Antenna Alert
If there’s any website that makes us green, it’s The Antenna Research Facility [theantenna.org]. It’s just had a change of format… well, look and feel anyway. It’s now sort of pink… and green. See what you think of the new look and have a perusal of some of the best design related content on the wwweb.
Update A message via email from the mad scientists at The Antenna Research Facility: “It’s salmon and teal! Our fondest sentiments to the Boicozine team - some of the best shadows in the darkness of the internet…” Shucks, thanks. We’re blushing!
From Akkurat to Everywhere
Okay, we all know how old Helvetica is now (like older than you but younger than… er… the Bauhaus) but lets just give it a bit of a rest for now. It’s work is pretty much done and there’s a whole host of it’s contemporaries vying for your attention. The most insidiously demanding of which has to be Akkurat [lineto.com/akkurat]. Haven’t noticed it yet? You soon will do. Designed by Laurenz Brunner [laurenzbrunner.com] as part of his graduating projects, Akkurat was licensed by Lineto, the type foundry set up by Cornel Windlin and Stephan Müller a couple of years ago and has since been included in award winning projects the world over. It seems that only now it’s influence has starting filtering into mainstream usage. It has been used as part of the refreshed identity for the Yauatcha restaurant in London’s Soho designed by MadeThought [madethought.com] and in the rebranding of the Southbank Centre (check out the signage, it’s all Akkurat) – like Meta in the 90s [spiekermann.com], FontFont’s redraw of DIN [fontfont.com] and Tobias Frere-Jones‘ [typography.com/biographies] extension of the highway signage alphabet, now called Interstate, for Font Bureau [fontbureau.com/interstate] later on – Akkurat looks set to make a clean sweep of the current Design vernacular. It’ll be interesting to see if it has the longevity of the afore-mentioned decade defining typefaces… roll on Akkurat Black.
What’s Up #16: Grégoire Alexandre
Grégoire Alexandre [gregoirealexandre.com] has just completed some photography for a new artist on Source Etc [source-etc.com] records called Yelle [myspace.com/iloveyelle] and rather fab they are too. Of particular interest to fans of jumbo 3D sized typography.
What’s Up #15: Co-op
It’s always nice to include a link to designers from my home town – Melbourne, Australia – especially when their work is as local and lush as this. Co-op [theco-op.net.au] have just updated their website with a few choice projects such as this prospectus for the Rooftop Cinema [rooftopcinema.com.au] up top of Curtin House, the same building Co-op share with other creative bods such as the Someday store [someday-store.com] and Right Angle Publishing [rightanglepublishing.com]…
Cryptoartmags No More
In the past it’s often been hard to take yer a-typical Art magazine very seriously. Most seem to work on the idea of bamboozling potential readers with over long essays and brain worrying imagery but lately I’ve found there is a select few I’m more than happy to have sitting on my bookshelf snuggling up next to the slimline Entertainment Weeklys and bulky copies of Mark and Self Service. Even weirder, I’ve actually started reading them too! This is partly due to a new breed of Art based publications attempting to ditch the cryptographic style of writing favoured by university lecturers and wannabe curators and get back to engaging readers from a wider demographic such as Pyramid Power [pyramidpower.ca], Zero Duex and Uovo. In short, they’re a bit more fun (Tate Etc take note!).
Uovo [uovo.tv]
Uovo is from Italy although mainly written in English and is hard to define as a magazine from just looking at it. It’s bulky… like 400+ pages of bulky. But for that you get some neat, well structured design, fairly easy to read essays and interviews plus 2 CDs and a sort mini music magazine at the back. The latest issue runs with the theme of ecology and is suitably green (although it’s a toxic looking florescent green, so it they’re not over egging their theme too much)…
Hel in a Handbasket
Candy’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the typeface Helvetica [candycollective.com/50] is coming to London as part of the London Design Festival 2007 [londondesignfestival.com] from 15th to 25th September. Venue to be announced. The prints themselves are available to purchase from Blanka [blanka.co.uk]. Here is a selection of our faves…
in Events / Graphic Design / Illustration / Typography
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What’s Up #14: Gluekit
Gluekit [csleboda.com] is the moniker of Christopher Sleboda, illustrator and design aficionado. For the past 4 years or more Mr Sleboda has been developing a folio of illustration commissions for magazines such as Wired [wired.com], New York [nymag.com] and Readymade [readymademag.com] as well as creating lush design which he then applies to tshirts etc and makes available through the Gluekit website.
Trust Type Trust
Want type? Who doesn’t! Type is ace. I’ve just discovered The Type Trust [typetrust.com]. An awesome resource for unique and hard to find typefaces. Kind of like a typographic boutique. My current faves have to be Leitura Display (as shown here and as seen in Bad Idea magazine [badidea.co.uk]), Fatty and Ezzo but there’s loads to choose from.
