Alphabets

Alphaposters

K   In 2008 HappyCentro was invited to take part in a collective project around the concept of the 'Travelling.' The project was spearheaded by Scalacolore, a design community based in Verona, Italy.  The challenge:  Design a series of posters by taking a letter of an alphabet, looking for a selection of 10 cities in the world that starts with this letter, say which languages are spoken in these places, say where are you from and which is your language. The result: A handful of really cool posters. O V H F   h/t The Logo Smith

Continue Reading →

Little Gestalten: A new imprint for the kids

 When one of the leading publishers of books on visual culture starts making books for kids you know is going to be good. Introducing Little Gestalten, the new children's book imprint from the noted German publisher Gestalten.  Here's the reasoning and the plan: Nothing fosters children's imaginations better than a book. Good books can help children understand the world and learn a lot about life. They can pique their natural curiosity, impart knowledge, and hearten them to be empathetic or brave.    The world is, of course, already filled with wonderful children’s books. Still, there are always new and surprisingly different stories...

Continue Reading →

The Alphabet that Was Good to Eat

  In  The Alphabet That Was Good To Eat Patsy is having trouble remembering her ABC's when her imaginary friend Bilo comes up a plan for Patsy to think of something good to eat  that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Published in 1932 by The Harter Publishing Company out of Cleveland the book features a Dick and Jane-style cover design and illustrations by Dorothy Whidden. Here's a sampling courtesy of Crossett Library at Bennington College.        

Continue Reading →

A Heavyweight For Illiteracy

Wladimir Klitschko is the World Heavyweight Champion. He currently holds 4 different championship belts and is pretty much considered the undisputed king of the ring. His latest fight might be his toughest yet - illiteracy;  the global scourge that effects over 250 million children who do not have access to education. The project is called Klitschko vs. Illiteracy and it is the brainchild of the Klitschko Brothers Foundation in cooperation with the German charity organization BILD hilft e.V. Ein Herz für Kinder. For the project Klitschko dipped his gloved hands in blue paint and punched the 26 letters of the alphabet individually on canvas. Why blue? Because "blue is the ink of writing"...

Continue Reading →

An A-Z of book covers

  Last Friday on The Independent Book Design Blog Jonathan Gibbs gave a call out for help building an alphabet of book jackets.It started when he looked at a copy of the pre-Valentine's Day release of The Poetry of Sex and was taken by the large "X" on the cover. Enjoy this taste and please, no Sue Grafton jokes.   Friday Book Design Blog: Help me build an A-Z of book covers | Jonathan Gibbs | Independent Arts Blogs.

Continue Reading →