Type Trends Lookbook Vol 5 / 2023

The Counter Spaces (Typography in the Age of Black Swans)

The Type Trends Lookbook Vol 5 / 2023: an exploration of contemporary visual counter-trends as a response to the unpredictable events of recent years. Presented as an international preview at the Offf Festival in Barcelona, the 2023 edition of the Type Trends Lookbook is now available: more than 400 pages of visual and typographic exploration curated by the TypeCampus team and sponsored by the Italian foundry Zetafonts.

© Slanted Publishers 2023, © Type Campus

Since the release of the 2022 Type Trends, not much appears to have changed so much in the world of graphic and type design. A mix between artificial nostalgia, normcore brutalism and digital euphoria is still defining visuals. At the same time, the world has been impacted by many unexpected, highly improbable events. They are what sociologist Nassim Nicholas Taleb calls Black Swans: wars, global pandemic, populism and hate fueled by social digital technologies, the rise of artificial intelligence and a global environmental crisis. In this current state of global confusion, the pursuit of trends seems trivial and irrelevant, merely a product of a capitalistic and production-oriented perspective.

“Inspired by the concept of understanding the visual response to the many unexpected events of our times, our team has decided to meet some of the most interesting and innovative creators and thinkers to transform this 2023 issue in a conversation on the hidden, emerging counter-trends that have arisen in recent years.” Says Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini, concept and creative director of the project.

The Counter Spaces–Typography in the Age of Black Swans presents the work and the thoughts of more than 26 design creators and thinkers to guide the reader in a world of undefined and antagonistic areas in visual and typographic design. These counter-spaces, include not only visual styles, but also business models, work philosophies, and social design considerations.

The Counter Spaces–Typography in the Age of Black Swans is a must-read for anyone interested in graphic design, typography, and their links to the social and cultural zeitgeist. It offers a unique perspective on the role of design in society, and how typography can be used to create meaning and connection in a world that is constantly changing. Whether you are a designer, a student, or simply interested in the way design shapes our world, this book will leave you with a new appreciation for the power of typography to inspire, engage, and transform.

The Counter Spaces features the work and the words of: Gab Bois, Viktor Baltus (Type Design Class), Beatrice Caciotti, Kevin Cantrell, Ninan Chacko (Monotype), Andy Cruz (House Industries), Jessica Deseo (The Dieline, Print Magazine), Oded Ezer, Brandon Fretwell, Måns Grebäck, Lucas Hesse, Loukas Karnis (TypeRoom), Erik Kessels (Kesselskramer), Deborah Lynne Kugler, Tien Min Liao, Pann Lim (Rubbish Famzine), Kristie Malivindi (JKR), Nunzio Mazzaferro (Collletttivo), Raven Mo, Valerio Monopoli, Kiel D. Mutschelknaus, Duy Nguyễn (M — N Associates), Toshi Omagari, Dirk Petzold (We and the Color), Ksenya Samarskaya, Alex Slobzheninov, Panos Vassiliou (Parachute), Martyna Wędzicka-Obuchowicz

Type Trends Lookbook Vol 5 / 2023

A project by Typecampus, sponsored by Zetafonts
Concept & Creative Direction: Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini
Art Direction & Editorial Design: Isabella Ahmadzadeh
Zetafonts Catalogue Graphi Design: Sofia Bandini
Texts by: Isabella Ahmadzadeh and Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini
Accounting & Production Management: Debora Manetti

All typefaces by Zetafonts Foundry (Francesco Canovaro, Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini, Andrea Tartarelli, Mario de Libero, Debora Manetti)

Brand names and trademarks are cited for illustrative purposes only, no affiliation on endorsement is intended.
No lazy dog was harmed in the making of the book.

Soon available on Amazon. The digital version is free to download here.