You can’t design without type. However, yon can use only type (or mostly only type) to create breath-taking designs. In fact, many graphic designers and artists take exactly this route to communicate their ideas through their works. The results are sometimes crazy, sometimes artsy, sometimes beautiful, but often just different from things we’re used to. Thus designers explore new horizons and we explore new viewing perspectives which is what inspiration is all about.
You can’t design without type: this is an argument for it.
This post showcases over 50 breathtaking typographic posters designed by artists across the globe. We feature Oriental, Iranian, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese and Russian typographic posters as well as a number of further references. This isn’t a “best of”, there is no ranking and the collection isn’t supposed to be complete; it’s rather subjective and quite random. All screenshots are clickable; however, links not always lead directly to the corresponding image (e.g. it’s impossible in Flash-based sites) — sometimes you’ll need to search for it.
Further Reading on SmashingMag:
- Creative Print Typography Layouts
- Vintage and Retro Typography Showcase
- Massive Collection of Nature Inspired Typography
- 60 Concert Posters From Ten Amazing Artists
So what can be achieved out of simple letters and symbols? Please be patient, some screenshots are huge.
Breathtaking Typographic Posters
Christina Koehn / University of Washington, USA
Alex Banks / United Kingdom
Emiliano Lionel Suárez / Argentina
Juanma Teixidó / Asunción, Paraguay
Pablo Alfieri / Buenos Aires, Argentina
HeyHo / France
Vincent Bousserez / Paris, France
Drew Kora / Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Aron Jancso / Budapest, Hungary
Andre Bergamin / Brazil
Oh Ishi / Siam, Thailand
Alejandro Paul / Buenos Aires, Argentina
mrgraphicsguy / Germany
lee25 / United Kingdom
Shaun Morrison / Brighton, England
25ah / Stockholm, Sweden
Andy Cambiaso / Argentina
Puerto Baires / Buenos Aires, Argentina
Todd Roeth / USA
Piotr Fedorczyk / Florence, Italy
Noel Tanner / Minneapolis, USA
Kate Andrews / London, United Kingdom
Experimental Jetset / Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Farhad Fozuni / Iran
Yaronimus Maximus / Israel
Bunch / UK
Playful applications for the 55DSL 2007 Christmas instore incentive. Tape and posters were designed and sent to each store where the staff were then encouraged to get creative with what they taped up to win 555 GBP worth of prizes.
Alex Trochut / Spain
Arjo Wiggins Poster
Pixelgarten / Germany
Apirat Infahsaeng / New York
Purple Haze / Germany
Rote Sonne Club (2007). Poster design for a clubnight.
Think Experimental / France
Aaron Pou / USA
Job Wouters / Netherlands
In collaboration with Roel Wouters. Printed by Knust. Folded A3 flyers for Jungstar (formaly known as Zeitgeist) a bimonthly party held at the sugarfactory organised by the MRKMLN-group.
There’s always work in progress / you’re always a work in progress.
Sterk Water / Belgium
Poster made for a expo of a local art school promoting the free grahics and the sculpturing department.
C100 / Germany
A Club Poster from Berlin
Mark Andrew Webber / Falmouth, England
Hanna Czapka / Germany
Bonus
Job Woulters 80 of 500 handdrawn typographic posters by Job Wouters are shown in a 3 minute filmclip by Roel Wouters. The posters promote the students final works at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. The handwriting is… beautiful.
References and Resources
Oriental Typography Posters By Malik Anas.
