Frab's Advent Calendar: # 2 BranD

We know by now that magazines from the eastern hemisphere of our globe have that special something special, and I'm not just talking about those very particular and semi-handmade projects made by artists who pour their fetishes on paper (a la Rubbish or Meantime to be clear) .

Even the most structured projects always reserve surprises: whether it's the format, the graphic choices or the content, when a magazine comes to us from China, Japan, Taiwan or Hong Kong, just to name a few, we are always ready to leave. to surprise.

This is why behind the second box of our Advent Calendar we have "hidden" BranD, a magazine entirely dedicated to product design that in each issue deals with a different theme in an always imaginative way starting from its cover. For example, the first issue of BranD that I happened to browse, # 45, had a flexidisc inserted in the cover that hid messages that were incomprehensible to me, but definitely fascinating. Then there was the famous # 48 dedicated to the creation of a limited edition editorial project, with its color wheel on the cover, which became one of our best sellers last year. 

Thus we arrive, theme after theme, cover after cover, at the last born in the BranD house which, as stated by the editorial staff, has seen a very long gestation (10 months!) For the realization and improvement, from the planning phase to the final publication. , in order to present the best possible content to readers. Remember when I told you that the time factor is one of the characteristics of an independence magazine that has no fixed periodicity, but comes out when you feel ready to release it? Here, I was talking about exactly this.

Mirror covers, a typewriter and colored ribbons welcome us to the fifty-fifth edition of the magazine. The issue, ideally continuing the previous edition, contains an in-depth research into the world of type designers who, in the first person, tell us about the joys and pains of their work, in a sort of wrestiling challenge (complete with a ticket entrance to watch the match "Design Vs Foreign Typeface”) That allows the whole creative process of a new typeface to emerge.

There are six chapters of this "clash", each marked with one of the colors of the ribbons on the cover and with titles that almost resemble a sports manual: preliminary preparation, practice, competence in type design, advanced skills, mastery of typography , professional showcase.

In this path, full of testimonies, insights and case histories, we learn what we already suspected: the job of the type designer is very difficult! Ok, I might have written something for granted, but sometimes it is good to repeat things for granted. Behind any of the fonts that we use every day there is a lot of study, a spirit of observation, trial and error, the desire to improve or do something different. Ultimately, there is a story that is intertwined with that of the creative who conceived it.

More specifically, in this issue there are 9 type designers from all over the world invited by BranD to discuss typefaces and how the development of new fonts and trends are different in different countries.

Among these we find, for example, Yoshihisa Shirai, designer of IDEA magazine, who explains the relationship between the rules of composition and practical design, with lots of tips that can help designers solve the practical problems they often encounter in the realization of their jobs and tips on how to combine multiple typefaces together.

Then there are the inevitable case histories that make even more evident the importance of typographic choices in product communication and, in particular, in the creation of a magazine: 55 excellent projects that come from all over the world scroll through the pages of the magazine to inspire the readers.

In short, whether you are a professional graphic or type designer or if, like me, you are wondering which font matches the courier best while trying to create a "graphic" with Canva, this issue is definitely an essential tool for study, updating and inspiration. .

You find it WHO along with other unmissable issues of the magazine.