In an effort to bring our Exclusive Faces range to a larger audience, we approached graphic designer Ryan Atkinson to produce our first magazine release. The brief was to produce a 16 page A2 mailer with a twist. Instead of following the traditional convention of a read through booklet, Ryan designed a quick read through A2 magazine which also doubles up as a set of 4 Exclusive Faces posters. Each page folds out to create a double sided poster perfect for your studio or home wall space.

The magazine itself is printed litho on 90gsm wood free paper, giving everything a premium newspaper feel which absorbs the inks to create a beautiful desaturated look and feel.

TYPOGRAPHIC REVOLT (EDITION #1)
Available at Amazon ›

TYPOGRAPHIC REVOLT (EDITION #1)
Available at Amazon ›

Fresh out of the starting blocks, Eurico is barely out of his teenage years. He is a great talent, albeit one you probably haven’t heard of yet. His youthful, invigorous style is threaded with fiery Portuguese notes and we’re pleased to have found him in order to bring you an exclusive font with his name on it.

So with the introduction out of the way, let’s kick things off with a brief Q&A…

1. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF?

I was born in 1991 in a small town near Porto, Portugal. At the age of 14 years old I enrolled on a graphic design vocational course at Escola Artistica e Profissional Arvore. After a gap year I moved in the summer of 2010 to London where I joined the London College of Communication to study graphic design. Alongside this I also began work as a freelancer and started to develop a special interest for typeface design. Following this I formed a studio called Ponto with Mariano Lobao.

Research book about the French cinematographic movement called “Nouvelle Vague”. This is the research book of my exhibition “Tribute to Nouvelle Vague” that I made in the well known art space in Porto, called “Maus Hábitos”.

2. PUTTING TOGETHER A PUBLICATION FOR A PORTUGUESE ILLUSTRATION IS QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT. HOW DID THIS IDEA COME ABOUT, AND HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO FINISHED?

Colher is a project I started towards the end of 2009. The project aims to explore and promote the Portuguese graphic design scene. The idea came around long before we knew exactly what to do with it. It was only when I moved to London that Mariana suggested we used a magazine as the prime form of media to get the concept together. When I started to organise this publication at the start of 2011, my idea was originally to create a very small magazine about the new wave and blood of Portuguese illustration. So with that in mind I started to invite a few people and ran a contest on the Colher’s website. We ended up having so many amazing submissions that the publication turned out a lot bigger than we initially imagined. After a few months we finally released the publication in April. I think this offline approach to projects is very important to me, and it also helps to keep that design flame alive. Off the back of this project we organised a series of tours, lectures, and exhibitions around Portugal last summer.

3. BEING FROM PORTUGAL, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THE LONDON COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION FOR THE BASIS OF YOUR GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDIES?

When I was 15 years old instead of choosing to go to high school, I decided I wanted to pursue an education in graphic design. Obviously I didn’t really know if that was something I wanted at the time, however I always had an interest in graphic design and animation. When I finished my course I didn’t want to go straight to University, however my mother persuaded me otherwise. I applied to go to the Fine Arts University of my city, however unfortunately I wasn’t accepted and so following this I decided to take a gap year. It was during this gap year that I started the Colher project, and I also started to create the Colher typeface. During my year out I applied to a few courses in London, and I was lucky enough to be accepted on the FdA Design for Graphic Communication course in London. Looking back this was the best thing that ever happened to me.

4. WAS YOUR LOVE OF TYPE INTRODUCED TO YOU THROUGH GRAPHIC DESIGN, OR WAS THIS SOMETHING YOU FOUND EARLIER?

During the second year of my course at Arvore we had the opportunity to apply for an internship. My internship was with Atelier Martino & Alejandra Jana. Whilst working with them on studio projects Alejandra Jana proposed a personal project idea to me. This was to create a leaflet to explore the anatomy and terminologies of typography. I already had a passion for typography, however I was naive about the finer details. Since completing that project, it has made a huge difference to my understand and knowledge based around type, and it has also given me a great platform to learn and educate myself further.

Watch out for Eurico’s Exclusive Faces font coming very soon!

Alexander possesses that rare thing in a young designer, a unique vision, combined with a creative take on things which he pours in abundance into his type, identity and printed work. Although he now lives in Venezuela, Alexander was born in the UK, so maybe you’ll spot a little British mixed with South American sexiness in his designs too. We love his typography work and we think you will too!

So with the introduction out of the way, let’s kick things off with a brief Q&A…

1. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF?

I was born 30 years ago in Swindon, England. I was raised and spent most of my life in the oil-driven, South American country, Venezuela. Infamous for its socialist/communist leader and high crime rate, but also known for its beautiful beaches and delicious rum. I originally attended a British school, and then a German school in Caracas and I went on to study graphic design at Pro-Diseño (also in Caracas). I left design school early to become an art director at an Arts & Culture magazine called plátanoverde where I worked for a 4/5 years. This opportunity allowed me to experiment a lot and definitely shape my love and interest in editorial and print design. We worked on developing the publication from scratch and I learnt about the many steps involved in the conceptual, design and print process. It also marked the beginning of my life as a professional designer. I went on to design several publications including: Medio Informativo (architectural publication for Venezuela’s Central University) and more recently Gopher Illustrated (ongoing project with business partners at our new Caracas-Austin based studio In-House International). Along the years I also developed a strong interest in logo design which goes hand in hand with my interest for typography. Other than that I just enjoy spending time with family, my two kids and my girlfriend. I am just trying to earn a decent living in a country where the annual inflation rate is around 30%.

2. HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED IN GRAPHIC DESIGN?

I’ve been involved with graphic design since day one, my mother was studying graphic design in England where she met my father, who happened to be her teacher. Everything design related in our family home (during my time growing up) must without knowing it have had a strong influence on me. I have always been surrounded by visual stimulation since a very early age. This includes collecting stamps, watching my dad build model airplanes and ships, drawing, constructing lego, you name it. I’ve wanted to be a graphic designer, or something of the sort, ever since I can recall. Later as a teenage, skateboarding and music would be a major influence in my life. All those awesome decks and album covers are certainly something I’ve always remembered. At school I was quite good at geometry, not so much at art, I guess that reflects a lot on the branches of design I chose to pursue.

Poster design for El Súper Cartel, an expo Alex was invited to in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

3. DO YOU FEEL ANYTHING PARTICULAR HAS HAD A MAJOR INFLUENCE OVER THE WAY YOU WORK?

I couldn’t say one specific thing has had a major influence, however a collective of small things over the years have shaped my creativity. Whether this is what I learnt at school, or the tips given from other designers I have been fortunate enough to work with. I guess having a family and kids and working from home has been a big influence too, certainly a boot camp in time management!

4. YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE YOUR WORK IS TYPE INFLUENCED, HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?

I was lucky enough to have some awesome typography teachers in design school (Gabriella Fontanilla and Carlos Rodríguez), I loved their class! They were always so adamant in viewing type as graphic images and not just (but also as) readable letters. They’re probably responsible, among others, for my foundation in type design. I really love the attention to detail involved, the manic relationship between positive and negative space. Now that I come think of it I’m quite crazy about old school storefront signs, prior to when they all started being generic back-lit pieces of plastic. I’m always on the look out for DIY hand painted signs, specially when traveling through rural roads outside the capital at food stands. They’re so straight-forward, there’s a beauty in them not trying too hard, or not trying at all! Don’t know, I guess you have to have a certain personality to pursue this field, maybe a little bit of obsessive compulsiveness going on.

‘Not A Big Small Talker’ is a hand drawn t-shirt design Alex created for Threadless

5. DO YOU FEEL TYPOGRAPHY AS AN ASPECT OF DESIGN IS BECOMING EVER MORE IMPORTANT FOR DESIGNERS?

I feel it’s important and it always has been, typography will always be around regardless of the trends or styles that are out there pushing information and/or selling products, it’s how we make our languages visible. With the introduction of computers everybody has access to type design, whether they received any formal preparation or not, and that results in some very poor type work. You see so many pieces out there with zero attention to the basics, with the kerning all over the place. On the other hand I think that computers have also broken down the limitations typographers may have faced back in the day. You also see amazing mind-blowing work that would have never been possible with the few tools they had available. I guess the key is in creating a font-culture for good/correct use of typography among designers and clients alike.

6. WHAT PROCESS DO YOU GO THROUGH WHEN GENERATING NEW IDEAS?

It’s hard to tell, I don’t think I can specifically pinpoint the process. Once I have an idea floating around in my head I’ll start sketching, if it’s something very geometrical (which usually happens to be my case) I’ll start throwing things together straight on the computer. I normally have quite a clear picture in my head of how I want it to look, but if it’s something a little more free and flowey I’ll probably start off with some hand-drawn sketches then scan them, clean them up and vectorize. The source of the ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere: music, the chaos on the streets, the beach, what my kids draw and say, the cartoons they watch, thinking in the shower, old packaging I find laying around in my grandpa’s house.

Watch out for Alexander’s Exclusive Faces font coming very soon!

Forget Hoxton or the Meat Packing District, Steven does a very nice job of whipping out creative, incredibly unique work from his studio in Stirling, Scotland. Steven has worked with a lot of big corporate clients and his artwork has graced the covers of style leaders such as GQ and Wired. His hand-drawn style has a retro twist and we think you’ll love the exclusive font coming your way.

So with the introduction out of the way, let’s kick things off with a brief Q&A with Steven Bonner.

1. YOU HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC STYLE IN YOUR WORK, HOW DID THIS EVOLVE?

I think my style is the child of two very different parents. I used a traditional airbrush a lot when I was in college years ago, and always loved the soft and hyper real results it gave, but when I moved to the mac, I loved the sharp and crisp effects you get with vectors, so I think I naturally end up somewhere in the middle. I think being trained in traditional graphic design focused my mindset into keeping clarity in my work, and so I always strive to keep the message clear in my pieces, whether that’s type, illustration or graphic work.

2. HOW MUCH OF YOUR WORK IS PRODUCED AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER?

It all starts away from the computer with sketches and random doodles, but generally, around 80-90% of my work ends up drawn on the mac as it’s the most appropriate tool for my style. Saying that, I’ve never understood why people would use a computer to try and simulate something with a naturally random finish like chalk or paint. Why not just do the image in one of those mediums in the first place? It’s good to look at other methods, as it keeps your skills evolving.

Typographic T-Shirt design by Steven Bonner for a US based clothing label.

3. WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

I’m just finishing up some book cover lettering for Penguin, and sent off an art pack for an iPad app for production which will allow the users to create their own blacklister type. Next up are a couple of advertising campaigns involving a nice mix of briefs including circus/freakshow lettering, and then some some illustration work for a drinks company. I’m very lucky in that I get to work on a nice mix of disciplines which keeps my working day varied.

4. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE FUTURE OF TYPOGRAPHY, AND GRAPHIC DESIGN?

I think regardless of the economy, the industry is in a very healthy creative state, and more designers are willing to either learn more about lettering and type themselves, or hire in people like me to create more custom work. It’s encouraging to see an appreciation of craft coming back so strongly in recent years. Now designers are thinking more about collaboration outside their own walls and so long as that trend continues, there’ll always be opportunities for new talent to come through.

People are taking more care and consideration over their typography and the fact that it now seems to be trendy to be into type has put it back in focus for a lot of creatives. There’s a great use of crafted typography which is something that was maybe lacking a few years ago. I love the fact that there are so many great fonts appearing on the market all the time. The more options we have, the more interesting things can come from it.

A feature opener for Advanced Photoshop Magazine on ‘The Art of Type’

5. DO YOU FEEL WITH THE RISE OF THE INTERNET AND VARIOUS SOCIAL PLATFORMS, SELF PROMOTION IS NOW AS IMPORTANT AS GOOD DESIGN?

Self promotion is majorly important, but I do still think that producing good work is by far the most important thing. There’s no point in promoting yourself if the work isn’t up to scratch as people aren’t afraid to criticise on the various social platforms so you need to be confident in the work you show.

It’s a constant process and you have to be quite disciplined to keep on top of self promotion, but conversely, the time you spend is free in comparison to the past when you had to spend fair sums of money on mailshots to reach much less people. Having said all of that, I still believe that a polite email to the right person is far more effective than being popular on twitter.

6. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR PRINT, AND IS THIS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOUR WORK?

Most of the time, I’m hired as a supplier to design, advertising or publishing agencies so I don’t have as much contact with print directly as I used to, but my love for print is still strong and I’d personally be gutted if we lost it. I think the digital mediums have replaced print in the mid ranges, and possibly even the lower end of the market, but for me, there always be a need to produce the experience that only print can give. It’s the smell of a newly printed piece, the weight, the feel – it’s a sensory experience that the web can’t match and for me, high end marketing will always need high end print to tell its story. As a creative, I always want to see my work in application, so print work is always my favourite thing to be involved with.

Watch out for Steven’s Exclusive Faces font coming very soon!

Born alongside Britpop, this creative design collective are still icy cool and continue to be incredibly influential. Their graphics are widely sought after and you’ll spot their script spelling out the titles of the latest 007 flick. Although with a growing body of work encompassing live performances, exhibitions, architecture and fashion, expect an exclusive typeface with a twist from Tomato.

So with the introduction out of the way, let’s kick things off with a brief Q&A with Dylan Kendle of Tomato.

1. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
Work in progress…

2. HOW DID THE BIRTH OF TOMATO COME ABOUT
It’s good to talk