Hi First name / friend, How has your week been? I’ve been feeling really inspired lately and ended up creating two branding projects just for fun. If you caught my Instagram story earlier, you might have seen me mention that I want to start sharing more of my design work online. Right now, as you know, I mostly post design tutorials, but I want to change that—partly because branding is a huge passion of mine, and to be honest, I could use some new clients (things have been a little too quiet for my liking!).
Instagram is such a powerful marketing tool, and I’ve realised I’ve been holding back from sharing my work, whether it's a lack of confidence or just overthinking if people even care. But I’m done overthinking. I’m going to create, share, and put my work out there. So starting next month, expect to see more of my own design projects in my content. Please be kind!
Right, let's jump in to this week's design goodies. |
|
Grainy Gradient Backgrounds
If you’re into grainy gradients and textured backgrounds, Grainient has a bunch of freebies worth checking out. They offer soft, nostalgic gradients with a film-like texture, great for adding some character to your designs without much effort. Perfect for web design, social posts, or branding.
One of the branding projects I worked on this week used some of the backgrounds and I really liked the way they turned out, so I thought why not share them with you guys too. |
|
Typography Trends Report
Monotype’s Future Typography report takes a bold look at how type is evolving in response to major cultural shifts. Instead of just identifying trends, this edition explores deeper themes like AI’s growing role in typography, the intersection of type and multimedia, and how design reflects global issues like climate change, conflict, and generational shifts. It challenges designers to think beyond aesthetics and consider how typography shapes the way we communicate in an ever-changing world.
With topics ranging from the influence of sound on type to the ethics of AI-generated fonts, the report acts as both a forecast and a call to action. It questions what truly makes typography human and how designers can balance creativity with technological advancements. If you’re interested in where typography is headed and how it connects to everything from social movements to sustainability, this is a fascinating read. Grab a cuppa though, it's a pretty long PDF! |
|
Helsinki Get's a Makeover Kallan & Co collaborated with Helsinki Partners to revitalise the city's global brand, aiming to attract international visitors, talent, and businesses. The project focused on unifying Helsinki's identity by developing a cohesive strategy that highlights the city's unique strengths, such as belonging, sustainability, design, nature, innovation, and well-being. This initiative led to the creation of the "Welcome to Your Happy Place" vision, reflecting Helsinki's position in the world's happiest country and its welcoming spirit. The partnership extended beyond traditional branding to include the design of the MyHelsinki website, ensuring clear and intuitive navigation for diverse audiences. Additionally, the digital ecosystem was expanded to social platforms like Instagram and innovative channels such as podcasts, deepening engagement and sharing Helsinki's story across multiple platforms.
Take a look and let me know if Helsinki is next on your travel list. |
|
How's Your Contrast? Colour contrast is one of those small design details that makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to readability and accessibility. I’ve definitely been guilty of picking colours that look great together, only to realise later that the contrast is too low for text to be easily readable. That’s why I’ve started using contrast checkers more often to make sure my color choices actually work, rather than just relying on my eyes.
A site I’ve found super helpful is Coolors Contrast Checker. You just drop in your colours, and it instantly tells you if they meet accessibility standards. It’s a quick step, but it can make a big impact, ensuring your designs are easy to read for everyone. Definitely worth bookmarking! |
|
Using Your Design Powers For Change Sometimes, life throws challenges our way, but as designers and creatives, we have the power to turn them into something brilliant. That’s exactly what cool_lookin_bug on Instagram did. When their housemates kept ignoring the chore chart and leaving dirty dishes everywhere, they didn’t just complain—they redesigned it. The result? A game so fun that even the laziest housemate couldn’t ignore it. Genius.
Even better, this was a paid partnership, but it didn’t feel like just another ad. Instead of a typical "buy this thing" approach, it was a clever, creative solution that happened to be sponsored. Seeing an ad that’s actually fun and useful? Now that’s refreshing. |
|
MISSED MY LATEST INSTAGRAM POSTS? |
|
Thanks for reading!
A lot of time and effort goes into curating these emails, if you don't want to receive them please don't click ‘mark as spam', instead just hit unsubscribe below and you'll never hear from me again 😊 |
|
NDSM
Amsterdam, 1033NA, The Netherlands |
|
|
|
