08.14.26

Hey, Ryan here. It’s been a minute. :)

astronauts, etc.

In 2020, I started collaborating with Tony Ferraro, the mind behind many monikers: Astronauts, etc., Tony Peppers, Anthony Ferraro, etc. I was a fan before meeting him, but now after having worked with him for some time, I am thoroughly impressed by his way of approaching work, seeing things from the bird’s eye and flexing aesthetics accordingly. He has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve with any given project, but gives himself ample room for improvisation and collaboration. As someone who — aside from my longstanding working relationship with Michelle — errs toward the solitary mode creatively, I found his openness refreshing and encouraging.

Over the course of these years, I’ve focused my efforts primarily on designing for his most prominent project: Astronauts, etc. I developed a cohesive typographic “signature” or “mnemonic.” Astronauts, etc. is shortened to “aetc,” which then exploits the original “et” read of an ampersand, “a&c.” The combination of characters is unique enough that it can be rendered in any style; whatever fits the aesthetic Tony is working with at the time. Naturally, this has led to several proto-typefaces along the way.

I made album art for several of his singles and EPs, such as his lush Cherry Plum or the spacious Kayfabe.

This year saw the release of his first full-length album in 7 years under the “Astronauts, etc.” name: Professional Void. It’s firmly a rock record, and, as the name suggests, it has quite existential themes. We settled on art that typographically delineated the void. The back cover displays the inverse. The type is warped yet idiosyncratically hand-rendered, gestures that felt most consistent with the sonic textures in the record.

As of today, a new case study featuring all things Astronauts, etc. is now up on our website:

See all of the work

ctx

Tony’s been building a website / platform / tool called “ctx.” This issue, which focuses on his other work, has been burning a hole in our drafts folder for quite some time, but the recent beta release of ctx gave me the push I needed to finally get it out.

ctx is a platform-agnostic, anti-algorithmic way to organize your music library and listen more intentionally.

Tony’s been working on it for a couple of years now. I had seen bits and pieces, but I’ve been playing with the beta version this week for the first time and loving its quiet thoughtfulness. See a demo of the beta here. You can email him for an invite, or reach out to me (I have invites). Replying to this email should work.

🎵 try on our headphones

Guest recommendation from Tony

• A collage entitled "100" on ctx

Ryan

• Astronauts, etc. — Ricochet

Michelle

• Anthony Ferraro — Gestures

ttyl,

— R