bit of a nail-biter. The first thing I tried really didn't work, and there's not usually a plan B. I even started drafting the “I'm sorry, this just isn't working” email. Fortunately it worked out okay in the end, but it’s been stressy.

Actual disasters, rather boringly, not so much to be honest. It’s not to say that I’ve not done things which haven't worked out—of course I have, constantly, but usually there’s a little something in it that just about works or sparks something that does work out. Happy accidents play a big part of my work.

I did do a piece for VH1 which they wanted out of cocaine, so I remember having all these lines on my table in my flat that I was photographing, then Mum popped over to visit… not so much a disaster, but seemed worth mentioning.

I'm sure she’s very proud, ha. You obviously are very into pushing your work, I’m curious to know what’s next in line?

So many things, so many things… I have a few collaborations planned which I’m particularly excited about. Just last week I finished the cover of The New York Times Magazine, which has been a job I've been wanting to do for ages so I'm super happy about that. For the future I have a very big amount of personal work planned—lots of new type work!

Later in the year I think I’d like to explore moving image, but I know it’s a huge area and need to give it a bit more thought. My main focus is on my personal work and the couple collaborations I have lined up.

Very cool, thanks Sean, and try laying off the drugs for a bit.

---

To see more of Sean’s work, visit thereis.co.uk.

Explore the Fresh & Hungry series:

• Introduction
• Kyle Bean
• GrandArmy
• Dana Tanamachi
• Elizabeth Weinberg
• Sean Freeman

---

Chris Rubino is a New York City-based artist/designer whose work has been exhibited in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and the U.S. He likes to spend his vacations in the desert and has been in a number of motorcycle accidents. He is currently a board member of AIGA/NY. Visit his work at www.chrisrubino.com.

To celebrate its third birthday, Design Assembly has retired the site and produced three lovely books archiving the past 3 years of published articles, comments, as well as showcasing new and exclusive words and images from some great contributors.

And it’s all done for a great cause: fighting cancer. 100% of profits from the sale of the book will be distributed globally between three cancer charities: Cancer Research UK, LIVESTRONG and WCRF International.

Great design. Great content. Great cause.

Purchase a copy from their site.

△ 2012 Calendar Studio Lin teamed up with our favorite NYC newspaper printer to create a 2012 calendar. Each of the 12 poster sized months features a different spot color and paper. All together, the package represents everything that Linco Printing is capable of and serves as a great reference for designers looking to see actual paper and color samples.

Typeface: AG Book

△ Fab Print Suite Fab is an e-commerce site that features new designs every day. Fab commissioned us to come up with a set of printed materials to be used in each of their product shipments. We came up with a shortened “Fab” language and applied it in bold typographic way. The use of foil stamp on thick card stock and PVC helped elevate the print pieces into keepsakes.

Typeface: Avant Garde

△ Core 77 Design Awards Identity and Call for Entries Core77 Design Awards is a newly launched competition for design. The brief called for an identity that felt established yet new. The logotype was created as a flexible system allowing various configurations of the name to function on different collateral. Once the full identity system was worked out, it was printed on the back of the very first call for entries, thereby revealing the entire process of the identity’s creation. Two versions of the call for entries were created, one was a luxurious cloth mounted piece and the other a more economical 1 color poster which was sent to everyone that registered for the competition.

Typeface: “Proficiat” by Dries Wiewauters, Dutch 801, AG Book

△ United Bamboo S/S & F/W Invitations United Bamboo is a New York City and Tokyo based fashion house founded in 1998. We were commissioned to create invitations for their seasonal fashion shows. Our solution is based on only one design, which we produced in a different way for every season. For Spring/Summer the invitation took the form of an embroidered iron-on patch. After the show, it could be ironed on to clothing or bags. The shiny embroidered type and blue color scheme was reminiscent of a bright day on the ocean, the inspiration for the S/S collection. For Fall/Winter the invite was produced as a flexible refrigerator magnet to reflect that season’s masculine and somber mood.

Typeface: Custom “UB”

△ United Bamboo 2011 Cat Calendar United Bamboo is a New York City and Tokyo based fashion house founded in 1998. We were asked to design their second annual Cat Calendar, featuring cats dressed in exact miniatures of their ready-to-wear collection. Our solution featured months which were blind embossed onto each page for a subtle effect allowing the cats to be the main focus. On the back of each page, there is a story about each cat model. Comes in a silkscreened sleeve with foil stamped backing. Photography by Noah Sheldon.

Typeface: Custom, FF Bau

△ Stampa Identity A new e-commerce site created by the founder of the Illustration Division of Art Department. Stampa sells limited edition prints by artists. We were commissioned to create an identity and website that was bold, simple and functional. The logo is based on a rolled up print in an “S” formation. To keep the optical “vibration” in all sizes, we drew 4 versions accommodating a 2 inch logo all the way up to 10 inches.

Typeface: “Stampa” by Benjamin Critton/Colophon Foundry

△ Studio Museum in Harlem Artists in Residence Catalog The Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally and internationally. This catalog was commissioned for their annual Artists-in-Residence program. The catalog’s content is split into 3 artists essays in 1 color and an insert of 4 color images from each artist.

Typeface: Raisonne, Dutch 801, Bau

△ AmDC DEMO Newsletter A self published piece created with the American Design Club, a loose collective of New York’s leading young design talent. DEMO is a quarterly newsletter which highlights new products, up-and-coming designers, and influential industry professionals, offering news and insider details, all courtesy of the AmDC.
The first issue featured interviews with David Alhadeff/The Future Perfect, Artist; Glenn Ligon, and Rich Brilliant Willing. Primarily distributed as a PDF, it is also produced in a limited run on colored stock. Content and editorial completed in conjunction with AmDC, William Bostwick and Kelsey Keith.

Typeface: Trade Gothic, Baskerville

△ Roll & Hill Catalog Roll & Hill is a New York City based manufacturer of high end contemporary lighting which produces original lighting products by American and international designers. As part of a project involving various print materials and a website, we were asked to create their catalogs. The catalogs needed to function as individual spec sheets as well as one full catalog. By punching notches into each spec sheet, they could be used individually as well as collated and bound by a rubber band. The solution allowed the catalog to expand or be customized according to each customer’s needs. The deluxe version is enclosed in a foil stamped cloth cover.

Typeface: Plantin, Akkurat

A Few Words from the Editor

Believe it or not, this feature has been in the works for while now (many months in fact!) So it’s nice to finally get this piece out into the world alongside the launch of Alex’s shiny new website. Big thank you once again to Alex for making this feature happen :)

About the Studio

Before opening Studio Lin, Alex Lin laid the foundation for his own design practice by collaborating with some of the field’s greatest minds. After receiving an MFA in graphic design from Yale University, Alex spent six years at the design firm 2×4 and three years as a partner at Default.

The studio’s approach is founded on a desire to explore new territory through challenging collaborations with creative visionaries in the fields of architecture, industrial design, art and fashion. Behind every Studio Lin design is a highly defined rationale but not a singular style. The common denominator is a fresh, modern sensibility that eschews the overtly trendy in favor of lasting impact.

studiolin.org

This collection of Holiday cards featuring quotes from popular Holiday movies — I embarrassingly can only guess one — are not only hot to look at but are also a must-rub as they are silkscreened with a thicker more raise-y ink on a bunch of different papers. For some on-the-scene photos of the printing go here.

During the printing of these cards we ran out of ink. Being up against a deadline we had the idea to try out some plastisol ink instead. The one downside to using plastisol is it needs to reach over 300ºF to fully set. Heating the paper in between colors was pretty tricky. Sometimes the paper warped or shrunk, so registration on the second color was very difficult. In the end we were able to pull some awesome looking prints. Using plastisol gave the cards a real unique look, the ink sort of lays on top of the paper and it has a really awesome raised/tactile feel to it.

Project Overview

DESCRIPTION

Holly Day Cards

CLIENT

Self

DESIGN CREDITS

Tommy Perez

PRINT CREDITS

Crooked Press Printing

TYPE CREDITS

Ribbon by Dan Gneiding for Lost Type Co-op

Production Details

QUANTITY PRODUCED

15 sets of 4 cards w/ matching shipping envelopes

PRODUCTION TIME

1 day

DIMENSIONS: WIDTH × HEIGHT × DEPTH

5 in × 7 in

PRINT METHOD

Screenprint

PAPER STOCK

Various colors of French Paper - Poptone 100lb. cover

NUMBER OF COLORS

2 spot inks

Two young British designers and former fellow students Marc Bell and Robin Grasby of the International design studio have created this multiway modular light system which was awarded the Interior Innovation Award at the [D³] Contest during last week’s edition of imm cologne. Made of laser-cut, anodised spun aluminium, the simple-yet-striking ‘Apollo’ series comprises a number of opaque as well [...]

Paper crafts are best when they are easy to assemble, and especially when they don't require any adhesives. Include a fancy ribbon, and no one can resist the fun of putting all the pieces together.

This was the first time our team had created a "punch-out" piece, versus a typical die-cut or perforation. We worked with the printer to refine the die-cut shapes and decide where to place the small tabs that hold the shapes in the front of the card before they are punched out. It was important that the pieces be easy to remove, but that they didn't fall out of place while in the mail. We also had to find the right thickness of paper since the ornament pieces hold themselves together without the use of adhesives.

Project Overview

DESCRIPTION

Local Government Federal Credit Union Holiday Card

CLIENT

Local Government Federal Credit Union

DATE

November 2011 – December 2011

DESIGN CREDITS

Michelle Edwards, In-house Designer at LGFCU

PRINT CREDITS

Riverside Printing

TYPE CREDITS

Museo

Production Details

QUANTITY PRODUCED

1,550

PRODUCTION COST

$1.10/card

PRODUCTION TIME

2 Weeks

DIMENSIONS: WIDTH × HEIGHT × DEPTH

7 in × 5 in

PRINT METHOD

Offset

PAPER STOCK

Uncoated 100 lb.

NUMBER OF COLORS

CMYK