Analog Aesthetics – DIY-zine
Mark van Wageningen / Novo Typo presents the return to two fundamental elements of analog graphic design – paper and ink – in a practical guide that offers designers a way to respond to the economic and individual vulnerabilities by means of an exercise in self-sustainability for graphic designers. After a successful launch at Milan Design Week the new publication Analog Aesthetics DIY-zine is now available for order via Novo Typo Shop.
Can graphic designers be self-sufficient?
Can graphic designers recycle their own work?
Can graphic designers design their own color system?
Based on the core idea that a typographic design studio that designs and produces its own letters should also be able to make its own ink and paper. Analog Aesthetics explains how we can produce our own locally sourced paper and plant- and mineral based inks, in order to create our own parameters of design.
On the background of this exercise lies the need to face a global overly complex system of production, supply chains and restrictive industrial standards, that have shown their dangerous disruptive effects.
Analog Aesthetics is part of Novo Typo Offgrid, an ongoing research project about self-sufficiency and sustainability within the context of graphic design. The project started during the first lockdown in 2020 and is designed and produced within close proximity to Novo Typo’s Amsterdam studio. The project is described in the book Novo Typo Offgrid which is available through booksellers worldwide. The subsequent publication Analog Aesthetics was launched during Milan Design Week.
Novo Typo
Novo Typo’s approach to design is deeply rooted in a love for craftsmanship and an investigative approach to design, production-techniques, tools, materials and their context. The output of the studio can be situated on the cutting edge between design, applied arts and craftsmanship. Mark van Wageningen is the founder of Novo Typo, a (typo)graphic design studio and font foundry based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is the author of design awarded books, such as Typewood, Novo Typo Color Book, Type and Color and Novo Typo Offgrid. His work is translated in English, German and Chinese.