THIS WEEK FROM THE DESK
Commercial Type dropped their latest family release this week with the rather chemical name Styrene, and perhaps that was appropriate because each character seems to have been cooked up and combined with long lines of theory to arrive at the "charmingly awkward" result. Styrene, delivered in two family widths (with the equally sterile names A and B) for text-setting variation, is a great example of many things, but most notably designing type for the benefit of the customer using it and bucking any trend or temptation to crank out 100 instances between masters. It seems to be making a subtle jab at the harsh German types of the past like DIN or Mark; injecting the personality they wished they had. I also cannot be more impressed with the way the weight holds in each face from thin to black. I will always be a fan of Berton Hasebe's work, and although initially I was taken aback by the weirdness here, I absolutely love the much needed originality and personality Styrene brings to contemporary type design.
I love everything this woman touches. Creative Review has this good look into Gail Bichler and her work with her team at the New York Times Magazine. I cannot wait for a monograph of her work to come out. Read the article here. (Disclaimer, NOT A FAN of the "registration to read" policy over at CR.)
Loved this identity project feature by RE in Australia on BP&O this week. The design for this identity is concise yet expressive, simple yet dynamic, and most enjoyably, typographic. The work brings Grilli Type's Sectra to life, and has a rather cheeky conversation with 'Hidden Characters' you find in typesetting. Read and see more here.
If you haven't yet seen the movie Arrival, you should. It's a good movie with a heavy dose of the study of language at its core. I was happy to come across this view into the formation and expression of the film's new alien language from WIRED. Check out the details here, and then go see the movie! Who knows, maybe one day typography will evolve into circular settings and non linear formats...
It's been a good week for reconnecting with Art Directors. It's Nice That featured Shaz Madani—an art director we'd like to take for a coffee and a chat—on their Regular column on artists and their favorite books. See Shaz's list here.
For those who are interested, Typophile jolted back into life this week. Hurray for community!