Subterfuge is a custom typeface designed for Karl Lagerfeld: A Life in Houses, a large-format coffee-table book written by Patrick Mauriès and Marie Kalt, designed by Jules Estèves, which explores the eclectic and extravagant interiors of the eminent fashion designer. The design for Subterfuge began from the pointed pen calligraphy of Dutch type theorist and designer Gerrit Noordzij. With its slightly condensed form, a high stroke contrast and tight kerning, Subterfuge is tailor-made for this publication’s headings, and for the German edition, the cover. Read book reviews in Wallpaper and Vogue.
Available in English, French and German. 355×280mm section sewn hardback book, 240 pages.
PATRICK MAURIÈS & MARIE KALT (2023)Karl Lagerfeld: A Life in Houses. London: Thames & Hudson.
Bernstrum and the Men Graphic & Typeface Design, Illustration (2024) Bernstrum and the Men are an up-and-coming Scottish four-piece rock band based in Edinburgh. In a series of posters and album covers, I’ve articulated the band’s howling psychedelic garage rock; pulling inspiration from Lithuanian woodcuts, Pictish depictions of animals, Jugendstil and Socialist Block typography.
Letting Loose Lettering (2022)
Letting Loose Lettering (2022)
Lettering for the cover of Letting Loose, a monograph showcasing the work of the late Portuguese painter and printmaker Paula Rego. Designed by Joe Hales Studio for the occasion of the exhibition at the Victoria Miro gallery. Starting from Rego’s signature, I opened up the counters and reduced baseline shift in order to increase legibility, while retaining the character of her handwriting.
240×300mm coptic bound book, 108 pages.
CECILIA ALEMANI (2023)Paula Rego: Letting Loose. London: Victoria Miro Gallery.
Oxfam Annual Review Editorial Design (2023)
Milk & Olive Branding, Packaging Design (2024)
Milk & Olive is an artisanal skincare company based in Hertfordshire, England, specialising in soaps handmade from simple and nourishing ingredients.
The Diminishing Marginal Value of Aesthetics Manuscript (2022)
The Diminishing Marginal Value of Aesthetics Manuscript (2022)
In a 2018 blog post entitled The Diminishing Marginal Value of Aesthetics, technologist Toby Shorin argued that the speed with which visual media is produced and shared today has diminished its inherent value. This handwritten and handbound edition draws inspiration from Shorin’s essay and develops its thesis on the relationship between craft and media, highlighting the challenge of reproducing creative output without equivalent study and patience. In the digital age, reproducing another's writing is frowned upon as plagiarism, an unethical or, in some instances, even an illegal act. But prior to the invention of the printing press, copying a manuscript was regarded as an honour to the text and its author—due in no small part to the immense amount of time and cramped fingers required for such a feat.
Wind Study Lettering (2022) Roundhand lettering designed for a publication by Sylvia Publishing, planned for release in 2025. The design was loosely based on the flamboyant forms of the 18th century Dutch punch-cutter Joan Michaël Fleischman (†1768).
HarperInsider is a biannual magazine that HarperCollins UK uses to showcase news, events, proofs & point-of-sale materials for its upcoming publications for booksellers (including Waterstones, Foyles and Blackwell’s) in the UK & Ireland. Working with London-based studio S-T, I contributed cover and section-opener illustrations and typeset interior copy for five issues thus far.
Images shown come from the spring 2024 issue. 210×297mm perfect bound magazine, 132 pages.
Wind Study Lettering (2022)
Intuit Letter-cutting (2024)
Lettering improvised upon scratched up Portland limestone.
Yarrow Typeface Design (2022–24) Yarrow is a riff on Reidel Thomas’ (†1956) eponymous Thomas Schrift, released posthumously by the East German foundry Typoart in 1958. Yarrow leans into the warmth and low stroke contrast present in the small point sizes of Thomas Schrift, but imbues the design with a more angular structure. The result is a typeface with an exuberant character that remains legible even at small sizes.