The end of the year brings the list – no, not the one for the red fellow – of lovely things that we have seen and admired.
My list contains an anxiety-buster based on a tangerine, a stunning Italian church made from concrete, a humorous take on being a graphic designer and a grotesk (but not ugly) typeface.
Looking at other designers’ work fills me with admiration, insane jealousy and encouragement.
I alternate between an open mouth and drooling posture, fist-shaking that God didn’t give me more talent and renewed vigour to pursue this wonderfully creative profession.
Fave no. 1
María Jesús Contreras’ illustrations help make anxiety pangs more manageable
“I love drawing more than anything on earth, I try to draw everything I think about. I can give importance to a phrase that I hear around, or to small and forgotten objects.” María Jesús Contreras
See more of her work at itsnicethat.com/articles/maria-jesus-contreras-illustration-090921
Fave no. 2
Santa Maria Goretti Church was built on the edge of Mormanno
Mario Cucinella Architects aimed to design a building that was both contemporary and connected to the local community.
“We wanted to create a contemporary building that expresses a strong sense of continuity as we felt for a church, in particular, this sense of connection is important.” Mario Cucinella
See more at dezeen.com/2021/12/23/santa-maria-goretti-church-mormanno-italy-mario-cucinella-architects
Fave no. 3
Elliot Ulm’s graphic design memes will make you laugh and then make you think
“I’m a strange blend of graphic designer, artist and content-creator. My work mainly lives and breathes on my Instagram page and has turned into several different streams of content creation all under the handle of @elliotisacoolguy.”
See more at itsnicethat.com/articles/elliot-ulm-graphic-design-250521
Fave no. 4
The Reply typeface by Approximate Type
On the surface, Reply is a pretty ubiquitous grotesk, but squint your eyes and you’ll notice its subtle personality come across in its rather wide proportions, angular terminals and occasional formal oddities.
Approximate Type is an independent type foundry from Copenhagen, Denmark, established in 2021 by Kasper Pyndt Rasmussen.
See more at approxtype.com
A favourite of me own
I produce work for my church, Henley Baptist, and the d:two Centre that it runs.
Hit 2022 running
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Do get in touch and let’s discuss your plans to succeed in 2022.
Have a great Christmas and a greater 2022.