As fall’s chill gives way to winter’s embrace, we turn to our old friend design to warm the cockles of our heart. This week, we give a Kickstarter boost to another letterpress calendar masterpiece from MR CUP, explore the history of beer in a unique way, and take up arms agains a ferocious beast in aid of…a font sale? (Previous Cool Designs of the Week can be found here.)
Letterpress Calendar Design
Graphic Designer MR CUP (aka Fabien Barral) continues his longstanding tradition of releasing letterpress calendars with this beauty he’s currently Kickstarting. An entry level pledge of $43 gets you a copy. For about $10 more, there’s the limited-edition Copperplate version, featuring a copperplate and black front cover, with copperplate-painted edges. Hurry: Kickstarter ends Dec. 1st.
‘The Comic Book Story of Beer’ Design
Though seldom thought of as more than a blueprint for the latest box office blockbuster, comics today remain one of the few mediums to consistently offer examples of groundbreaking print design. “The Comic Book Story of Beer” is a good example. From Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell, the creative team who brought you the likes of “The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation,” comes a 9,000-year history of the Beverage of the People. Working closely with professional brewer Mike Smith, they set about crafting a comprehensive history of beer (eliminating a number of myths along the way) that’s as fun as it is informative. No matter how much of a brew expert you think you are, you will find facts between its covers you simply did not know. Says writer Hennessey:
“There were already some very good single-volume books on beer history. But they could be challenging to get through. Too dry. Too technical. I felt that if we did it right, we could give readers the best of both worlds: accurate, devotedly beer-centric information and an energetic, creative, and more absorbing way to experience it.”
Fontacular Print Design
It’s not often that you equate “font sale” advertising with great print design, but we’ll be darned if Fonts.com hasn’t gone and given us a killer poster for their latest Fontacular event. Josh and Katie Emrich at Colorado’s Emrich Office, best known for their whimsical beer labels, have collaborated with letterpress printer Mama’s Sauce and French Paper Co. to create this thrilling print. If you want to enter to win a copy, better hurry. Contest ends 11:59 PM ET Nov. 13th!
