ANALOG AESTHETICS

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 or mineral based inks, in order to create our own parameters of design. In 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 in 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 will be launched during Milan Design Week 2023.

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 into English, German, and Chinese.