Aside from being a graphic designer, Brooklyn based artist Dana Tanamachi is becoming increasingly recognised as a custom chalk letterer. Dana has been commissioned by clients such as Rugby Ralph Lauren, Google and Adidas – and we think that her work is striking enough to warrant a ‘we’re loving that!’ So, see what you think – and if you want to see some more of her work, then visit www.danatanamachi.com

Banner for Kings County Jerky Co; drawn on chalk fabric.

The Wes Anderson, Brooklyn

Custom piece for a wedding reception

Wine label that Dana created for Nagging Doubt Wines; Art Direction by Bernie Hadley-Beauregard & Laurie Millotte of Brandever.

At matm we believe attention to detail is everything in a new identity.

RedHector, a building, renovation and handyman company in London, approached marketing, design, web and PR company matm, at Jackfield near Telford, Shropshire, to create a logo for the start-up business.

Designer Tom Blockley created a bespoke logo, drawing inspiration from the owner’s red setter dog – yes, you’ve guessed it – called Hector.

A side on profile of the dog provided a sketch visual and then developed into a classic shape that would be memorable and instantly recognisable to new and existing clients.  The bespoke elements were created to give the typeface its unique identity.

So, the attention really is in the detail on this logo: bespoke typeface, handcrafted graphic & perfectly proportioned exclusion zones to give the maximum impact in any design.

matm is currently developing RedHector’s new website. In the meantime, why not visit (and like) RedHector on Facebook?

How frustrating is it when your carefully crafted piece of printed material needs ‘translating’ onto the web and your choice of typefaces is dramatically reduced? Well, help is at hand in the form of CSS3 @font-face.

In short, @font-face allows designers to use fonts stored online, reducing the need to rely on the standard web selection that we’ve grown accustomed to, says Lindsay Crayton, Senior Creative at matm marketing, graphic design, web and PR agency at Jackfield near Telford, Shropshire.

Things are looking quite positive with the majority of modern web browsers supporting @font-face. And, yes, Internet Explorer is one of them.

If you’re getting started, Font squirrel could be your saviour. You can parcel up your own font selections and have them converted to the correct file formats. They also have a large selection ready to download to help you get started.

Always check that fonts have the appropriate licensing before use!

We’re not in a position to wave goodbye to Verdana just yet. But, with @font-face, web typography is getting interesting.

Check out the links below for more information on licensing, formats and examples.

10 free fonts for @font-face embedding
@font-face tutorial
font-face.com
webfonts.info

Love them or hate them we come across typefaces everyday, writes matm‘s Senior Creative, Lindsay Crayton. In most cases we follow corporate fonts which our clients have specified but what happens when you’re left to make the decision?

Here are some simple guidelines to get you started:

• First impressions are important, choose something appropriate! Let’s face it Comic Sans is not as flexible or attractive as you may think.
• Look for a typeface which has a large “family”. Roman, light, bold, italic, condensed, black, medium to name but a few. The larger the family the more flexibility you will have across a range of materials.
• Serif or sans serif? Sans serif can be easier to read at smaller sizes and have a more contemporary feel. Serif can be seen as being more traditional, what is the look and feel you are trying to achieve?
• Are you setting French, Spanish or Russian copy? Does your chosen typeface have all the accents that you need?

If you want to find out more, there are a number of font libraries to browse through such as www.linotype.com and www.fontshop.com.

Finally, back to my clothes reference…dress to impress, select a typeface which is fit for the occasion.