"The subversive simplicity of hobo hieroglyphics - the chalk markings left by people travelling through America during the Great Depression - are rooted in pure pragmatism: quick, direct signals that connect people to one another and to the landscape."
People kept using the same word - 'iconic' - whether they were thirty, fifty or seventy." The team interviewed staff who'd just joined and staff who'd been there for twenty years, customers since the 80s, locals, online shoppers, and LGBTQIA+ community members, revealing the bookshop's legendary status across generations and demographics.
The NP. mark is "deliberately simple", focusing on a character that comes from its behaviour rather than its look. "It often overlays imagery, not to obscure but to create another layer of meaning. It becomes both a window and a veil, echoing how identity functions online - always present, always mediated," says Natasha. The colour system is bright and "contrasty", creating tension and urgency,
The duo behind the bilingual agency have carved an identity and magazine inspired by the forces "behind design" - art, literature, film and music. In sabukaru, Lena platforms those influences, as well as niche subcultures and creativity across borders. The first issue highlights Tokyo's rich culture, particularly focusing on the legendary filmmaker Takeshi Kitano as the cover star, as well as featuring collaborators such as Thaiboy Digital, graphic designers Tim Lindacher and Mike Sunday, and producer/artist Palmistry.
Global creative company Buck has joined with LinkedIn to give a visual refresh to the platform's in-app milestone moments. Described as "a big glow-up" by LinkedIn's director of product design Audrey Davis, the redesign includes a new suite of animations that hope to make celebrating on LinkedIn a more expressive and engaging experience. Prioritising inclusive character representation, creative metaphors that "connect across cultures", and the blue of the LinkedIn brand, these new illustrations capture a range of milestones and emotions.
But the sheer volume of variants we're seeing right now feels not only calculated to maximise sales (imagine that), but it's also diluting the aesthetic identity of individual album eras. Whereas the best album art of all time is immediately recognisable, I couldn't tell you what the cover for Life of a Showgirl actually looks like. Same goes for Sabrina Carpenter's new album - just days after the provocative original variant prompted outcry, came the bait-and-switch, as Carpenter revealed a several safer versions.
In design research and cultural foraging, the team came across these amazing old fisherman crates with handwritten type. Milano carried this spirit with its variable nature spanning five fun widths from compressed to extended, giving us the flexibility to mix and match and create a playful system with a new energy that's also rooted in tradition.
