Tender Digitality

Tender Digitality introduces an aesthetically oriented concept that intricately intertwines binary systems in a complex manner, setting them in motion. The concept, which is developed at the Zurich University of the Arts, responds to the human desire for sensuality, interpersonal connection, intuition, and well-being in digital environments. It explores ways to (re)transmit these experiences into the analog world of a book, developing its own distinct vocabularies.

Readers are guided through the various perspectives of this kaleidoscope, encouraging them to delve into different play-forms of “tender digitality” and develop their own approach. Assuming the role of researchers, they discover phenomena of extraordinary beauty or bizarreness within the spectrum spanning analogue and digital, social, and technological domains. Through exploration, learning, and the cultivation of “tender digitality,” readers can envision their own version of a community where individuals and artificial intelligences, avatars and cyborgs, humans and computers navigate digital landscapes with agency, intuition, and sensitivity.

With contributions by Charlotte Axelsson, Oliver Bendel, Dana Blume, Marisa Burn, Alexander Damianisch, Léa Ermuth, Hannah Eßler, Barbara Getto, Leoni Hof, Marcial Koch, Mela Kocher, Friederike Lampert, Gunter Lösel, Francis Müller, Marie-France Rafael, Oliver Ruf, Sascha Schneider, and Grit Wolany.

 

“The experimental chapters, pivoted on the methodologies of play, experiential learning, interrogative inquiry and visual prompts, excerpt suggestions and propositions for practicing tender digitality.”
Almas Sadique, stir world

 

Awarded with German Design Award (Gold).

The World’s Best Typography—The 44. Annual of the Type Directors Club 2023

While other competitions have become bogged down over the years, following a belief in growth, with ever new categories and, in the worst case, always the same work, the TDC has remained true to itself: Simply the best typography.

Here, cutting edge meets handcrafted perfection, experimental typography meets top-class classical composition. Books, brochures, magazines and posters meet digital applications and 3D work. Fireworks of color meet classic black and white. The range is wide. The competition encourages people to try something new themselves. The quality of the works presented is fantastic. The book shows where the bar is set and tickles your creative ambition.

The entry fees are low and the international reputation is high. That is why you will always discover work in the TDC book that will surprise and inspire you and bring new lust and passion into your everyday creative life. The Type Directors Club yearbook, now taken over by the One Show, is a creative kick and trend radar. A firework display of graphic design.

Nachhaltig drucken. Gestaltung umweltgerechter Druckprojekte

Sustainable printing begins long before the choice of substrate and printing company. Sustainable printing means more than just eco-certificates. Sustainability is not a state, but a process.

Nachhaltig Drucken lays the foundation for affordable, ecologically responsible and eye-catching print products that go beyond grey standards. It paves the way to greater environmental justice and job satisfaction. To attractive printed objects that inspire without us having to be ashamed of them to future generations. It contributes to shaping a sustainable working environment for creative people. And it provides food for thought beyond the conception and realisation of print projects.

TYPOBIOGRAPHY. JOST HOCHULI, THE WORK OF 60 YEARS

Typobiography looks back over the long and prolific career of the Swiss designer and typographer. Bringing together several texts by Jost Hochuli himself, contributions by well-known figures (including a preface by John Morgan and an interview with Robin Kinross) and a corpus of previously unpublished archival images, this monograph aims to raise interest in book design, and especially the inspirations and personalities that marked out the designer’s career.

The book is a visual monograph, which develops in several thematic sections the questions that have guided Jost Hochuli’s practice over his sixty-year career, and in particular his conception of design as an essential factor in the legibility of a text and the transmission of knowledge. Each part is abundantly illustrated with works specifically digitized and displayed in a layout designed by Jost Hochuli himself, to create a reference work on the designer’s work. The designer has just celebrated his 90th birthday in 2023, yet no monograph of his work has been published since Printed Matter, Mainly Books in 2002. This book will provide a much-needed update on the last twenty years of Jost Hochuli’s career, as well as on the renewed interest in his work, particularly as an author, among younger generations.

Grafikmagazin 06.23—Design im Raum

As the name indicates, Grafikmagazin is a print magazine focusing on all things graphic design. Primarily it’s aimed at professional creatives and design students from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and beyond. Grafikmagazin presents outstanding work from graphic design, typography, illustration, photography, design theory, research, paper, and printing every two months.

The editorial team of Grafikmagazin created a variety of sections and categories but selected focus themes for each issue, like “Design im Raum” (Spatial Design). The topics portray how imaginative, eclectic, and playful graphic design can be while featuring successful branding concepts and niche ideas.

The extensive “Showroom” section lets readers know other creatives and the stories behind design studios worldwide. The “Design and Research” category presents interdisciplinary projects that show how science and research can benefit from creative solutions and play an active role in graphic design. In the “Production and Publishing” section, everything revolves around print. You will find exquisite books, sophisticated annual reports, and high-quality embossed greeting cards. Also, the cover artists of each issue are interviewed or get to highlight their ideas.

Each cover is printed on a different paper, and the design interprets the particular Grafik+ theme more broadly or shares a fresh perspective on a unique design technique. This particular cover was realized in six different versions from different studios and artists, each riso-printed. The Grafikmagazin team, its correspondents, and freelancers are bound and driven by the firm belief that print is not dead. With the will to prove just how alive it is, and the motivation to start something fresh yet deeply traditional, they strive for nothing less than to create another print magazine that makes history.

Dennis Fuchs – Die Materie freut sich, Happy Matter / A calendar for every year

On the occasion of the exhibition Die Materie freut sich, Happy Matter by Dennis Fuchs at the Laura Mars Gallery, a calendar for every year with monthly pages was published.
Illustrations of a selection of small sculptures are complemented by important national and international anniversaries such as the Chocolate Day, the World Cheese Day, Christmas, and many more. Dennis Fuchs’ small sculptures attribute an emotionality and the ability to act autonomously to everything material. The objects on display fluctuate between takeaway and restaurant, work and leisure, “high and low.”
Since a stay in Japan, the artist has been working with replicas of food, which originally served to overcome language barriers when ordering in restaurants. Aesthetic and culinary decisions overlap in the production process of the small sculptures. They are given arms and legs and become animated. Arranged into sceneries on bistro tables, they either pass their time lethargically or productively. Among them are both standardized edibles and unconventional vegetables.
About the artist
Dennis Fuchs (*1992 in Berlin) still lives and works in Berlin. He studied teaching art and philosophy/ethics and fine art (Meisterschüler) with Ina Weber at the UdK Berlin and as an exchange student in London and Tokyo. He has exhibited in Berlin, Zurich, Milan and Tokyo.
He worked as a guest lecturer for sculpture and multimedia at the UdK Berlin and as a lecturer in cooperation with the Bauhaus Archive Berlin. His works were awarded with the Special Jury Prize of the Takifuji Art Awards Japan and the Audience Award of the Kunstverein Ebersberg.

Aesthetics Imperfections

Creativity and innovation are no longer exclusively the province of humans, but the result of collaboration, a game of interpretation in the dialogue between humans and machines. This is the world in which we live today, where artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving and new scenarios are opened.

Is AI technology revolutionizing the fields of art, design, communication, and marketing, but as regards typography? In this era of co-creation, typography as communication technology has yet to be at the center of the scene in this evolution, but it is mature for experimentation.

This research brought Gianpaolo Tucci to discover aesthetic imperfections as a value of uniqueness for each individual representation. The world is facing a new era of typographical artifacts, typography that kisses the rigor of the function to embrace new expression values.

The synergies between three pillars—time, nature and evolution—delimit its foundations, but the implications of this evolution go far beyond the typography.

Aesthetics Imperfections is not a book on typography, but the expression of a point of view, a practical guide, and an investigation on how the integration and ethical use of artificial intelligence will play a fundamental role in modeling this future. Take a breath, and as if we were unaware laboratory animals, let’s jump into this journey made of confused, blurred, anatomical, radical, colorful, and sometimes overturned visions. AI and typography—a dialogue between humans & nature!

© Images by Gianpaolo Tucci, produced with Midjourney and upscaled with Topaz AI 

Awarded by Art Directors Club, ADC Award Germany 2024 (Bronze)

Slanted Magazine #33—Prague

Available as an ebook in bookstores and on all common platforms.

In August 2018, the Slanted editors and photographer Dirk Gebhardt took a close-up look at the contemporary design scene of Prague. They had a number of good reasons to visit Prague: They wanted to meet some good friends and great designer—but also wanted to immerse themselves in history and culture, see Josef Koudelka’s documentation of the Velvet Revolution, experience the disturbing world of Franz Kafka, enjoy the musical elegance of Dvorak and save their souls by inhaling the aura of UMRPUM, Prague’s Academy of Art, Architecture, and Design.

Far away from overtourism at Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, or Prague Castle, Slanted met some of the most amazing designers who know where they’re from and their roots give them a clear vision of where they want to go. They are the ones shaping the new Prague. You can find their brilliant works in the new issue, and a deeper look at their opinions and views through video interviews that can be watched online on our video platform for free: slanted.de/prague.

Illustrations, photography, interviews, essays, and a huge appendix with many useful tips and the best Czech typefaces complement the issue thematically.

Slanted Magazine #33—Prague comes with contributions by 20YY Designers, Patrik Antczak, Anymade Studio, Artishock, Michal Bačák, Peter Bankov, Filip Blažek, Braasi Industry, Briefcase Type Foundry, Tomáš Brousil, Monika Čejková, Čezeta motors, Anežka Hrubá Ciglerová, Design Herynek, Displaay, Petra Dočekalová, Kristina Fišerová, Fontstore, Karel Haloun, Heavyweight Digital Type Foundry, Martin Hrdina, Jitka Janečková, Kolektiv Studio, Jan Šrámek Kolouch, Linda Kudrnowská, Laboratoř, Františka Lachmanová, Zuzana Lednická, LINOSTOCK, Ian Lynam, Dermot Mac Cormack, Matýaš Machat, Man—Machine Type, Master & Master, Simon Matejka, Monsters, Veronika Rút Nováková, Oficina, OKOLO, PageFive, Parallel Practice, PBG, Pavla Pauknerová, Tomáš Pospiszyl, ReDesign, Rosetta Type Foundry, Side2, Radek Sidun, Adam Štěch, Storm Type Foundry, Studio adela&pauline, Studio Marvil, Studio Najbrt, Studio Novák & Balihar, Studio Petrohrad, Suitcase Type Foundry, Superior Type, superlative.works, Marta Sylvestrová, taketaketake, Tomski&Polanski, TypeTogether, uathentic, Rostislav Vaněk, and _ZVUK_.

In addition to this exciting publication, a limited special edition is available. It contains a photographic newspaper by photographer Dirk Gebhardt with a text by Jan Arndt catching the raw pubs of old Prague. It is complemented by a Czech Design Map—a practical printed map for design shopping.

Awarded with DDC Award (Bronze).

Slanted Summer School Vol. 1—Energy

Energy is everywhere, acting as the magical spark that powers our world. From the food we eat that fuels our bodies to the cars we drive, it’s all about energy. This same spark lights up our homes and even powers our brightest ideas. When we’re deep in thought or bursting with excitement, it’s energy working its magic inside us. This might be why we often chat about our feelings and emotions, showing how deeply energy touches our lives.

In August 2023, Karlsruhe hosted the inaugural Slanted Summer School, welcoming 12 participants from 9 countries. Guided by Julia Kahl, co-founder of Slanted Publishers, the program aimed to cultivate skills and foster collaboration in editorial design.

The highlight was the creation of an 80-page publication on the theme Energy. Crafted with precision and passion, it serves as proof of newfound skills and a tangible memento of the four-day journey. In just four days, a diverse group of participants from around the globe came together to produce a dynamic and visually striking publication that captures the essence of “Energy” in every page.

”Everyone has a unique understanding of energy shaped by their backgrounds. In the end, energy is the spirit that drives us, making every day an adventure.”—Pauline Seidlich

Summer School Participants: Alexandra Folie, Cinta Janssen, Daniil Vladimirov, Denny Kobiger, Gianluca Chiavassa, Hanna Murajda, Pauline Seidlich, Sarah Tan, Sebastian Hemetsberger, Sofia Rojas Alejandre, Sonja Zimmerli, Tristan Ernst

Bronisław Zelek. In the letter wonderland

The story of the great Polish designer Bronisław Zelek in a book!

Meet the extraordinary graphic designer who left an indelible mark on the world of visual arts – a trailblazer whose innovative spirit and creative prowess set him apart in the realm of design.

With a portfolio boasting over 100 striking posters, he was a master of the visual language, captivating audiences with his unique artistic vision. What sets him apart is not just the quantity but the quality of his work, demonstrating a keen eye for detail and a passion for pushing artistic boundaries.

Breaking new ground in Poland, he pioneered the use of an airbrush in his projects, a technique he didn’t merely adopt but ingeniously constructed himself. This innovation marked him as a visionary in the field, leaving an indelible mark on the art of poster design.

Among his many accomplishments, he holds the distinction of creating what is arguably the most expensive poster in the history of the People’s Republic of Poland. His creations were not just visually stunning but also carried a significant cultural and historical weight.

In the 1960s, the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw selected him for a mission that would be the envy of many – a journey to Cuba. In the Polish reality of that time, this was an almost unreal exotic adventure, a testament to his standing in the artistic community.

His legacy extends beyond borders, with the typeface “New Zelek” standing out as the most famous Polish typeface of the pre-digital era. This innovative creation was not only aesthetically pleasing but also marked the advent of the first Polish multiscrypt typeface, showcasing his forward-thinking approach.

His influence transcended traditional art spaces, reaching the world of fashion. Designs from his prolific career found a place in Junya Watanabe’s collection for the esteemed Comme des Garçons fashion house, further cementing his impact on the global creative scene.

Notably, his poster for the movie “Birds” achieved a level of recognition that few Polish posters could boast. This masterpiece now resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, a testament to the international acclaim his work garnered.

In the tapestry of graphic design, his name shines brightly – a visionary who not only shaped the visual landscape of his time but left an enduring legacy that continues to inspire and captivate audiences around the world.

nomad 15—intelligence

In this issue, we delve into the topic of intelligence and the borderlands between artificial and human intelligence. The edition underscores that while AI is remarkable, it lacks human qualities such as empathy, intuition, and ethical judgment. We pose the question of whether AI can assist us in navigating our complex world, despite its limitations.

Renowned designers such as Philippe Starck, Martino Gamper, and the distinguished artist Trevor Paglen offer their insights, shedding light on the intersection of AI with creativity, design, and consciousness expansion. Let’s contemplate the profound impact that artificial intelligence will have on our lives and the development of our society, as discussed by different pioneers, role figures, and visionaries, including CD of Sahco and Magniberg Bengt Thornefors, multidisciplinary designer and researcher Madeline Gannon, and the one and only Alice Rawsthorn.

Makers Bible Crafting Cuisine

Makers Bible Crafting Cuisine is for those who love to spend time in the kitchen, cook with hand and heart, try new things, and celebrate a consciously prepared meal in good company. This time it is for those who passionately cook and appreciate using the best handmade tools and ingredients. This book shows on 352 pages over 130 makers and crafters.

Five chapters guide the reader from the field and garden to the kitchen, where things get cut and heated, with various interesting devices, we open the pantry on all things storable, stock up the bar cabinet and finally serve and celebrate food consciously prepared, whether it’ll be simply toasted sandwiches or a five course dinner.

Foodies, connaisseurs, and gourmands—admittingly this book is not for beginners. It is rather a book for hobby chefs and hosts who like to get to the next level. And to the source: All relevant makers and crafters are accompanied by QR codes that lead the reader directly to the source, the makers’ online presence.

Hans Georg Lenzen. Mit leichter Hand

Hans Georg Lenzen—he was not only a gifted draftsman, painter, author, and translator, but a passionate university teacher, too.

He was head of the Peter-Behrens-Werkkunstschule Düsseldorf from 1972 onwards, vice-dean of the department of teaching for drawing, illustration, and theory of design for the corresponding branch. As he spoke many languages he was also successful in translating novels, essays, non-fictional books and numerous books for children. All were nominated for the German Literaturpreis and received awards of the Stiftung Buchkunst.

His desire for the metaphor is made visible through the contributions and pictures in the artist’s monograph at hand. Continuous subjects were the world as a place action; e.g. social subjects in their respective complexity; the stage with both its tragic and comic characters. For Hans Georg Lenzen the focus was always put on the allegoric view, the mystery behind a picture.

The book was designed by Marie Mick as part of her M.A- thesis and supervised by Prof. Irmgard Sonnen.

Hello I Love You

For Hello I Love You, Ludwig Nikulski traveled through Japan with a Japanese love letter. From Tokyo to the east coast, through the deserted region of Fukushima, over a road cut into the ice through the Hachimantai Mountains, to the west coast, through green hills back to Tokyo, he showed the letter to the people he met and documented his search.

Hello I Love You won the bronze medal at the German Photobook Award 2018/19 and was a finalist for the Award for Emerging Artists in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 2018/19.

Ludwig Nikulski is a photographer grown up in Greifswald and living in Berlin. In his photographic projects he works with documentary image strategies and an allusion to fiction, differing between art and journalism.

Lost Spring

2020 was a strange year. Starting off as self-therapy to cope with nameless solitude this body of work evolved into a documentation of ten odd weeks. Ten weeks that didn’t line up with any other weeks before–Lost Spring.

Alexander Kilian lives and works as a still life and fashion photographer in Berlin. His photographic work is characterized by the precise combination between structures and colors captured together with the playful use of light and shadows. His photographs are always highly composed and arranged but still contain the feeling of a snapshot, almost like he’s stumbled across an immaculate plant or table already set up.

Disziplin

The Vienna-based photo collective Fountain’s Edit sheds a light on the notion of discipline in six series and an accompanying glossary. The softcover book underlines and emphasizes their different photographic styles and aesthetics by using a different kind of paper for each series.

Fountain’s Edit is a group of photographers—Erli Grünzweil, Susanna Hofer, Martina Lajczak, Marlene Mautner, Nadia Morozewicz, Stefan Pani and Alicia Pawelczak—based in Vienna, Berlin, and San Francisco.

Italo Summer Dreams

Italo Summer Dreams is a series about loving and longing. Dreams of Capri, Sirmione, dreams of Bellini e bacione. A series for the ones you love. Per sempre.

KOEKKOEK is a director and photographer based in Berlin and Vienna. KOEKKOEK was bird of the year 2008. KOEKKOEK is dutch for cuckoo.

Typography—My Way to Typography / Wege zur Typographie

Since the 1970s, Wolfgang Weingart has exerted a decisive influence on the international development of typography. He instilled creativity and a desire for experimentation into the ossified Swiss typographical industry and reflected this renewal in his own work. Countless designers have been inspired by Weingart’s teaching at the Basel School of Design and by his lectures.
In Typography, Weingart gives an unusual and frank narrative of his early life and development as a designer. This long-awaited reprint of Weingart’s opus magnum gives a comprehensive survey of 40 years of his work.

Visual Philosophy – Thoughts on I and We

This book is an attempt to think through life and the universe in graphic-design terms. With concise drawings and brief texts, illustrator and designer Ruida Si quietly shows humanity in the grip of a dawning realization about its own collectivity. Facing the imminent collapse of the ecosystem, humanity must prepare to replace “I” with “we”–“we” defined in a utopian spirit as a subject transcending generations and individuals.
The simple and clear visuals are the product of Si’s extensive and sophisticated knowledge of information, pattern and rhythm–and they deliver her message with great clarity and simplicity. Muji art director Kenya Hara, with whom Si studied, provided a foreword.

The Hard Life

By what means did so much beauty and ingenuity appear in articles of everyday rural life in Portugal? How did the shape of these objects balance necessity and formal perfection so skillfully? The Hard Life by Jasper Morrison is a book of photographs taken by Morrison of objects in the collection of the National Museum of Ethnology in Lisbon, Portugal.
This book explores the effect that generations of trial and error, individual craftsmanship and an instinct to carve out the essential with the slenderest of means brought to objects that made life both livable and meaningful to a pre-industrial society. The objects photographed and described by designer Jasper Morrison may be appreciated both for their beauty and for the example they set of design at its purest.
The Hard Life is a continuation of Morrison’s celebration of the ordinary and offers a new perspective on his design philosophy. It’s an homage to the beauty of ancient commodities.

Ruder typography Ruder philosophy

The 333th edition of idea, the legendary Japanese magazine on international graphic art and typography, lent 226 pages to Emil Ruder, showcasing his work, influence, and legacy in the world of typography and beyond. Sold out soon after its publication in 2009, this comprehensive survey of the life and works of a Swiss typographic legend is now again available in its original version.
Complemented by commentaries from Michael Renner and Lars Müller, it brings together essays, discussions, and appraisals of Emil Ruder from fellow designers, typographers, and artists–engaging with the designer’s many years of work and teaching in Basel, his thirty years as publisher of the famous Typografische Monatsblätter as well as his posters, fonts, and philosophy.

Joy and Fear

A continuation of Otto Neurath’s 1939 book Modern Man in the Making, Joy and Fear questions how modernity, through its promises and failures, continues to reshape mankind. The promises have been fulfilled, especially for people in the West, where hygiene, modern medicine, and education have led to steep increases in health, life expectancy, and literacy rates. For large parts of the world’s population, however, these promises have not been fulfilled. The current average life expectancy in Chad, for example, is equal to that of the United States in the 1920s, and at 52 is eight years below the retirement age there. The entire globe is unquestioningly and irreversibly involved in the modern project, but its benefits are very unevenly distributed.
By depicting these asymmetries, Joy and Fear brings clarity to today’s modern world. The pictograms and illustrations and their accompanying texts touch on global issues ranging from agriculture to warfare to the welfare state. The visual language makes complex issues immediately accessible. Holding the various themes together is a coherent narrative.

Helvetica – Homage to a Typeface

In 1957, Swiss typographer Max Miedinger came up with Haas Grotesk. Renamed Helvetica after 1960, this typeface went on to become one of the world’s most used typefaces ever. It embodies the myth of Sachlichkeit, propagated at the time by Swiss Typography. This book sings the praises of this shift-worker and solo entertainer of typefaces, of its forgotten creator and all those who have contributed to its unparalleled international march of triumph over the past forty years.
The designs gathered together here in honour of Helvetica have been created by superb designers and anonymous amateurs from all over the world. They present a unique panoply of this icon of modern design. Superb applications are juxtaposed with an anonymous collection of ugly, ingenious, charming, and hair-raising samples of its use. Helvetica is not only the preferred typeface of leading professionals, it is also an all-time favorite among the multitude of codes and signals and commands that enliven urban life.