LoL Winter 2023 Edition
Hi! Thanks for signing up and welcome to the inaugural, bare-bones Linus on Letters newsletter. This is mostly going to focus on highlighting great stuff, so without any further waffle, let's do that!
Fonts
YouTube
Kendra Gaylord looks at architecture in pop culture with a wonderful wit and insight. It's chill, unpretentious and delightful. Her deep dive on AD house tours is a great starting point.
Geoff Marshall visits the Factory that makes Tube Roundels. As an ex-Londoner, this was hugely satisfying to geek out over.
Speaking of transit and design, from Engadget: How the MTA's vending machine became a New York design icon.
Collaborations
It's been a top year for collaborations. I've had some great cameos on my channel, and it's be great to join:
Phil Edwards to dive into the history of Pantone.
Matt Parker (Standup Maths) solving a font mystery at the Vegas Sphere Part 1 and Part 2
Breaking down the 2020s aesthetic for J.J. McCullough (Pop cultural analysis)
2023 rebranding roundup with Ben Marriott (motion design wizard and larakin).
Other
I love everything I read on BLAG - the world's only online and print publication dedicated to sign painting. It's hard to pick a favourite, but there's a great roundup on roadliners, and a profile on Costa Rica's king of masking tape lettering.
This also reminds me of this article from a few years ago about duct tape signage in the Tokyo subway.
Is My Toddler a Stochastic Parrot? by Angie Wang - a brilliant visual essay in the New Yorker that really resonated with me. A parent's anxiety about the AI present and future.
That's it for now. The plan is there is no plan. I might get more ambitious with this thing in the future, or maybe this will just be a collection of cool stuff you get every three months. 2023 has been a very full year, so who knows? Wishing you all an excellent 2024!
Cheers,
Linus