Identity Designed #017
In the last edition I shared a mockup for the cover of my next book. I thought it was the one, but my publisher helped me realise it wasn’t, so I put together a bunch of alternatives and gathered feedback:
Here’s what we decided on:
As well as designing the cover and spreads, I’m writing the content and featuring the work of respected designers around the world (with some of my own project insights in the mix). My copy editor, Linda, has been elevating things like the pro she is, and I’m excited about how it’s all coming together.
In other news, I’m designing logos for a CBD wellness brand in England, and a music producer in Canada inspired by Hans Zimmer and the Blade Runner films. More on those soon.
Things I found interesting this month:
Public Digital CEO, Ben Terrett, shared “a collection of stories from around the world that reminds us of the joy of design and its transformative potential.” You can get the free PDF here: https://public.digital/pd-design-book
Tributes paid to the James Bond 007 logo designer Joe Caroff. “The American graphic designer, who has died aged 103, was paid $300 for the famous 007 logo in 1962, and went on to work on many much-loved films.” More on Caroff’s work on Eye Magazine (2021).
Mike Smith of the stellar Smith & Diction shared a Figma file of his preferred Google Fonts. Nicely curated.
“Be certain of one thing, that what you’re doing clearly has value.” Alec Dudson on how to properly price your work as a designer (2019).
This tasty book for car brand Polestar caught my eye. “Over the course of a year and a half, Lundgren+Lindqvist has collaborated closely with Polestar’s internal team on Volume 4 in Polestar’s series of Design Books. The idea behind the series is to create a book for each of their cars, titled with a number indicating its place in the company’s production chronology.”
Another book worth a shout is The FVS Atlas: Flexible Visual Systems from (Almost) All Over the World (2025), edited and designed by Martin Lorenz (flexiblevisualsystems.info). I have one of Martin’s earlier books, Flexible Visual Systems (2021), and this new effort looks equally great.
David Bennett interviewed Tom Crabtree of San Francisco–based Manual Creative, on the Visuelle podcast. I’m always Intrigued by how top designers find their way into the profession.
According to University of Derby’s professor of nature connectedness, Miles Richardson, there’s been a gradual disappearance of nature words such as river, moss, and blossom from books (via the Reed Words newsletter). So for the sake of it, this was my view last week on the northeast of the island. Grass, rocks, moss, and sea galore. The photo doesn’t do the area justice, but the Antrim Coast Road is one of Ireland’s most scenic drives.
“The global branding agency Koto has a history of working with sustainable and socially conscious companies, which is why it raised eyebrows — for me at least; others are effusive — when they took on a massive rebranding project for Amazon, whose dubious record on labour rights, union busting, environmental harm, and workplace safety is well-documented.” Elizabeth Goodspeed on The Good, The Bad, and the Iffy: is there such a thing as an ethical designer?
I enjoyed a little behind-the-scenes for Maxim Usik’s CaféCité illustration, part of a collaboration with the excellent Rice Creative in Ho Chi Minh City.
Jacob Cass has brought back the Brand Builders Summit for its second year, a free online event running from September 16–19, 2025. Speakers include Debbie Millman, Max Ottignon (Ragged Edge), David Aaker, and many more highly talented folk.
“…think of AI not as a creative entity, but as a tool that enables us to realise our own, original ideas in fresh and surprising ways.” Matthew Rudd used AI to create a video about his father’s watercolour paintings. Stirred some emotions.
Lastly, thank you to Alice Bosc who very kindly endorsed my book on LinkedIn. It’s a career highlight to know that people find some use in what I write. Alice is a designer for architects whose work you’ll find at aliceboscstudio.com.
Until next time
Enjoy the small things.
— David