Back to Basics, a collection from Zim and Zou, is where paper sculptures meet bright colors and retro meets traditional. The design duo has put nearly a year’s work into crafting these paper electronics using sustainable paper—including all the scraps.
See more of the handmade process here, along with more of their work on Behance.
via Colossal
I came across a slideshow about master calligrapher Paul Antonio this morning thanks to Twitter, and it simply captivated me.
The piece, part of The Guardian‘s Disappearing acts series, gives a brief history of calligraphy and gives insight into the tools Antonio uses (and makes), the variety of work he produces, and the complexities involved with choosing materials.
It is a fascinating look at an ancient craft, and true to the “disappearing act” title, includes the effects technological advances have had on making calligraphy nearly obsolete. But despite this, Antonio recognizes the history of adjusting the craft to the technology, and uses it himself in the form of digital scans.
Writing developed, he says, according to the technologies of the period. Brushes and reeds worked perfectly well on the rough, uneven surface of papyrus, but with the advent of much smoother vellum and parchment, quills became the tool of choice. Now, 21st-century digital technology has its uses.”
Whether you have an interest in writing, technology, letterforms, or British accents, I highly recommend you take five minutes and treat yourself to the slideshow.
Here are my favorite finds of the week, starting with ‘A is for Argyle’ and ending with The History of the Ampersand.
The word ‘ampersand’ was first added to dictionaries in 1837. The word was created as a slurred form of ‘and, per se and’, which was what the alphabet ended with when recited in English-speaking schools. (Historically, ‘and per se’ preceded any letter which was also a word in the alphabet, such as ‘I’ or ‘A’. And the ampersand symbol was originally the last character in the alphabet.)”
Alphabet prints by Paperfingers, via design work life
Tas-ka shade made of paper cranes, via Oh Joy!
Chalk Chalk bike, via poppytalk
We thought it would be exciting to see what happened if you invite 10 typographers and graphic designers from different backgrounds, countries and ages to design a house number.” – MEDIUMISM
We tend to think of craft in the tangible things—in the elegant drape of handcrafted fabric, in the smoothness and style of the arm of a chair, in the way a well-made tool eases into the palm and places no burden on the wrist. But I’ve come to see craft in the intangibles as well—in the rhythm of a well-written sentence, in the exact number of pixels separating two columns, in the lucidity that emerges from an orderly line of code.
In this manner, the web is itself an enormous place for craft—in that every bit of markup or CSS, every decision about font-size or color, every float, and every sentence have within them the opportunity for craft—the chance for the maker (be it the designer or the engineer or the writer) to put more of themselves into it than they have to. The tools have changed—from wood and blade to keyboard and cable—but the craftsmanship is hardly diminished.”
Evelin Kasikov is bursting with design talent that ranges from printed matter to handmade type, book design to graphic design. I was drawn to her website after her work with handmade type was highlighted by Black*Eiffel.
By transforming printing processes into handmade cross-stitch embroidery my work is influenced by craft, but still retains the context of graphic design. Whilst I work with variety of mediums, engagement with materials and love for detail remains at the heart of my practice.
This love of detail definitely comes across in the CMYK alphabet that Kasikov designed for UPPERCASE magazine, where each 5×5 embroidered letter combines two CMYK colors.
Handmade elements are also incorporated into some of her book designs and printed matter, as you can see in one of her poster sets based on Gill Sans Light.
Of course, Kasikov’s work is even more amazing up close, so be sure to check out the incredible detail in each stitched creation on her website and in the studio spotlight from Black*Eiffel.
