Mirror – Fragments of Beauty

Eclectic Revival

elementi — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 05:48:08 +0000

Currently among other projects I have been working on the revival of an older Sans Serif font of mine called Eclectic. Here are some numbers of it during the process of adjustment and kerning. Originally it was sketched in a font program named FontStudio. Some time has passed but its fun sometimes to redraw such typefaces and it may take a while to get into the deeper understanding of its character. Those things that make a font unique and worth of an invention.

Those things that make a font unique and worth of an invention.

In this case it is the strange mixture of a rational Sans Serif construction and elliptic organic elements as in the ‘8’, for example. Moreover, it has a special treatment of stroke widths as you may notice on the ‘4’’s ascending left flank which mirrors in a subtle way the asymmetric swelling of curves and bowls. Soon there will be more letters designed and I am curious for myself how it will develop over the time. As our fonts are like children. You may give them cure and teach them our principles but you never know what they for themselves will add to them and one has not so much influence, at all, on the way the grow up, anyway.

Another Mirroring

elementi — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 06:58:42 +0000

Another view of Natalia in Dior masterly captured by Peter Lindbergh side by side with the minor letter ‘r’ during design process of Reflection Italic character which later evolved into Reflection Ecriture. The base of the stroke separation in the glyphs like ‘n’, ‘m’, ‘h’ and ‘r’ was pushed down to the bottom almost a little beyond baseline to enhance the flow of the letters and add more of a handwritten character to it. I also experimented with more evidenced calligraphic turning points obtained by inserted interim curves or straight lines into its curves. Reflection Ecriture is conceived as an exclusive font for perfume design and should reflect the classic luxurious elegance of Christian Dior fashion griffe. You may also view it on Instagram and comment on it if you like. Credits: Peter Lindbergh | Photography Natalia Vodianova | Model

A Mirror

elementi — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 16:44:12 +0000

When I was recently working on my personal website relaunch (www.stefanseifert.com) I stumbled casually upon a photo series by Peter Lindbergh for Christian Dior griffe. It shows beautiful Natalia Vodianova in sensual black and white pictures. Something urged me to put them beside my own Christian Dior typeface researches (purely artistic, no commercial benefits for me). And there it was again: the knowledge why, at all, I am designing typefaces. Letters are made for beautiful sensible woman. Their lines reflect those of their bodies. And not only.

It is something magic that connects them both in my eyes. Maybe it’s about sensitiveness or the way the inner nature of forms matches in them. At least, this would explain why in the history of arts they so often served as muses to us.

Read also [German and Italian language] Credits: Peter Lindbergh | Photography Natalia Vodianova | Model

Il Concetto della Bellezza

elementi — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 06:22:41 +0000

Il Concetto della Bellezza come lo vediamo nelle pitture del rinascimento è strettamente connesso all’elemento della fantasia. Cioè non solo la fantasia di chi la crea (il pittore o chiunque) ma anche di chi la guarda.

Il simbolo che spesso appare direttamente in quelle pitture del ’500 è lo specchio. Lo specchio che spiega o contiene la spiegazione che non sono le forme della donna pitturata a rivelare la bellezza ma l’immagine in essa rispecchiata (il «volto di dio»). Così anche la donna stessa diventa un concetto. È il più ampio contenitore di tutto ciò che all’uomo (generale – non si riferisce al maschio) appare di sensitivo, ben formato, sensibile che svela nello sguardo una dolce promessa: quella dell’eternità, del rinascere.

Così tutto ciò che riusciamo a creare è obbligato legarsi alla forma femminile perché essa contiene la somma di tutto in sé. Se non corressimo dietro alla sua immagine, se non cerchassimo di rispecchiarci in essa, saremmo perduti nell’arbitrario.

Credo che non sia un caso che nella parola di origine greca «idea» si nascondesse la parola dea.

«Si quid enim placet, Si quid dulce hominum sensibus influit, Debentur lepidis omnia Gratiis.»
[«Infatti tutto ciò che piace, tutto ciò che lusinga i sensi dei mortali (= hominum sensibus), lo dobbiamo alle amabili Grazie.»] Pindar, Odi Olimpiche, XIV
[Saggi, Montaigne, II, p. 850]

Urbino Italic

elementi — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 11:04:16 +0000

Some screenshots during the development of the Urbino typeface which was originally meant to accompany the Reflection character. It was then developed as a separate typeface with truly Renaissance spirit and aimed to be used in perfume branding. Discover in this post also some thoughts that I had during the various phases of its creation [German language only]. Credits: Paolo Roversi | Photography