My good friend Constantin Demner over at Studio Elastik, has just released a series of three hand-lettered typefaces for free download (LSTK Bembo, GaraPen Tiny, and Clarendon). Coco and I did our MA together at LCP way back in 2004, and these fonts were drawn during that time. It’s great to see them re-emerge online.

I’ve used his version of Clarendon extensively for the Howl poster series, and look forward to playing around with the other fonts soon.

Be sure to check out all his great work!

The last time I did this, people seemed to really enjoy it. So, for your viewing and browsing pleasure, I present a carefully curated series of images and inspirations to mark the end of the shortest-longest month.

Images link to the original sources.

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…for our upcoming show at Skol. Letterpress printed by Kiva at Popolo Press.

Previous teaser here.

CKUT 90.3 is Montréal’s most-listened to (and best loved) community radio station. Since I first moved to the city 15 years ago, I’ve been an avid fan of their progressive and diverse programming, so I was really happy to get the chance to work with them on the redesign of their upcoming website.

As I embarked on the project, it quickly became evident that I would need to rework CKUT’s logo. Like many grassroots organisations, professional design standards were difficult for them to maintain, and the identity system lacked consistency both conceptually and practically. Many different iterations and distortions of the logo were being used, and a vector master file did not even exist!

I thought it might be enlightening to break down the redesign of the logo and my thinking behind it.

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In the context of Patrice Loubier’s “furtive practices” residency at Skol, I designed the door-front signage for the gallery. Skol will be hosting Artivistic’s exhibition in March (some teaser images to come soon), so I was happy to help out and get a chance to test the detail of their vinyl lettering. Yum!

ink&paper from Ben Proudfoot on Vimeo.

A beautiful mini-documentary directed by Ben Proudfoot about the last letterpress and paper shops in Los Angeles. I really appreciate how the precarious situation of these traditional crafts is highlighted, counterpointed by the interviewees obvious love for them. If you’re in Los Angeles, please support these stores!

An early Christmas present from Barcelona-based design studio Atipus! They’re offering a free download of Blanch, a beautiful modular typeface that balances 50s modernism with a unique contemporary flair. Blanch was designed for the striking visual identity of organic fruit business Fruita Blanch, which you can check out here.

Thanks guys, I’m looking forward to using Blanch in future projects. Download the Blanch font family here.

Found via David Airey.

UPDATE: Blanch has just been released by the amazing Lost Type Co-op, which features a slew of stylish pay-what-you-can typefaces.

Vision Diversité came to us looking for a visual design for their musical project Arometis that would embody the diversity of the 17 Montreal musicians and composers that collaborated on the album.

Looking to move away from the stereotypes and clichés of the world music genre, we used scans of old wood type lettering, ink splatters and a unique colour palette to reflect the vibrancy of the music, paired with restrained and nuanced supporting typography. The art direction of the CD packaging has been extended across all platforms, giving a cohesive identity to this unique project that weaves musical styles, and musicians, together.

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There’s a new website up for Popolo Press, run by Kiva Tanya Stimac, who is responsible for so many of Montreal’s beautiful letterpress show posters over the years. Firmly rooted in the ideology and philosophy behind Montreal’s independent scene, Popolo Press’ work is meticulously crafted, locally-bound and offered to the public with a lot of love. I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to work with them in the future.

Check it out!

UPDATE: A great interview with Kiva up on Felt and Wire.