I’ve always loved alphabets — anything that depicts letters in a beautiful way, really. This weekend, I was sifting through the dark recesses of my bookmarks again and discovered these three examples.
Alphabets Collection No. 3
1. Elsie Dodds Alphabet cushions
2. Ben Pentreath LTD Alphabet wrapping paper
3. West Elm Alphabet paper weights featuring the chalk lettering work of Dana Tanamachi (which I love)
This pillow from Heather Lins Home just makes me smile. I’ve mentioned Heather’s work before. I love her clever and simple designs and her exquisite use of typography.
I’ve been reading a lot lately about creating a more intentional digital life. Most of us are plugged in constantly. We see an ever-broadening view of the world — but often behind the glass of our laptop, smart phone or tablet screen. As I devote more and more of my work time to designing for digital media, and as I develop more and more client relationships with folks I may never see, I’m reminded that actual conversation is no small thing. No sir. I hope I’m taking the time to voice what matters.
I’m starting out the week completely amazed and inspired by the work of Dana Tanamachi, a custom chalk letterer and graphic designer. In this digital age, the drawing of letters is almost a lost art. But, I love the gritty and personal quality of these large-scale pieces. I love the whimsy inherent in conveying a message in the chalk medium. I also love the idea of possibly moving our digital tools in reverse — scoping out designs and messages in the digital sphere, and THEN translating that message back to a hand-wrought medium like chalk. [I think I may be gushing.] Be sure to check out the time-lapse video Dana made of the process of creating one of her pieces.
Ace Hotel Room 1021 from Dana Tanamachi on Vimeo.