Another week, just like the other 52. The machine rumbles on. The links keep coming. There’s no end in sight. Is that a good thing?
Industrial Design
Noise-canceling headphones can’t block out this genius bike bell
A carmaker found just the right frequency for a bike bell to make it past a headphone’s noise-canceling algorithm.
Artek and Heath Ceramics’ New Tile Tables Cleverly Cohere Clay with Wood
“As kindred spirits, the Artek and Heath Ceramics teams have once again come together to combine our respective crafts,” says Marianne Goebl, Artek Managing Director. “Designed as a system, the Tile Table collection encourages play and experimentation with color and texture.
Typography
MD UI: a Typeface for Interfacing
The process behind MD UI, a typeface that projects the International Typographic Style one step into the future. A neo-grotesque fine-tuned for maximum performance at every scale.
I design with my hands using rudimentary tools like graphite, ink, and newsprint. The traction of a pencil on paper, paired with the simplicity of the alphabet brings me a sense of peace and predictability. My font shop is a virtual filing cabinet of handmade letters that honor the beauty of texture and imperfection.
Advertising/Film/Animation
Shape of Dreams, starring Zendaya
Welcome to Zendaya’s Dream Lab. Film written and directed by Spike Jonze. Explore the co-designed collection by On, Zendaya and Law Roach
New App Store multiverse created by 13 artists and animators – watch the three videos now
Web Design/UX/UI
Liquid Glass from a typography perspective
Liquid Glass looks good on panels and buttons that have enough area to reveal the qualities of the glass material, while the pictograms on the icons often have quite small elements. On the iPhone screen, some icon shapes can have an area of less than a millimeter, which is not enough to perceive the material as glass, and instead the shape can lose contrast and looks blurry. This is exactly where scale and deviations from the rules are important — just like in typography.
Books
Indie Game Works is a visually driven survey of fifty games that have defined the movement over the past fifteen years. Focusing on titles with distinctive and innovative art direction, and featuring insightful contributions from the developers and art directors behind each game, the book serves as a showcase of boundary-pushing videogame design. Written by Nathan P. Gibson and with a scene-setting foreword from Elite co-creator David Braben, Indie Game Works presents a vibrant overview of contemporary independent game development.
Data Visualization
I don’t have to explain this one
Tools
Graphite is a free, open source vector graphics editor and animation engine, available now in alpha. Get creative with a fully nondestructive editing workflow that combines layer-based compositing with node-based generative design.
type.vibe is your premier destination for uncovering exceptional font hierarchies. By processing the core aesthetic of your project idea, we analyze and recommend the absolute best Google Font pairings to instantly elevate your design system. By Vamsi Batchu