BENTO Issue 12 by Bento Box Design Studio

April 2021

ISSUE | 12 FEATURING PERTH-BASED TYPOGRAPHER DANIEL VENEKLAAS

© 2021 Bento Magazine All rights reserved. BENTO is a bi-annual online magazine of all things art and design brought to you by Bento Box Design Studio. A collection of innovative and eye-catching visuals in the one place ready to inspire and open your mind to new and exciting things. BENTO prides itself in featuring emerging creatives consisting of local, national & international talent. We understand how important it is to follow your passion and how little opportunities there are for you to get your name out there. Through BENTO, we want to connect aspiring designers together with other like-minded individuals all across the world. Bento Box Design Studio aims to build a wide community involving all facets of art and design. If you are interested in becoming a contributor and submitting a piece for our next issue please follow the steps found at bentoboxstudio.com.au/magazine . We would love to see what else is swimming around in the minds of creatives. If you would like to work with us on any further issues of BENTO we are always looking for opportunities to collaborate. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is prohibited in any form or by any means, including photocopying, scanning or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the editor, addressed “Attn: BENTO Permission”, to info@bentoboxstudio.com.au The views expressed in BENTO Magazine are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the publisher, company or its staff. Design by Bento Box Design Studio Cover artwork by Daniel Veneklaas

BENTO ISSUE 12

Contents

Our Partner Propel Youth Arts WA

Contributors 08

Propel Youth Arts WA is the peak body for youth arts in Western Australia dedicated to creating access and opportunities for young people to engage in the Arts.

Our Type Library Take a look at the unique handwriting styles that make the team members at Bento Box Design Studio who they are and read about what font they would be if they themselves were one.

Featured Creative Daniel Veneklaas T Y P OG R A P HER | PERT H, WA Our featured designer for BENTO 12 is Daniel Veneklaas, and we really couldn’t think of a better person to celebrate! A man of many talents, Daniel combines all his skills into creating his breathtaking typography. He loves to push the boundaries, and is constantly discovering new techniques to experiment with and better his work. Definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Ahmad Hasan

Chloe Elizabeth

Daniel Sammut

David Wilson

Frauke Müller

Melissa Cheong

Our Partner

Propel Youth Arts WA I N S T A G R A M | @ p r o p el yout hart swa F A C E B O O K | @ p r o p e l y out hart swa W E B S I T E | p r o p e l . o r g .au

Within our current COVID-centric atmosphere and sudden lockdowns, it’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we closed off yet another amazing Youth Week WA KickstART Festival.

Closing Party, a night of dancing and singing under the stars featuring music from Jack Davies & The Bush Chooks, Adrian Dzvuke, Alter Boy, Smol Fish and Sofa.

For one week during 9 – 16 April, Propel presented the Youth Week WA KickstART Festival 2021, a celebration of young creatives in Western Australia with a week of free creative workshops, talks, performances and special events around the Perth metro area. A highlight we had was our very first all ages drag show Drag Yourself Out! hosted by local drag king Justin Sider. The night was filled with music, dancing and singing, and the show debuted three Baby Drag Performers and featured some of Perth’s best drag performers.

We really couldn’t have done it without our community, we worked with our friends, our family, our interns and volunteers, as well as welcomed new young creatives with budding potential and enthusiasm. Hosting a festival is not an easy task, but given everything that happened and the stress and anxieties we felt about putting it together and seeing if people came, the Festival celebrated young creatives in the most Propel way, with hard-hitting hard work, a little bit of disorganisation driven by pressure, and a whole lot of passion and love to create space and agency for young creatives in Perth.

The Youth Arts Mingle Night was another event that celebrated the talent of young creatives in the local arts community. The one-night pop up event at The Art Garage 191 showcased emerging photographers and their work made in response to the 2021 Youth Week WA theme “Our Path”, readings from young poets based in Perth and live DJ sets. The night offered an opportunity to make new connections with like-minded creatives in the community and to unwind with food, art and friends. KickstART Festival also showcased some of WA’s best young musicians and bands at our live music gigs. We closed off the week with Amphitheatre

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Every year, the Festival is different. But one thing that has stayed consistent throughout its 11 year history is its ability to bring together young individuals in WA to connect and create. Here’s to next year’s Festival, very much like the young creatives we’ve worked with, full of potential and excitement. If you’d like to be part of next year’s Festival, join our Planning Committee, Intern or Volunteer with us! Become a Propel Member and stay in touch, our call outs go out later this year, we’d love to hear from you.

K I C K S T A R T F E S T I V A L 2 0 2 1 | Pr ope l Youth A r ts WA

I m a g e : Tasha Faye

Image : Simeon Neo

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Our Type Library

We are constantly digesting written words, whether it is in books, signs, posters or on social media. Type is all around us. We often reflect on what is written, but rarely on how it is written.

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type, including type design, lettering and calligraphy. It is what brings the text to life. Different moods, atmospheres and emotions can be expressed simply through the type choice. As we admire the world of Type and explore their evolution, we tried our hands at creating our own fonts with the help of Caligraphr. This useful website allows you to transform your personal handwriting into your very own personalised font. Take a look at the unique handwriting styles that make the team members at Bento Box Design Studio who they are and read about what font they would if they themselves were one. If you want to try transforming your handwriting into a font, visit: www.calligraphr.com

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Leeanne Nguyen STUDIO DIRECTOR

IfregulIawas a font Iolwoul dbolbed.Garamond regul ar.c That' selerissghtseri- f r. Not semi b d or regul a r. A cl a ssi & ti m font, Garamond canng beabout seenyour in many memorabl e books that wil have you remi n i s ci chi l d hood. Some of the most popul ar books beenandsetalinl ofa form of Garamond inclusdi! ng the books of Dr.haveSeuss the Harry Potter novel Asgo-tooneperson of theforDirectors of&Bento BoxBeiDesinggnoneStudiofothe , I’molthe gui d ance support. dest ispri n the team, words such as rel i a bl e , tradi t i o nal & comfort ng to mi&nd.upriSimghtilarhandwri to thetten qualicharacteri ties of Garamond, it’s imore structured s ti c s i s why t is often the go-to in Old-Style serif typefaces.

Tristan Ta CREATIVE DIRECTOR

I’m going to have to go with Barlow on this one. Somewhat of a known font$ but also unknown at the same time$ just like myself. I can walk down the street and have people call out my name, or there’l be times where no one even knows I exist. Barlow looks serious business at first glance$ but once you get to know the font$ you’l come to recognise the subtle details that make it a bit quirky and fun. Like myself it can be placed in a serious situation and get the job done$ but throw it into a fun environment and it’l have no troubles fitting in.

Ab LIL NGU HANDS NEUE

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghi j kl m nopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Ab TA DEMO

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890$$ *Demo expires in 14 days

Monica Widjajana ART DIRECTOR

Hands down,with Ithewouldfont,beItRoboto Slab.structured If you’geometri re not c fami l i a r has a form wibeth aopenbitcurves. Yes,timyoues andread perhaps that rigaht.little Itoocanobsessed ri g i d at the grid system inmymyopiwork. Thehaving gristructured d serves content aswitah framework and i n n i o n, thatsatisclearly mapsofoutmy thejob. entiOnretop viofsualsthat,iswhenthe most fyi n g part texts are aligned to the baseline grid, it’s oh so wonderful. Although it’sIgoodhavetotohavebreaka thesystemrulesin andplace,havethereopenare ticurves mes where like Roboto Slab.

Ab MO SANS

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghi 1234567890jklmnopqrstuvwxyz

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Madison Liddelow MARKETING ASSISTANT

IUSED DO LOVE THE POPPI NSSCENARI FONT. EXTREMELY VERSATI LTE,HAND CANTEXT BE I N ALMOST ANY O . I T WORKS WELL WI OTHER TYPES, THANKSSTROKES TO ITSBEISIMNGPLE,BASIFRICALLY ENDLYTHEDESISAME GN. ITSIZISE)NEARLY MONO LIWHOPPI NEARNG(ALL AND HAS A 18 DIFFERENT FONT WEIGHTS. IAPPEARANCE WOULD SAYNIICAME AND MUCHSIMTHEPLE,SAME. INLIGKEPLAITON,KEEP MYCOLOUR OUTSIDCLOTHES. E WEARI MONO IPASTA ALSO ALONE EAT PRETTY SIMREST PLE, EASY MEALS. IHOWEVER, COULD LIVIECAN OFFBERICVERY E AND FOR THE OF MY DAYS. VERSATI FITTINLIGKEINALL WELLTHOSE IN ADICROWD ANDFONT ADAPTIWEINGGHTS.TO THE SII TRY TUATINOT OLN,E,MUCH F FERENT TO CHANGE MY OWN WEIGHT TOO MUCH! ALTHOUGH,

Melissa Cheong JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Ooh this is a tough one, if I had to pick one it would have to be Maison Mono. There is just something about it that gets me everytime. It is minimalistic and industrial which I’ve been told is reflected both in my design style and me personally. It is well balanced, which I think is crucial in all aspects of life and design.

Thi s font i s qui t e versati l e i n my opi n i o n, whether i t i s for fashilitoynisbrandi ng,ngcafethatmenus orimportant even external sidays, gnage.with Versati somethi i s so these new advancements in technology itorissome almostcleana must. Icopy, f you’Ire looki n g for a ni c e looki n g headi n g body would really suggest giving this typeface a go!

Eloise Kon-Yu MARKETING INTERN

Ab MAD SANS

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Ab MEL HAND CONDENSED

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

I think I would be “Modern Love Caps”. Why? Well modern love caps is a font that was created out of desire to see what would happen if the artists of the classic san serif family took a step back from the norm. They were not looking for perfection, they were looking for something natural, something real, something creative and something passionate. They wanted to create a font that reflected fun, whilst also showcasing a sense of sensibility and ambition. You can find this font plastered on cards, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ books, t-shirts and food products.. reiteration on food! So, abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 it is the perfect font for a food lover like me. EL SANS

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Daniel Veneklaas ISSUE 12 | FEATURED CREATIVE

ARTWORK 01 | The Billboard Project

Daniel Veneklaas TYPOGRAPHER | PERTH, AUSTRALIA AGE | 26

I N S T A G R A M | @ da nie l_ ve ne kla a s T O O L S | A dobe Illus tra tor, Glyphs App

Tell us about where it all began and how you discovered your creative talents. What piqued your interest in design and specifically typography? It took me a while to find design as I was interested in loads of other things like music, 3D modelling and programming – which is what I initially went to Uni for before switching to design. Design seemed like a great way to apply that raw creativity and passion for art towards something more tangible, more problem-solving orientated and more pragmatic as a career path. Design is also something that has so many different avenues and disciplines within it, it felt quite open in that way, and felt like so many of my interests could feed into it. I’m not really sure why I got so interested in typography, up until I got into design it was something I thought very little about. It just became clear to me early into my undergrad degree just how powerful typefaces were in regards to tone of voice, branding, functionality etc. I began to get pretty obsessed in knowing about every font, their different forms and histories and would spend ages trawling through fontsinuse.com (best site ever) – and it just dawned on me one day that I should have a go at designing my own. Why not? What do you love the most about typography and why? There’s something super foundational about typography and letterforms as a form of visual communication and human expression, and has such a rich history to draw from. Type has this really interesting dynamic between convention and experimentation – the gamut of type can range from ultra expressive, abstract forms to completely function-driven and pragmatic solutions. As a creative this kind of duality creates really interesting creative problems to tackle and so many opportunities/directions to come in from. How far can I push this “A” before it stops looking like an “A”? How can I make this type as legible as possible while still evoking a certain tone or personality? It’s these kinds of questions I find really intriguing and super satisfying when you come to a solution. There’s also just something super appealing about monochromatic shapes and stripping away any sense of colour or texture and just focusing on curves and their tension, and the interplay between positive and negative space that type operates on. It’s kinda crazy how expressive such seemingly abstract shapes can be, and how strongly they can invoke different moods, cultural and historical ideas or provide things like a sense of grandeur or luxury, while still adhering to the conventions of our alphabet. Due to the global pandemic, many of us have reconnected with ourselves and chosen to focus on the things we love the most by revisiting and expanding on skills and knowledge. Have you found yourself exploring new or different styles that you have not attempted before? Definitely. For me the global emphasis towards remote working made me really consider the role of technology in design and how that’ll develop in the coming years. I took the opportunity to get reconnected with programming and I started experimenting with things like creative coding which is a really fun, interactive and super rewarding way to learn how to write code from a designers perspective. I also started getting more interested in things like motion graphics and augmented reality and how that might intersect with typography in regards to new ways of communicating or interacting with brands, new experiences etc. I think it’s pretty exciting to be working with emerging technologies/ platforms and getting a taste for whats possible. Would you say there are consistent influences that can be seen across all your work? If yes, please explain what those influences are. It’s really hard to say – I tend to get bored easily and jump between influences or dabble in different mediums like 3D or animation so I don’t see a super consistent thread across all my work. I definitely have some preferences for things like letter proportions or particular genres of type, which might give away my “style” in my typefaces. Right now for example I’m really into classic serif typefaces intended for reading at text sizes, so a lot of my WIP typefaces are gonna fall into that category. In my journey trying to learn type I was heavily influenced by various movements within Dutch type – largely because I was enamoured by the designs and thinking behind them (particularly the more pragmatic designer thinkers like Gerard Unger), but partly I think because half my family is Dutch so it was a way to connect to a culture I have a connection to, but seldom get to interact with living in and being brought up in Australia. BENTO 19

TYPOGRAPHER

DANIEL VENEKLAAS

Take us through your creative process. How do you complete your typography pieces from start to finish? For self initiated briefs they tend to be explorations of a specific theme or style I’m inspired by, or a new technique or software that is particularly exciting or refreshing. It usually starts off pretty exploratory and loose, just going on intuition before eventuating into a lot of refining and of course, being overly self critical and perfectionist haha. For typefaces I’ll usually pour a lot of initial research in, lots of ideation and try come up with a more concrete brief to steer things in the right direction. Being such long projects it’s easy to lose track of that initial spark and become too comparative or analytical. In practise this often means trying to evaluate and refine a typeface in a consistent environment at a specific range of sizes – so for example a display typeface intended for the web. For commissioned pieces and design work I’ll try my best to work strictly within a brief, making sure I’m aware of the desired outcomes, any constraints and trying to do the best for both the client and if there is one, the intended audience. I think I tend to work best in sprints when I can completely focus on the one task and build some momentum, rather than consistently chipping away at projects bit by bit. I usually also require some distance from projects to gain some perspective, specifically if I’ve been looking at the work too long or I’m starting to double guess myself. Having a range of different projects works for well for me in that way, if I get sick of one I can jump between them and that’ll usually reinvigorate that initial inspiration when I can see a design with fresh eyes. Can you share with our readers a few of the biggest challenges that you have encountered throughout your creative journey and how you were able to overcome those challenges. I think one of the more long term challenges I had to work through, and one that’s true of most creatives was finding my passion within the umbrella of graphic design or the creative industries in general. There’s so many different avenues, different specialisations and flavours and there seems to be this expectation at times to be competent in all of them – whether it be print, typography, branding, web/UI etc. It can be really daunting at first and you can really easily start doubting if you picked the right path or if you’re spreading yourself too thin over too many “specialisations”. For me I tried to stay fairly open minded and inquisitive in regards to all the different possibilities and generally tried to dabble in everything I was interested in, and over time I began to focus less about what other creatives were doing and external expectations in general, and thinking more about playing to my strengths and going in directions that I was truly passionate it. I think most of the time, assuming you’re being reasonably realistic, if you you’re passionate enough about something you’ll find a way to make it work, and it’s almost always worth spending more time working towards that goal over worrying if you will ever reach it or not. What advice do you have for creatives who are feeling demotivated, lost or discouraged? I’d say definitely take a break from social media or at least be conscious about how you use it and whether you have a healthy relationship with those platforms. Creatively it can be a double edged sword; it’s a great way to get inspired and keep up with trends and stay connected to the overall creative industry/landscape but I think it’s really easy to get into the trap of comparing yourself too much and feeling inadequate, or being easily swayed towards certain styles or creative avenues. I think it’s really worth trying to reconnect with why you started and find some level of purpose and direction within your work. All creatives have a unique identity and a unique approach to their work that they can leverage and form a strong contribution to the world – but it requires you to buy into that before you can expect others to buy into it. Passion projects are a great way to not just build up your chops and add

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to your portfolio, but to figure out your strengths and weaknesses and what really resonates with you and what gets you motivated. And I think the more you can explore that in a way that doesn’t depend on external opinions or external pressures to drive you, the closer you’re going to get to something that genuinely fulfils you on a long term basis. Now that we have heard about your challenges, let’s celebrate your success stories. Can you share a few milestones with our readers and explain how these have helped you develop as a creative. My first typeface commission in the Billboard typeface designed for Sam Bloor was definitely really big for me, it gave me the confidence to pursue type more passionately and with more dedication. Before that I’d had designed some typefaces but it was the first time that it was designed to a) an external brief and b) didn’t exist in some vacuum and had to exist in the world and be a fully functional typeface, and I felt I really met that brief. In terms of short term future milestones I’m looking forward to announcing and launching my own type foundry (hopefully) later this year. Even though I technically haven’t reached that milestone yet and it could completely crash and burn, it’s something that’s been brewing in the background for a while, alongside the typefaces I’m planning to release on there, it’s something I feel really passionate about and committed towards. That in itself I feel has strengthened my practise as a creative and contributed to my sense of identity and my place within the broader design industry. We noticed you had the pleasure of typesetting ‘Once: A Selection of Short Short Stories’ by independent publisher Night Parrot Press. How did this opportunity come about? Can you briefly explain the process you went through and how valuable this experience was for you? That opportunity came about through Becky from Chil3 who had previously worked with Linda and Laura from Night Parrot Press. They were looking for a typesetter to design their first publication; a curation of flash/micro-fiction from WA. I really enjoyed the whole process and working with NPP was a treat – it was my first “serious” endeavour into book design and typesetting so I also learnt a huge amount about the overall process of interpreting content and planning out all the design details, as well as considering the experience of the reader, and how they might engage with the book and its stories. The process for me started with establishing a brief and getting a feel for the stories and the overall intended mood of the book. Once we had the dimensions locked in it was a matter of comparing and deciding on a typeface, how it sets best within body copy and then deriving all the design decisions like margins, general hierarchy, layout etc. from that. Since we landed on justifying the text for a more classic look, I think most of the time was spent on the nitty gritty typesetting like ensuring a smooth and even justification, watching for things like widows/orphans and resolving hyphenations etc. Have you ever been commissioned to do any strange or unusual typography pieces or been involved in an unusual project? Tell us what the commissioned piece was and if it can be viewed or purchased. Nothing comes to mind as being particularly strange or unusual, especially when it comes to commercial projects. During the first lockdown in Perth I started to collaborate on a typeface project with Melbourne typographer and type designer Dennis Grauel, which was a really unique opportunity for me having never really worked with or even communicated that much with another type designer. It was really refreshing exploring the possibilities and limitations of collaboration within type design – what began as a semi revival project of a quite industrial sans serif, led to the exploration of challenging conventions in contrast, being inspired by the delightfully unconventional Antique Olive by Roger Excoffon. We haven’t had many opportunities lately to liaise and work on the project, but we might still release it eventually.

ARTWORK 02 | A – Various Typefaces

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TYPOGRAPHER

DANIEL VENEKLAAS

“...I value the idea of getting familiar with conventions before challenging them or pushing those boundaries.”

What is your favourite commissioned project so far and why? I think it’d definitely be the Billboard typeface I did for local artist Sam Bloor, who focuses heavily on text based artworks. I was really proud of that typeface, it ended up being a humanist style geometric sans serif which was inspired by brush block-lettering and early British sans serifs like the typeface for the London Underground by Edward Johnston. The typeface was used by Sam in his Billboard Project for the Fremantle Biennale, which saw large scale artworks in the form of billboards and banners being scattered around Fremantle. It was really rewarding and humbling seeing my typeface out in the real world and at such a large scale, as opposed to being some abstract thing in the digital realm or just as a concept. I designed it with the Billboard Project in mind, so taking into account the scale and how people would be interacting with the works, I was really happy to see that it worked out and I was also just really honoured to have my design be used Sam in such an inspiring way. Sam continues to use the typeface in his art practise so I get see it in all sorts of interesting applications and that’s really rewarding. What makes your typography pieces instantly recognisable and shout Daniel Veneklaas? I’m not sure if I’m the one to say, I find it pretty hard to try and see or explain my own style? I think that’s a fairly common issue creatives have haha. At the moment a lot of my typefaces in the works are text serifs, so I’d reckon lots of people would see them as quite conservative and clean, not something that’s necessarily dripping in personality or attitude. Within that genre I tend to lean towards contemporary interpretations of pretty classic styles like “Oldstyle” or more specifically “Garalde” typefaces that we’re most often used to seeing in books/literature. Within things like typesetting or my 3D work, I’d say it’s all fairly clean and somewhat “refined”, nothing super experimental or out there, which is something I do love to explore but I’m also really into the idea of pragmatic design and thinking of things like legibility, accessibility, things of that nature. I also still feel I have a lot to learn across all my creative endeavours, and I value the idea of getting familiar with conventions before challenging them or pushing those boundaries. What is your favourite font? Probably something pretty chill and boring like Univers by Adrian Frutiger, which I have massive soft spot for. Univers was one of the first typefaces I really analysed and deconstructed why it was designed the way it is, what the ideas were behind it and what effect they resulted in. The more I learnt about it the more I appreciated the subtlety of its design – the degree of contrast, the specific tension of the strokes, the reference to classical proportions and the rational approach to its construction across all it’s weights and widths. It really made me aware of how much of a craft type design is, and how much work goes into something that I previously just took for granted as a banal everyday thing. If you could spend a day with any renowned Typeface designer or Typography Artist, past or present, who would it be and why? How will you spend your day together? There is an absolute abundance of amazing and inspiring designers across history – it’s so hard to pick one or even pick one era of type design! That said, I’d love to spend a day with some of the original Sixteenthcentury punchcutters like Robert Granjon or Hendrik van den Keere, who pretty much invented the classic serif letterforms as we know them today. BENTO 22

In a seemingly short amount of time since roman type first started showing up, they really “solved” and perfected text typography and were masterful in regards to things like spacing, optical corrections and achieving a super legible type that creates an even texture – despite the rudimentary technology of the time. There isn’t a huge amount of information about them or their process, so it’d be really cool to be able to pick their brain and get familiar with their thinking and how they approached type design back then. If you could’ve taken credit as the Typeface designer of any well known font, what font would it be and why? Don’t forget to briefly tell readers about the Typeface designer who designed the font. Another tough one, but I think I’d have to say the serif typeface Lexicon by Bram de Does which might not be super well known amongst Graphic Designers (probably due to its hefty licensing cost) but within type design it quickly gained legendary status. What makes it special for me is the way it takes a historic Oldstyle/Baroque model and creates something that, at least to me, feels really contemporary and fresh. It’s a tough thing to pin down, there doesn’t seem to be anything about it that couldn’t have existed one or several centuries ago, but it just has this allure and character to it while also being highly legible, space efficient and would shine in any number of applications. The designer Bram de Does is an equally legendary and interesting figure, who only ever designed 2 typefaces in his lifetime (Lexicon was his second, his first design Trinité is also extremely highly regarded), and very late into his career as a typographer/graphic designer. That someone could create something so familiar and classic but also feel modern and not outdated, in those circumstances, just adds to the fascination. If you could work under or collaborate with any Type Foundry which one would you choose and why? Again, feels likes there’s too many to list, but I’d probably have to go with Klim Type aka Kris Sowersby. Closer to home being from New Zealand and being primarily self taught, I think Kris has a really unique perspective and approach to type design in that he has managed to subvert the typical narrative surrounding the type industry and its institutions being centric to either Europe or the United States. On top of that, he’s absolutely killing it and clearly has a wealth of knowledge both in regards to contemporary design and the historic sources he draws from, which I reckon any type designer would learn a great deal from. Two things that are unique about Daniel Veneklaas: 1. Apart from design/typography I’m really into music and I play drums in several bands. 2. I’m half Dutch and half Colombian. ARTWORK 1 DESCRIPTION // Artwork painted by Sam Bloor using the Billboard Typeface for the “Billboard Project” as part of the 2019 Fremantle Biennale. Can this be viewed anywhere? “New Fremantle Parking” on South Terrace, Fremantle ARTWORK 2 DESCRIPTION // A range of lowercase a’s (my favourite character) from various WIP typefaces in the works.

Contributors

Ahmad Hasan TYPOGRAPHER | PERTH, AUSTRALIA A G E | 23

I N S T A G R A M | @ah m ad hasanx W E B S I T E | ah m ad h asanx.c om T O O L S | A d o b e I l l u str at or, P hot oshop , P roc reat e

DESCRIPTION // I Am... Was an experimental piece combining album CDs with Arabic typography. It’s a piece about one of passions (music) and at the same time representing my culture and heritage with the Arabic script. The Arabic type translates to my name: Ahmad Hasan. A piece about my identity. The style of typography used is known as Diwani. It is a calligraphic style of Arabic script and was developed around the reign of the Ottoman Turks (between the 16th and 17th century). How would you describe your style? As mentioned above the style is influenced by Diwani just created with modern technology instead of traditionally. As for illustration it would be a blend of Shonen with hip-hop. Briefly outline your creative process. What are the major steps? My ideas often come to me at very random times. I try to carry a notebook around so I can write them down before I forget. Generally I sketch and develop the idea further to bring out its full potential. Sometimes older ideas make a comeback as a new project in the future. So it’s good to keep an eye on older concepts. Who and/or what influences your work and why? My main inspiration for type is Matthew Wong, since he was the one who pushed me to pursue typography further... So yeah, shout out to @iamthewong. With the illustration side, my main influences are Akira Toriyama and Hirohiko Araki (creators of Dragon Ball and JoJo). Mainly due to their mastery of traditional manga that is ink on paper. Another thing they have mastered is the flow of the manga.

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Using a less is more approach, it creates a seamless transition to the next panel thus reducing visual clutter. Another inspiration is hip-hop. The whole movement behind it has definitely impacted my character designs and story telling. Where did your fascination for typography come from? Growing up it was a part of my culture. I never really embraced the art form until about three years ago. It was during a certain project (ISTD) that I decided to practice and learn more. What do you love the most about typography and why? What I love about typography is the diversity it has. You are not restricted with one typeface, you have the ability to customize it to your hearts content. What is your favourite font? I would probably have to go for Helvetica Neue. It is considered a classic font but at the same time it is still modern. The legibility is very well suited for signage and books. Possibly the most iconic font of all time. What tip can you share with our readers that you wish you knew when you started your typography journey? I do find that books are really useful, unfortunately most people rely solely on the web. Also don’t be afraid to practice everyday even if it is just for a little bit, in the long run you will see a huge improvement.

TITLE | I Am...

TITLE | Let’s Rock, Baby.

Chloe Elizabeth TYPOGRAPHER | MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA A G E | 25

I N S T A G R A M | @chl oeeeel i z ab et h.c om W E B S I T E | ch l o e - el i z ab et h.c om T O O L S | P r o cr e ate , A d ob e P hot oshop

DESCRIPTION // A daily reminder for each day: Let’s rock, Baby. A record made to motivate others, and to be played on repeat. This is a font that I have been working on for a while that was inspired by Old English fonts. A combination of digital artwork combined with the purpose of a vinyl record - blending the old with the new. This piece reflects my overall design purpose of adding a contemporary perspective to classic beliefs, with the use of a dark theatre-like aesthetic. How would you describe your style? I would describe my style as a constant evolution of combining the old with the new - new trends, colour combinations and inspiration from popular culture, with a twist on making a funky yet edgy outcome. Briefly outline your creative process. What are the major steps? During the creative process for lettering there are many ways to start for me - thinking of the end product the lettering will end up on for packaging, a quote or lyric that I love, or even a particular style that I’m wanting to work with. Having a note in my phone where I list words and sayings that I enjoy helps the days where you can’t seem to think of where to begin. Who and/or what influences your work and why? I am influenced by new things daily - in this instance I have used a saying that I hear everyday from my Pop. For typography in particular I am influenced by mostly artists who I have come across on instagram - one of my favourite Designer + Illustrator is Lauren Hom (@homseethom).

Where did your fascination for typography come from? I have always loved handwriting and experimented with my own style over the years. I think there’s something that is just so powerful to create typography that allows you to set the mood before an audience even begins to read the words. What do you love the most about typography and why? I love that you are able to express your art with the use of letters in other forms of art it is up to the audience to read into what your meaning or purpose is - but I love to set the tone and experiment with shapes, styles and textures. What is your favourite font? I love the traditional Oswald and font that follows with being bold. I love the clean look and also enjoy capital letters mostly, it captures my attention and stands out - in some instance all capslock is not suited, but it is important for all fonts to really catch my eye. What tip can you share with our readers that you wish you knew when you started your typography journey? Practice, practice, practice! Walk around your local area and you will be surprised at how much typography we see each day - billboards, shop fronts, buses! Make a moodboard of all your favourite fonts and note what you do and don’t love about each.

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Daniel Sammut

TYPOGRAPHER | MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA AGE | 33

I N S T A G R A M | @d an _88 T O O L S | i P ad P r o , P r o c reat e

DESCRIPTION // My submission includes my work for #36daysoftype by @36daysoftype on Instagram. It took me a few days to really figure out what direction I wanted to take as I had no idea when I started. I was unsure if I should do a different style of font for each submission? or keep it the same font with some changes in colour. I ended up using the same serif font but with changes to colour, keeping a bright colour palette throughout. I have been creating these pieces in Procreate, so I’ve been experimenting with different texture brushes, colours and shadows. Really trying to master the look of 3D typography which I see is really popular at the moment. I was lucky enough to have my ‘O’ submission shared by @36daysoftype. It’s a great feeling knowing you’re getting noticed and it makes it worth the effort. How would you describe your style? I wouldn’t say I have a set style but I’ve always kept my work fairly simple and clean. For me it’s usually less is more. Hopefully soon I can refine my style and really find something that works for me. Briefly outline your creative process. What are the major steps? The best purchase I made recently was my iPad Pro. It makes it so easy to jump on and just start drawing. I usually see something that inspires me and I just get straight into it. Like most, I end up changing what I’m doing 100 times, particularly around colours, until i think i’m onto something. In saying that I still like to pull out the pens and pencils. Who and/or what influences your work and why? I would say I’m mostly inspired by 90’s / 2000’s pop culture. It was a great time to grow up, and this is when I really started taking it all in and

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getting into design. I love what companies like Apple and Nike produced with their advertisements throughout this time, a slogan with an image, simple but effective - I think it still stands the test of time and still see it having an influence today. At the moment for me Instagram is also a great influence, so many great artist and designers to gain inspiration from. Especially seeing how many people are getting into #36daysoftype. Where did your fascination for typography come from? I’ve had a fascination with art, design and typography in general since a young age, but I’d say I really started getting into typography about 3 years ago. It’s such a powerful tool. At the moment I’m really focusing on refining my typography skills and experimenting with various fonts and styles. What do you love the most about typography and why? There are so many different formats and variations and endless ways to use them. #36daysoftype is a great example of how many ways 1 letter can be styled and how each person sees type. Like most designers I have 1000 fonts on my computer and use around 3, but my next challenge would be to create my own typeface What is your favourite font? For me it would be Apple Garamond - it takes me back to a simpler time. What tip can you share with our readers that you wish you knew when you started your typography journey? Be consistent, create something new everyday.

TITLE | #36daysoftype

TITLE | Isometric Lettering

David Wilson

TYPOGRAPHER | ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM A G E | 46

I N S T A G R A M | @d avi d .i l l ust rat es T O O L S | A d o be I l l ust rat or, A d ob e P hot oshop

DESCRIPTION // I was inspired to create this suite of type because of a number of reasons. I’ve always liked isometric illustration, ever since I was taught how to create them in Design & Technology lessons, way back when during my school years. Plus, with many misspent hours in my youth playing Tetris, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to revisit those experiences and to apply it to typography. I wanted to explore the essential form of each letter - to remove any unnecessary frills and to deconstruct each letter into their simplest form and then rebuild them using isometric elements. The final touch, was to apply simple, limited colour palettes with solid colour fills to create depth. The initial brief that I set myself, was to create a uniform suite of isometric letters and numbers that creates interest and hopefully that’s been achieved. Either way, I’ve really enjoyed the challenge. How would you describe your style? As you’ll see on my Instagram account, as a Designer and Illustrator, I would say my style is minimalist, with a love of clean lines and strong colours - utilising light and dark to create impact and contrast. Briefly outline your creative process. What are the major steps? 1. Research - It’s always a good idea to look around before you start, to see what others have done. 2. Define the brief - What is it that I want to achieve with the final outcome? My aims? 3. Conceptualise (Sketching) - Sketching initial explorations, thoughts and direction. 4. Conceptualise (Digital creation) - Jumping onto the Mac, in this case Illustrator to translate sketches and thoughts into digital assets. 5. Review - Refining and reworking the concepts if necessary. Who and/or what influences your work and why? Personally, I think as a Designer and Illustrator you have a duty to take inspiration from anything and anyone, from graphic design, art, popular culture and your environment - anything can inspire. I particularly love the work of Illustrators Malika Favre and Eyvind Earle. Their use of bold colours and their ability to strip down an image to it’s simplest form, using positive and negative space. It’s definitely something that has influenced me in my illustration and design.

Where did your fascination for typography come from? I don’t think there was a single defining moment or epiphany. My love of typography has always been with me for as long as I can recall. From reading books as a child, fascinated and inspired by the typeset words on the page, through to college when I started to learn the fundamentals of good typography. I love finding a new font, fawning over the gorgeous sweeping curves and beautiful ligatures, it’s something that I’ll never tire of. When used well, the right font can transform a piece of design. What do you love the most about typography and why? The fundamental purpose of design is communication, and good typography is an essential element of that. When done effectively, good typography delivers a clear legible message, a personality, a style and a pleasant end user experience. The joy of pulling all that together with the perfect font selection, typographic hierarchy and those little, self-satisfying typographic flourishes help to pull the whole final design piece together. That’s why I fell in love with typography. What is your favourite font? The are so many beautiful fonts to chose from and not surprisingly I found this far trickier than I first imagined. I may be slightly predictable and possibly clichéd with my selection, but I’m going to chose a font that has been ever dependable, and with me throughout my career - I’m going to pick Akzidenz-Grotesk. A simple, uncomplicated a sans-serif typeface and hugely influential part of Swiss typography. It’s a font that I’ve always admired and used throughout my career. I love the simple uncomplicated styling of the font, it’s dependable, unfussy and understated - like myself. What tip can you share with our readers that you wish you knew when you started your typography journey? I think the main thing is to explore, never be afraid to experiment. Create something that you love and try not to second-guess other peoples opinions. Some people will love what you create, other won’t just don’t let that restrict you.

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Frauke Müller

TYPOGRAPHER | HAMBURG, GERMANY A G E | 36

I N S T A G R A M | @th e f r auk ef ac t ory T O O L S | A d o b e I l l u str at or, P roc reat e, i P ad , P en

DESCRIPTION // After Kamala Harris became vice-president of the United States, in a video poster on social media, she took time to answer questions from voters, including one question about her advice to women both young and old. Her answer was “You know, I have in my career been told many times, ‘It’s not your time. It’s not your turn.’ And let me tell you, I eat ‘no’ for breakfast, so I would recommend the same. It’s a hearty breakfast.” It is a great piece of advice and inspired me to start a NOvember, where I created typographic pieces that start with a “NO”. “NOpe” is my favourite work out of it, the meaning of the word fits its boldness and really hits the ground. I experimented with a fake 3D impression and the colour combination pops out nicely. How would you describe your style? Minimalistic, bold, graphic and experimental. Simplicity is an important characteristic of my personal style. Geometric shapes and straight lines are essential features in my work. I like to play with shadow and perspectives and always try to give each piece some detailed extra. I don’t aim for too much distraction by colour or decorative elements to be able to focus on the form, so I stick to a simple colour palette. Briefly outline your creative process. What are the major steps? My creative process varies from day to day. Sometimes I start with a very rough sketch with pen and paper, and do a lot of sketches until I am satisfied. Other times, I have a clear vision in my mind and directly start to transfer an idea in Adobe Illustrator or Procreate. And on rare occasions, I experiment with paint, brush or other analog techniques. Who and/or what influences your work and why? A lot of influences I get as I go about my daily life, like talking to my friends or walking around nature or urban streets. Travelling also gives me a lot, such as experiencing new cultures, new people and getting a BENTO 34

new perspective and impression. Also strong Women, like Kamala Harris I look up to and can give me a lot of inspiration. Music has a huge influence on my work and sometimes I like to turn on different tunes for different styles I want to express. Where did your fascination for typography come from? The first time I remember being deeply fascinated by typography was when I checked out a book by Stefan Sagmeister. I love the way he’s experimenting with typography and ideas. Also the book Los Logos , really gave me a “wow” effect and I started to gain an interest in type and letters. The styles represented in books are very different, but this is what I love about typography, that possibilities are endless. What do you love the most about typography and why? There are a million possibilities and you can squeeze and manipulate a letter and see how long it stays readable. At the same time, type can have a function and it can be quite a simple way to express what you want to say. Typography can say more about the content than the words itself, it helps to underline the message. What is your favourite font? I would go with Joy Sans Font of Rachel Joy Price. It is three dimensional, just like me. It is simple and straight, but fun at the same time. It is in your face and great for headlines and maybe if you want to show off a little bit. What tip can you share with our readers that you wish you knew when you started your typography journey? Do what you love, don’t compare yourself with others and most important: have fun! Some people think a lot of sketching is important others don’t sketch at all. I think there is no ‘right way’ if you just stay true to yourself and do what you are passionate about.

TITLE | NOpe - I eat “NO” for breakfast.

TITLE | Imposter Syndrome

Melissa Cheong GRAPHIC DESIGNER | PERTH, AUSTRALIA A G E | 24

I N S T A G R A M | @mel i ssac heongc reat i ve B E H A N C E | b e h an c e.net / mel i ssac heong T O O L S | A d o be I l l ust rat or, A d ob e P hot oshop

DESCRIPTION // This piece; Imposter Syndrome, is very close to me and is representative of the internal feeling I have experienced often. As an emerging Designer into an industry that is filled with talented people, it can become all too easy to believe you are not good enough, not skilled enough and not fit for the industry. This piece was designed to give the impression of a frosted glass window as if you were on the outside looking in. The gritty and haziness of the piece is an ode to the feeling of being graduated and the future seeming so unclear. Materialising this feeling by using my skills has helped to ease the doubts, switching the narrative that I am on the inside looking out. How would you describe your style? It is always hard to describe your personal style, but from feedback given by those around me I would have to classify myself as clean, minimalistic with a little bit of quirk. I love a well balanced and proportional design, and I’d like to think that this resonates in all aspects of what I create. Briefly outline your creative process. What are the major steps? My creative process varies quite a bit depending on what I am creating. Sometimes it will stem from researching, sketching then taking it to illustrator or photoshop and other times it is as simple as recreating an idea that springs to mind. For this piece, there was an idea I had but was struggling to execute it the way I wanted, so I researched and looked up tutorials which helped massively in making the end product mimic what I envisioned. Who and/or what influences your work and why? The biggest influences for my work would have to be packaging and signage strangely enough. I love looking at and getting inspiration from packaging, it is something we consume daily whether we intend to or not. Looking at all the different typography used on these helps to establish what it is like to design for different time periods and even different

regions. In terms of designers, Panter Vision on instagram is one of my influences for brand strategy and typography. Just seeing the whole design process is incredible and the video tutorials are so detailed and helpful. Where did your fascination for typography come from? This fascination came from one of the design units I did at university which focused on typography. Before then, I knew typography played a big role in design - specifically packaging and marketing that to consumers, but never fully understood how much of an impact it could play when you are trying to subconsciously target people. I like how expressive you can be with type and depending on what typeface you choose, in a way it is communicating to the audience before they even register the word. It is so cool to think that you can have the same product but by choosing two completely different fonts, the overall tone and interpretation changes. What do you love the most about typography and why? The thing I love the most about typography is that it is representative of history. Just by looking at how typography has evolved over time gives a real insight into what life was like. From the typography on packaging to the typography used in literature. It takes it one step further from just words on a page, you get to feel those words on the page, like stepping back in time. What tip can you share with our readers that you wish you knew when you started your typography journey? There are so many resources out there both for typography and design, the hardest part is knowing where to start. If you find something you like online, chances are there is a whole book just dedicated to that. Looking up these books can really help to enhance the depth of your knowledge. Additionally, trying new things outside of what you know and are comfortable with will do more for you than practicing what you know. The upside of this is that you will really establish what you like and what you don’t, and this will help you in your future designs.

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CREDITS

Editor Bento Box Design Studio

Studio Director Leeanne Nguyen leeanne@bentoboxstudio.com.au

Creative Director Tristan Ta tristan@bentoboxstudio.com.au

Art Director Monica Widjajana monica@bentoboxstudio.com.au

Junior Graphic Designer Melissa Cheong melissa@bentoboxstudio.com.au

Marketing Assistant Maddison Liddelow maddison@bentoboxstudio.com.au

Design By Bento Box Design Studio

Featured Creative Daniel Veneklaas

Contributors

Ahmad Hasan - I Am... Chloe Elizabeth - Let’s Rock, Baby. Daniel Sammut - #36daysoftype David Wilson - Isometric Lettering Frauke Müller - NOpe - I eat “NO” for breakfast. Melissa Cheong - Imposter Syndrome

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