For Baqsam lovers.
Baqsam is a rectangular piece of dough that is baked twice until it becomes solid and does not break easily. Iraqis eat it after dipping it in hot drinks such as tea or milk.
at Al-Uqair Beach
What if the artist Naïka sang Ma Chérie in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, specifically in Al-Ahsa, at Al-Uqair Beach?
Mediation
A Visual Story: Breaking Barriers in the Workplace
This story features a young woman with a physical disability who overcame societal rejection to achieve success in the professional world. After being denied a desk job that matched her physical and health abilities, she refused to give up. Instead, she established her own company, designing it as a haven for inclusive practices that empower individuals with disabilities in the workplace.
The Nubian Language: From spoken to written
Believing in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity, this study explores the potential of the endangered Nubian language, which is not properly documented in writing and is only preserved by the tongues of its speakers.
Slanted Winter Break 2024 / 2025 + Warehouse Sale
From December 21st, we’ll be taking our annual winter break to recharge and start the new year full of energy to tackle exciting new projects! We’ll be back in person on January 7th, 2024.
Please note: Until January 6th, 2024, there will be no direct support from the Slanted Shop (including subscriptions). Orders will still be processed by our fulfillment team but may take a little longer than usual. In the meantime, take advantage of our warehouse clearance starting December 20th: selected magazines, books and special editions are available online starting at just €5.– until 01/06/2025 (while stocks last). First come, first served! 😉
This year, we had the honor of celebrating not one, but two major milestones: 20 years of Slanted as a blog (!) and 10 years since Lars and Julia founded Slanted Publishers. We couldn’t be prouder of our amazing team and are deeply thankful to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey.
Over the years, Slanted has transformed in many ways. Especially in recent times, we’ve grown into a publishing house with international distribution—a development we are incredibly proud of. In today’s world, publishing print products is anything but guaranteed, yet we firmly believe in the power of a printed book, crafted on paper. We’re immensely grateful for the amazing books and magazines we’ve released, some of which have won awards, gone through reprints, or sold out entirely. It’s been a pleasure to reconnect in person at book fairs and design conferences, and your support on social media—sharing and celebrating our work—means the world to us.
Independent publishing thrives because of people like you. By shopping locally or supporting our online store, you’re helping sustain an entire industry that values creativity and craftsmanship. We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt thanks to our readers, collaborators, media partners, contributors, and friends for making Slanted what it is today.
We’ve gathered some of our favorite highlights from the past year to share with you—they never fail to make us smile!
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
—Your Slanted Team
Photos: © Instagram + © Slanted Publishers
Color Combination & Gradient Calendar 2025
We are in love with these colors: the weekly Color Combination Calendar is now in its fifth year. Each week, the calendar provides a new seasonal color combination for inspiration; in this edition, two shades meet each week in a reduced composition reminiscent of folded paper. From delicate pastel shades in January to bright, summery colors in July and muted, darker hues in November.
The left-hand page of the booklet is always blank and leaves enough space for notes and your own plans. Alternatively, the individual pages can also be detached from the book and used as postcards, wall decorations or for the mood board of your next project. The bright blue colored edges catch one’s eye even before opening the book, and the spine is bound with an aubergine-colored bookbinding cloth. The calendar is delivered in a cover in coconut brown, which complements the blue tone of the color cut. In 2021, the calendar won an award at the ADC competition.
The new Gradient Calendar accompanies you through the year with bright color gradients. At the beginning of the year, in January, mint green gently meets off-white, in the midsummer month of August, bright lilac turns into rich orange. The calendar consists of 13 cards in A5 format that are held together with a foldback clip, which can be used to hang up the calendar. It unfolds its full radiance when hung next to each other in a row. The back of the cards is free for notes, annual planning or monthly goals. Originally created as a private New Year’s greeting, it was produced in a larger edition this year due to the very positive response.
Color Combination Calendar 2025 & Gradient Calendar 2025
Design: Studio Luzia Hein
Format: 14.8 × 10,5 cm / 21 × 14.8 cm
Volume: 55 pages / 13 pages
Paper: Metapaper Rough Air White 300 qsm
Print: AusDruck Berlin
More information here.
Made in Egypt
In Egypt, a person who ignores reality is said to ‘live in watermelon water’. In this work, this popular expression was projected onto a futuristic scene that embodies a state of indifference with a futuristic and sarcastic vision.
Paintings series “Connections”
Aisha Shalaby is an Egyptian Art Director and multidisciplinary artist based in Istanbul, working under the persona Cairopatra, reflecting her heritage and modern creative vision. She blends her painting and digital design practices, drawing inspiration from her Egyptian and Arab roots to create vibrant, surreal works exploring emotions and introspection. Currently focused on oil painting, branding, and analog photography, Aisha’s work seeks to connect deeply, sparking resonance beyond language.
Made in Egypt
In Egypt’s bustling streets, the toktok symbolizes daily life—simple yet essential, weaving through alleys to serve all. But what if this cultural icon leaped into the future? My work presents a satirical and imaginative vision of tomorrow’s Egypt, where the toktok hovers, carrying the same Egyptian spirit. Its witty slogans remain unchanged, even as its form evolves—an enduring reflection of Egypt’s identity, resilient through time, blending progress with timeless soul.
Paul Cézanne Book
“Paul Cézanne’s book was produced as part of a book design course, where the artist’s works were redrawn and reinterpreted in a modern way. Paul Cézanne, the master of Impressionism, inspired me greatly with his world of paintings and illustrations. Therefore, I redrew them in a brighter and more modern style, while designing the book and revising the entire content to reflect the artist’s journey.”
100 Beste Plakate 24
Character designs
Rendezvous – Radio&Metro&Miami
Rendezvous: Meet Me in the Cinema Three postcards project reviving Cairo’s cinematic history, featuring three iconic Downtown cinemas: Metro, Radio, and Miami. These venues, each with their unique history, have been gathering places for generations, where stories on screen become part of the city’s cosmopolitan culture.
Amthal
Inspired by the streets of Egypt, Mai illustrated this art piece with vivid elements like the iconic red fez, pottery water jars, cracked walls, bright blue street signs, and colorful decorations. She also included countryside touches like the dovecote. The diverse characters at the center are surrounded by expressive slang proverbs in a handwritten style, conveying the wisdom and authenticity of the Cairene people throughout history.
Minaret of Ibn Tulun Mosque
In this illustration, Mai shows the beauty of the minaret of Ibn Tulun Mosque using both manual and digital techniques. The bright colors and textures highlight the minaret’s unique design and its historical importance. Mai used colored markers for a lively effect, while digital tools added depth and contrast. This artwork celebrates the mix of tradition and modern style, inviting viewers to appreciate the mosque’s grandeur.
The Caged Collection
he Caged collection embodies the six stages of rebirth, transforming the struggles and emotions of confinement into wearable art. Each piece reflects a journey of transformation, celebrating resilience, individuality, and inclusivity. Handcrafted by skilled local artisans, these designs turn music and emotion into timeless jewelry, offering a unique symbol of personal evolution.
Oddly Even Branding
Oddly Even balances minimalism and individuality, crafting a fashion identity that surprises within simplicity. The brand’s design merges clean lines and timeless aesthetics with unconventional details, creating a visual narrative for modern, stylish individuals who value sophistication with a twist. Each element reflects the brand’s ethos: minimalism reimagined with an edge of the unexpected.
Sapori — The Artisinal Italian Eatery
Sapori Seashell’s rebranding elegantly balances tradition and modernity, showcasing its evolution while honoring its artisanal heritage. The design emphasizes premium quality and approachability through refined visuals, rich tones, and minimalist packaging, creating an identity that celebrates authenticity, craftsmanship, and the joy of indulgence.
Sahm Variable Typeface
This typeface was created as a pre-masters project, at the German University in Cairo. SAHM is a variable Arabic typeface that can be controlled through two axes. The first is a slant axis, which provides the ability to adjust the direction in which the letters are leaning, while the second axis controls the thickness of the letters’ baseline.
everything everywhere all at once
Censured
Censorship in Egypt restricts freedom of expression
Freedom of expression
“Freedom of expression will be stopped with violence.”
The flag of the Egyptian army features two crossed swords. In the poster, one of these swords pierces the balloon that usually, in comics, contains the texts spoken or thought by a character. In Egypt, freedom of expression is repressed with force.
Poster Cult by Dafi Kühne
The first sentence of this book reads: “The poster world is in crisis.” It was written by Angelina Lippert, Chief Curator and Director of Content at Poster House in New York City, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the art and history of the poster. But is the poster truly in crisis?
Dafi Kühne is one of Switzerland’s foremost poster designers, whose bold and diverse work seamlessly blends traditional production tools with modern design processes. While his posters are printed on presses from the 1960s, they defy the typical aesthetic of letterpress prints. Instead, his work connects with the rich history of letterpress production while challenging the boundaries of long-established graphic and typographic techniques. Using analog printing presses, computer software, laser cutters, and freshly cast hot-metal type, Kühne creates wildly inventive, large-format posters.
Kühne’s first monograph with Lars Müller Publishers, True Print, introduced readers to his work from 2009 to 2016. Poster Cult delves deeper into the processes, background, and context of his more recent poster designs.
Looking at the book, it’s hard to believe that the poster is in crisis. The introduction is, of course, a celebration of the medium, but it also highlights the evolving media landscape. While poster art itself is not in crisis, the poster as a mainstream medium certainly is.
“As posters sit on the meeting point of art, design, ephemera, and commerce, not easily categorized into any single genre, those that make them embody a similar enigma. Dafi is as much an artist as he is a designer, an artisan, a craftsman, an entrepreneur, and an educator. His work encompasses the breadth of descriptions, reflecting the man himself—constantly evolving and creating new visual languages to communicate to the world.”
This book is a must-have for anyone who loves posters, appreciates craftsmanship, and values exceptional design—a true collector’s piece for design enthusiasts.
Lars Müller Publishers (pub.), Dafi Kühne (concept & design), 163 pages, 24 × 30 cm, English, ISBN: 978-3-03778-777-9
Buy it here.
SHkhBta 044 [The Cheapest]
This portrait encapsulates the collective experience of a society shaped by powerful forces of control and limitation. It serves as a profound reflection on Cairo while extending to the broader condition of Egypt, offering a contemplative lens on the tension between resilience and submission within an unyielding system.
* This portrait was improvised while listening to “Ali Phi – Endelah”