Inspired By #89
Welcome to issue #89 of Inspired By, a monthly(-ish) newsletter from your friendly neighbourhood designer Jan-Paul. ✌🏻
Here are some of the things I came across the last few weeks that inspired me:
📕 Store Front NYC
I love these vintage neon signs and old-school hand-painted lettering. Adding this new photobook to my wishlist. And bookmarking these placed for my next trip to NYC.
Here’s an interview with the James and Karla and here’s an article with a few favourites:
The Off-Kilter Beauty of the City’s Best Storefronts
And the photographers who have made a life’s work of documenting them.
❤️🔥 Fictional Brand Archive
Yes! This is what the internet is for. The Fictional Brand Archive is a collection of fictional brands (i.e. ACME, Dunder Mifflin, Waystar Royco) found in films, series and video games.
Also, It’s Nice That wrote a big article about fictional brands:
I’m a fake brand, in a fake world: The secrets behind designing a great fictional brand for TV and film
Duff Beer, Dunder Mifflin Paper, Wonka Candies, Barbie merchandise… We’ve seen countless made-up brands transcend seamlessly from the screen into the real world. So what’s the key to their success? We chat to the graphics team behind the Barbie film, Wes Anderson’s go-to graphic designer, motion designer and 3D artist Lorenzo Bernini, and Adult Swim’s president Michael Ouweleen.
🚙 Naz and Jen are overlanding
Naz Hamid and Jen Schuetz are sharing their overland travels from San Francisco to St. Louis in their newsletter, full of beautiful words and photos.
Seems like an amazing trip. Check it out in their newsletter archive.
🛹 Nozzman Illustratie
From children’s book to cartoons, album covers and editorial art, my friend Bram (a.k.a. Nozzman) does it all. And don’t mis his experimental work either, there’s some weird stuff in there. 🤯
Nozzman illustratie
Nozzman is een illustrator uit Rotterdam. Hij tekent kinderboeken, krantenillustraties, cartoons, infographics en nog veel meer! Check zijn portfolio.
🌎 The Future of the Responsible Company
Patagonia is celebrating 50 years of business unusual and the Chouinard family gave away their ownership so it was time for a second edition of their memoir/business book.
Read more about it here and buy the ebook here.
🥰 Beautiful Web Type
A nice guide to the best open-source typefaces. This was where I found Alegreya, the body font of my new site.
But I also liked Source Serif and Lora, so I might just change it later.
In-Depth Guide to the Best Free Fonts • Beautiful Web Type
Discover the best free fonts from Google and across the web. See beautiful examples, recommended pairings, OpenType features, and more.
✨ New profile picture and site
After ±8 years, it was time for a new profile picture — and website. It’s still a work in progress (as it should be), but wanted to share it with you anyway.
JPKOUDSTAAL - Freelance Digital Designer
Jan-Paul Koudstaal is a freelance digital designer with over 20 years of experience. He leads design across a wide range of projects, from responsive websites and design systems to iOS and Android apps.
And I also made a post about Little Big Details in Typography over on Linkedin. Check it out if you’re into details or typography.
That’s it. Thanks for reading and until next time! 👋🏻