Design is Play

Play Press: “Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest” at the Letterform Archive

The exhibit “Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest” opened tonight at the Letterform Archive in San Francisco. Curated by Silas Munro and Stephen Coles, the show features more than 100 examples of agitprop, including posters, broadsides, buttons, signs, and other ephemera. Two of our pieces are included: “Trump 24K Gold-Plated” (2016), and Mark’s “Patriotism ≠ Consumption” (BlackDog, 2002).

Mark gave the following remarks at the opening:

“I would like to start by acknowledging Silas, Stephen, Rob, and all of our friends at the Archive for including Angie’s and my work in this exhibit. Thank you!

“I have two quotes to share with you. The first is from the writer Joan Didion; the second is from the artist William Wegman.

“In her preface to Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion writes that she ‘had been paralyzed by the conviction that writing was an irrelevant act.’

“Later, I came across an interview with William Wegman in which he said, ‘When I paint I feel like I’m doing something irrelevant, but I no longer care.’

“For many of us—artists, designers, writers, curators—what we do can seem like an irrelevant act. I have learned that this is to be expected.

“I have been designing agitprop posters since 1990. Not one of them has ever prevented a war, or ended police brutality, or kept fools like Donald Trump from getting elected. One might reasonably conclude that this work proved ineffective and is therefore irrelevant.

“However, I’ve come to the conclusion that asking if my work is relevant is like asking if breathing is relevant. I work for the same reason that I breathe: to live.

“I find relevance in the very act of creation; in giving my thoughts a physical form—even when that form is ephemeral. Or imperfect.

“I also find relevance in the gathering and preserving of these ephemeral forms to establish a historical record or construct some larger narrative. Like this exhibit.

“We are lucky to have the Letterform Archive here in San Francisco. To everyone at the Archive: thank you for the work that you do. Your work is vital and relevant, and it makes relevant the work of many others, myself included. Thank you.”

See our “Trump 24K Gold-Plated” poster and others under Design is Play Studio Posters.

Photographs courtesy of the Letterform Archive.

Play Press: “New! Newer! Newly!” at Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg


We are thrilled that our 2020 poster “#whiteliesmatter” is currently on view as part of the exhibit “New! Newer! Newly!” at Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg. Thank you again to the 75 backers who helped Kickstart this agitprop poster (and two others) two summers ago!

Curator Dr. Julia Meer writes: “The Graphics and Poster Collection has grown continuously over the past 150 years and now encompasses some 400,000 works. This presentation focuses on new acquisitions and gifts that have recently entered the collection. They primarily consist of contemporary pieces, in recognition of the museum’s essential role in documenting current developments in design and preserving related artifacts for future generations. We collect designs that are noteworthy—due to their origin, mode of production, aesthetics or thematic content. Often ephemeral in nature, these products are closely related to the spirit of the times and thus simultaneously bear witness to political and social events and changes.”

See our “#whiteliesmatter” poster and others under Design is Play Studio Posters.

Photographs courtesy of Dr. Joanna Klysz-Hackbarth.

“Designers for Peace” International Poster Competition

Our entry to the Graphis “Designers for Peace” international poster competition. Impressively, 100% of the competition proceeds will benefit Ukraine humanitarian aid organizations.

Our design recontextualizes Antoine Coypel’s 1690 painting “The Baptism of Christ” to create a message of solidarity with Ukraine in the face of the current Russian assault. Coypel’s painting illustrates the biblical passage Matthew 3:16: “…and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove…”

We have taken the liberty of equating the painting’s original dove—the Spirit of God—as the bird-like golden trident from the Ukrainian coat of arms. In short, we are suggesting that Russia’s barbarous war is a wicked, ungodly act. We dedicate this poster to Kirill of Moscow, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, and a vocal supporter of both the war and of Vladimir Putin.

The patriotic phrase “Sláva Ukrayíni” means “Glory to Ukraine.” Source image courtesy of LACMA.

See our “Sláva Ukrayíni” poster and others under Design is Play Studio Posters.

“Adventures in China” Book Design

We recently completed the design of the memoir Adventures in China: What I Learned While Building a New Bank in Shanghai. The book’s themes include the influence of the Chinese Communist Party over every aspect of commerce; a lack of transparency in how decisions are made; and the sense of inscrutability experienced by foreigners doing business in China—in this case an American banker.

The design evokes these themes via a gloss black on matte black title treatment; mirrored letterforms; and a spine delineated by a glimpse of the front page of the People’s Daily from 1949, the day the People’s Republic of China was established.

We set the book title in Garage Gothic, a display typeface by Tobias Frere-Jones. The subtitle and author’s name are set in E13B, a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) font used in the printing of checks and banking documents. The book was printed and bound by Oscar Printing, San Francisco.

See other book covers we’ve designed under Design is Play Covers.

3×3 Magazine Profile of Illustrator David Plunkert

Out now! My profile of illustrator David Plunkert in Issue 29 of 3×3 Magazine. Here is an excerpt:

What David refers to as his Block-Style are illustrations that hew to the Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots school of drawing: forms are reductive, flat, typically geometric, and in limited color palettes that suggest cheaply printed two- or three-color ephemera. David cites Pablo Picasso’s Cubist period and contemporary illustrators Brian Cronin and Phillippé Weisbecker as points of reference, as well as the minimalist, often primitive ethos of early twentieth century avant-garde toys. “Toys that Italian Futurist Fortunato Depero would have played with,” he explains.

That said, I would hazard a guess that the photomechanical aesthetic of ‘60s comics has seeped into David’s Block-Style via prepubescent osmosis. These illustrations are almost fetishistic in their evocation of the materiality of ink on paper: misaligned or overprinted elements, uneven textures, contaminated colors—as if someone failed to clean the press after the last print run—and imperfectly-formed Ben-Day dots.

Read the entire profile (as well as prior articles) under Design is Play Articles. [MF]

Play Press: “Trump 24K Gold-Plated” Poster Acquired by the MAD, Paris

An unexpected surprise: the Museé des Arts Décoratifs (MAD) in Paris has accessioned our 2016 “Trump 24K Gold-Plated” poster! Although we have posters in collections in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland, this is the first museum in France to acquire our work. Vive la France!

See our “Trump 24K Gold-Plated” poster and others under Design is Play Studio Posters.

3×3 Magazine Profile of Illustrator Johanna Goodman

Out now! My profile of illustrator Johanna Goodman in Issue 28 of 3×3 Magazine. Here is an excerpt:

One of the signature aspects of Johanna’s Catalogue of Imaginary Beings is her reinvention of the body’s proportions. Massive, freeform torsos dominate these collages, with miniaturized heads, hands, and feet emerging like tiny appendages: whereas the standard head-to-body ratio taught in figure drawing classes is around 1:8, the head-to-body ratio of most Beings is roughly 1:14. The change in scale monumentalizes and mythologizes the figures even as it creates a somewhat comical effect—or if not comic, perhaps the tiny extremities simply render these powerful bodies a tad less menacing.

The unexpected shift in hierarchy—from the face to the body—creates opportunities for unexpected narratives. “Much like Nick Cave’s Soundsuits, so much can be expressed through the body,” Johanna observes. “Focusing on the figure frees me up to emphasize gesture and adornment and gives me the opportunity to make the body not a body at all, but something else—anything at all.”

Read the entire profile (as well as prior articles) under Design is Play Articles. [MF]

Play Press: “White Lies Matter” Posters Acquired by the V&A

We’re honored to have our 2020 “White Lies Matter” diptych accessioned by the V&A in London! A sincere thank you to our 75 Kickstarter backers who helped bring this project to life!

In addition to the V&A, these two posters are in the collections of Museum für Gestaltung Zürich; Poster Museum at Wilanów, Warsaw; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG), Los Angeles; Letterform Archive, San Francisco; and the Merril. C. Berman Collection.

See our “White Lies Matter” posters and others under Design is Play Studio Posters.

3×3 Magazine Profile of Illustrator Hudson Christie

Out now! My profile of illustrator Hudson Christie in Issue 27 of 3×3 Magazine. Here is an excerpt:

In conversation, Hudson Chrisite laughs easily, and often. He is amused by incongruity in art and film, and finds unintentional flaws especially endearing. “It’s why the original Star Wars trilogy—before George Lucas got his hands on CG and went back and “‘fixed” it—is a lot more fun to look at. Because you can see the seams,” he says. All of which may help explain Hudson’s aesthetic—what might be termed “blobular affability.”

This playful, childlike quality seems instantly familiar—perhaps because all of us at one time or another have had the experience of squeezing a handful of modeling clay or Play-Doh. The immediacy and accessibility of this visual language is one of its strengths: it is difficult to not be charmed by Hudson’s work.

Read the entire profile (as well as prior articles) under Design is Play Articles. [MF]

3×3 Magazine Profile of Illustrator Sandra Dionisi

Out now! My profile of illustrator Sandra Dionisi in Issue 26 of 3×3 Magazine. Here is an excerpt:

The quality of inscrutability, of an image that is simultaneously clear yet veiled, is a persistent feature of Sandra’s work, and it prompts not simply passive interest, but active contemplation. This invitation to contemplation is one of the recurring pleasures of Sandra’s work, and I find myself poring over the details of her illustrations in an effort to decipher the external cues of deeply internal and private states of being.

Sandra’s work is lovely—and worth your spending time with. Read the entire profile (as well as prior articles) under Design is Play Articles. [MF]

The Post Identity

We are excited to share our latest trademark for Touchstone Climbing! The Post will be opening in a former US post office in Pasadena, California.

See all of our logos for Touchstone Climbing under Design is Play Systems.

3×3 Magazine Profile of Illustrator Scott Bakal

Out now! My profile of illustrator Scott Bakal in Issue 25 of 3×3 Magazine. Here is an excerpt:

A persistent feature of Bakal’s sketchbook drawings is his continuous exploitation of the line’s potential for expression. Beyond simply establishing contours, it is a line that he unspools across surfaces like convoluted entrails; nestles against other lines to sculpt sinewy, striated forms; and repeats in arabesques to relentlessly fill space—as if he were a tattoo artist paid by the square inch.

“My line probably comes from being taught by Jack Potter and Sam Martine, who were both my instructors over 20 years ago,” reflects Bakal. “They were very contour-line heavy instructors and it never really left me. Although the quality of my line has changed—it’s become more ‘stitched’ for certain things and more flowing for others.”

What Bakal calls a stitched line is the result of linking many short, staccato gestures. In his loosest examples, the quality of this line can appear hesitant, or agitated. A sketchbook spread from his personal series “Skulls of Ultimate Death” features scratchy contour drawings of eight conventionalized skulls floating above a red and black field. The inked lines seem incised, as if Bakal is carving into a resistant surface rather than drawing on paper. Redolent of graffiti, the drawing conveys a raw immediacy.

Sandra’s work is lovely—and worth your spending time with. Read the entire profile (as well as prior articles) under Design is Play Articles. [MF]

Class 5 Identity

Our new identity for Class 5, the latest indoor climbing gym in the Touchstone Climbing pantheon! At 40,000 sq. ft., Class 5 will be Touchstone’s largest climbing gym in SoCal. The custom Class 5 wordmark features spurs on the letter “C” and number “5” as a subtle nod to the spider’s spinneret.

See all of our logos for Touchstone Climbing under Design is Play Systems.

Play Press: Type Trends

Our interview with Allan Haley for his Type Trends column, “fy{t}i,” published via MyFonts.com. No, we are not “trendy” designers! But hopefully what we say about how we use type will be helpful to some.

Download a PDF of the interview under Design is Play Press.

3×3 Magazine Profile of Illustrator Dale Stephanos

Out now! My profile of illustrator Dale Stephanos in Issue 24 of 3×3 Magazine. Here is an excerpt:

Dale Stephanos is an illusionist who performs at least two magic tricks, both of which are transformative. The first trick is an act of creative ensoulment: the process by which Dale imbues his portraits not only with the illusion of life, but with sentience. “My obsession is really the face, the gaze,” he says. “I’m very concerned that the work feels as though it’s looking back at me with life behind the eyes.”

This impression—of a face “looking back” at the viewer—is partly achieved through blinkered framing, amorphous backgrounds, and a shallow depth of field. A charcoal drawing of Samuel Beckett typifies Dale’s approach: cropped tightly to the head, stripped of context, with ancillary details eliminated. In other portraits, soft-focus backgrounds recede and serve to thrust the foreground—always the face—toward the viewer. “Sergio Leone’s movies had a big impact on me. The way he’d linger on close-ups, building the tension, was amazing and frightening.” Generally fully frontal and with an implacable gaze, Dale’s portraits invariably draw the viewer’s attention to a set of luminous eyes.

Read the entire profile under Design is Play Articles. [MF]

Play Press: International “Tolerance” Poster Exhibition in Croatia

Our “Tolerance” posters exhibited in Sisak, Croatia earlier this month. Organized by Gradska gallerija Striegl, 150 “Tolerance” posters were displayed to commemorate the Day of Anti-Fascist Struggle, June 22, 1941. (This is the date that the first armed anti-fascist unit in Croatia was founded.)

Angie worked with John Stevens who hand lettered the quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. Thanks to Mirko Ilić who created the Tolerance exhibit and invited us to participate!

See our “Tolerance” posters and others under Design is Play Studio Posters.

“Trump: Lord of the Lies” and “White Lies Matter” Posters on Kickstarter

Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.
—Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

We launched a kickstarter campaign to produce three new limited-edition anti-Trump propaganda posters. Read about our campaign!