lynette design

Handmade graphics

The reading on handmade graphics reminds me of the attraction to rough edges imperfections and handmade elements and even 'mistakes' in design. Rather than computer images that tend to be 'perfect' and flat, handmade graphics have a depth and an attraction that computer generated graphics can lack.

By using other methods than computer, you have more possibilities. You have to improvise, explore and create inventive solutions to design problems that you otherwise might not have thought of.

An example of a website that i found that has elements that have a handmade feel is:

http://www.csszengarden.com/?cssfile=/165/165.css&page=3, by Rob Soule

THe texture of the tickets creates a feeling of it being printed on actual paper, and worn out as an actual object textured. There is also handwriting on the left hand of the ticket. The webpage combines these 'handmade'-like textures with computer font well, and it creates interest while maintining readability for the text.

F.T. Marinetti, Words-in-freedom: olfactory, tactile, thermal 1932:


This 'mechanical book' by Marinetti, was in the futurism style made in 1932. It is probably not strictly handmade, and it is ironic that it was created as a mechanical book, but i have included it as an example of handmade graphics. It just has the feel of handmade, not typeset by a computer, the type is quite free and curves into the page. It doesn't look like what I'd associate with being mechanically produced (from my standpoint in 2006) but back in 1932 it was apparently very mechanical. The book itself was printed on sheet metal. The typeography, feels far more free than computer type, and it is very effective graphically.

Issue one 2006, Grok cover by Paul Ikin:

This grok cover incorpotates hand drawn birds, and 'handmade' textures, like the cloth background, with vector-like trees and a backround image of a girl that could be hand-drawn or could be a filter effect. All this combined makes this image have more depth because the hand drawn birds and the other different styles incorporated together make the image feel sort of hand-made. This shows how computer and hand techniques are effective if combined well.

These are two examples of hand drwan typography from the "New handmade graphics"

posted by nicole @ 2:35 am