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Sexy, Bold And Experimental Typography
Sometimes typography is all you need to communicate your ideas effectively. Graphics can support the type or type can support the graphics, but to deliver the message precisely, you need to make sure your type is expressive enough, your design is distinctive enough and the composition is strong enough. The results are sometimes crazy, sometimes artsy, sometimes beautiful, but often just different from things we’re used to. Thus designers explore new horizons and we explore new viewing perspectives which is what inspiration is all about.
This post showcases over 70 examples of sexy, bold and experimental typography. Some examples are typographic posters, some are typographic illustrations and some are just sketches with type. In any case, you will hopefully find some inspiration for your future works.
Feel free to check out our previous typography-related posts:
- Breathtaking Typographic Posters with over 50 typographic posters designed by artists across the globe. We feature Oriental, Iranian, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese and Russian typographic posters as well as a number of further references,
- Typography In Motion presents some excellent examples of typography embedded into movies and videos,
- The Showcase of BIG Typography with over 35 examples of big, “loud” and yet elegant typography in web design.
So what can be achieved out of simple letters and symbols? Please be patient, some screenshots are huge.
[By the way, did you know there is a brand new Smashing Wordpress Book? Push WordPress past its limits!]
Sweet and Cute Type
Sweet Sixteen
Typography with a sweet taste of sugar. A nice composition, an excellent execution. Sometimes not that much is needed to make the type look tasty. The typeface used below is Cutiful.
Dive Deep
Hand lettering by Ray Fenwick, cutting out by Dan Mogford.
Scarlett
An illustration created by Nik Ainley. Notice how well every single letter (e.g. “l” and “s”) fits in the composition.
Newstand Cover for Computer Arts issue 139
Alejandro Paul’s Affair typography from Argentina: typography dominates in the composition, the swirly headline is just breathtaking.
17.06.2007
Created by Michael van Laar using Freebooter Script.
Aphrodisiac Dessert
Dessert type for a dessert announcement.
FitzGerald Album (Extended Play)
Nothing can beat old-style-typography. Nothing.
Rally
Apparently, typography can be used for a number of purposes. Typographical Motorsports: simple yet interesting.
Tina Colada
It is worth a discussion if “overlettering” actually helps to deliver a message, but the type looks nicely. And the choice of colors is impressive.
More ink is coming
Impressive lettering by Ale Paul.
cim_organic
Sunny, flourish motif for a fresh typographic composition. Designed by Ryan Katrina.
Empire
The attention to detail is remarkable. Designed by Theo Aartsma.
Elegant and Sexy Type
Climate Change ‘Co2′ ideas
Simple idea which uses only the power of typography. Impressive posters do not need to be colorful.
Αnapodi Klosti Poster
Poster for a experimental performance installation. The main lettering is based on PF Beau Sans. Unusual: thin font transform into a thin thread.
qp logo
In this logo “q” and “p” belong together. Nice concept, nice colors.
Tony Rohr
Similar idea as in the previous one, but a different execution.
JG3!
Slick and sexy, colorful and strong. Notice how beautifully both letters intersect in the middle of the image.
CMYK Lovers
Well, that’s A LOT of letters. Vibrant colors meet 3D-typography. Available as a desktop wallpaper. Designed by Guilherme Marconi.
Poster in the city of Amsterdam
Dutch graphic design at its best. Interesting typographic construction which captures attention by its structure and attracts by its vibrant colors.
Requiem
Strong, dirty and grungy typography is also possible. Craig Shields manages to get impressive results combining grunge and type.
BBB
Designed by Stefan Lucut. The loog looks very modern and powerful, however, at the first glance it is not clear what the red thread stands for. Nevertheless, very original composition.
Strong and Bold Type
Typography
Nicolas Alexander combines typography and retro. Notice how elegant the line starting in the letter “G” goes through “R”.
2008 Calendar
Expressing feelings via colors and type. A very clean and beautiful design by Jonathan Davies.
Bckyrdflw Promo
Well, this one is hard to overlook. Andrew Dyjak’s poster can be read without vocals vowels. Lovely colors, cropping and, of course, type.
Statistics Table
Strong, bold and extremely expressive. And it is just a table!
The Well of the Saints A1 poster
A1 Graphic poster produced by John McDermott. Simple, strong and sexy. Sometimes two colors and a bold typeface are enough.
Breaks logo
A distinctive treatmeant of letters which perfectly fits to the message a poster wants to convey. Designed by Zoltan Szalay.
Nik Ainley
Nik Ainley strikes again. Lovely typographic work where letters don’t just convey the message, but are also functional: their form suggests the second message which is transported with the artwork.
Benno Wissing
Dutch Typography by Benno Wissing. It looks very modern, but it was created in 1963.
Film Poster
Colorful and distinctive. Each color stands for a different movie which participated in the festival.
Experiments with type
Dog Type
Sometimes typography is used to deliver a message in a quite, well, unusual way.
A Stitch Up – Corktown Tavern – Base
Wishes
Unusual type treatment which makes the wishes quite distinctive from the “usual” crowd.
Doblette – Taller Tipografia (uy)
Bold type
These letters are really hard to read. Is it the purpose of typography? Well, it’s definitely an experiment. Cute, fat and bold type in use.
Extraverage x The KDU
Pattern is used to create letters.
Visual Lexicon v 2.1 Metamorphosis
Wim Crouwel: New Alphabet book
Experimental Jetset: SMCS Invitations
Triple O’s
Sometimes type doesn’t look like type at all.
88. Geometric Type
This type is quite freaky. Dutch Graphic Design.
89. YOLO
A (really) striking poster designed by Martin Fewell from Manchester, UK.
100. Best time of my life
Disturbing yet powerful. This poster delivers the message effectively.
Recycle
Usually typography is used as a foundation for symbols. In this artwork it is the other way around. The yellow circle in the middle of the composition may be too striking, but it may be the designer’s intention. Designed by Satoboy.
Chaumont, festival international de l’affiche, version longue – Etienne Mineur archives
Last Click
Colours Clock
Designed with the sole intention of not over complicating the design. Designed by Richard Shed.
Holding type
These flocked magnets looks pretty sweet.
Spaghetti Dinner Poster
Beautiful integration of type into a photo.
Matias Ignacio en crema
Ok, now it’s time for a coffee break.
Vitaly Friedman, editor-in-chief of Smashing Magazine (www.smashingmagazine.com), an online magazine dedicated to designers and developers.
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Loading ...- 94 Comments
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- 2
May 12th, 2008 3:11 amIn the Bckyrdflw Promo description you say “vocal” but I think you mean “vowel”.
- 3May 12th, 2008 3:23 am
Ahhh, nothing like some typography to get one going on a Monday :D.
- 4May 12th, 2008 3:25 am
Some really great, inspirational typography there! Especially like the simple Ozfam poster.
- 5May 12th, 2008 3:26 am
Please, stop to write answers like: “wow! it’s so cool! Thx! ” It’s so stupid.
- 6May 12th, 2008 3:28 am
@Greg: thanks, you are right. Corrected.
- 7May 12th, 2008 3:30 am
This a long post.. I suggest you to split into some pages inside the single post.
- 8May 12th, 2008 4:07 am
@Ben: it’s not so hard to scroll down.
Excellent article, though some of the designs are way too cluttered and legibility becomes an issue. In my book that can’t happen in typography, even if it’s experimental.
- 9May 12th, 2008 4:08 am
YOLO was my fav. so touching and striking !
- 10May 12th, 2008 4:10 am
Yes, I liked Yolo too. It’s very remarkable.
- 11May 12th, 2008 4:12 am
“Dutch Typography by Benno Wissing. It looks very modern, but it was created in 1963″
Something is missing nowadays: swiss design was in fact a reaction against the classic rules… what happens today with all these Helvetica–Frutiger–Müller-Brockmann copycats is terrifying. Knowing the basic principles of design is a must to break them. Remember: using Helvetica doesn’t make you a great designer.
Yours sincerely,
G - 12May 12th, 2008 5:01 am
look the attractive prices campaign of british airways. It´s a great show about how tipography can do with a good idea behind. Grate post, I luv tipos….
- 13May 12th, 2008 5:18 am
Absolutely fantastic and inspirational post – one of the best so far!
- 14May 12th, 2008 5:53 am
The first entry on Strong and Bold Type, the “Good Morning Stranger” one was inspired on a brazilian local novel, I guess, or at least it looks like. I just cant remember the novel’s name, since I was a little boy at the time, but i’ll look for the name with my older friends, and then I post a video or image with the novel’s logo ;D
- 15May 12th, 2008 6:22 am
This list is incomplete without Si Scott’s work, so here’s his website:
Great list here! Great work smashingmagazine!
- 16May 12th, 2008 6:25 am
@Joanne: thank you; Si Scott has been featured twice in our previous posts.
- 17May 12th, 2008 6:35 am
beautiful article
- 18May 12th, 2008 6:39 am
You guys should also check out Alex Trochut, a Spanish designer. Saw him at OFFF Lisbon last week, incredible detail on his typography.
- 19May 12th, 2008 6:48 am
awesome post.. you should get all this in PDF format..
- 20May 12th, 2008 6:56 am
Love ‘em!
- 21
- 22May 12th, 2008 7:56 am
that’s very cool … i like it …!
- 23May 12th, 2008 8:40 am
I love MONDAYS
- 24May 12th, 2008 9:06 am
Amazing
- 25May 12th, 2008 9:27 am
can anyone identify the font in the spaghetti example, good morning stranger and “stay fresh”?
Typography is by far my weakest point!
- 26May 12th, 2008 9:30 am
Damn meeeeen!!!!!! Nothing is ugly… they’re all beauty. Really inspired me…
- 27May 12th, 2008 10:07 am
Modern experimental typography and you don’t mention Marian Bantjes? Pfft!
bantjes.com
Or even Sagmeister…
What’s going on?!
- 28May 12th, 2008 11:08 am
I agree, Ben. Sagmeister, Bantjes, and Scher are right there.
- 29May 12th, 2008 1:22 pm
Oh. I love that. A few of them were absolutely brilliant. Extremely inspiring collection. Thanks for that!
- 30May 12th, 2008 1:25 pm
Love it. They are all good pieces of work. I was thinking as I went down how cool it would be to make a color blind test… and there it was half way down. doh!
- 31May 12th, 2008 1:50 pm
I love this post and I love smashing magazine… The best website of all the Internet !
- 32May 12th, 2008 4:45 pm
Awesome post but you guys should spell check (I don’t)
- 33May 12th, 2008 5:31 pm
It’s 1978-1982 all over again. Old ideas never die, they just linger in Library back-catalogs until someone digs them up again.
- 34May 12th, 2008 8:50 pm
INCREIBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
- 35May 12th, 2008 9:05 pm
Brilliant post, it’s stuff like this that keeps me back again and again. Keep it up lads, love this site!
- 36May 12th, 2008 9:11 pm
Very nice selection.
Also try looking at the David Lance Goines collections. I bet you will like his creative use of typography.
Kind Regards - 37May 12th, 2008 9:18 pm
100. Best time of my life
If you look at it through a red and blue filter (like the ones found in 3D glasses) you’ll be able to read two different texts!
- 38May 12th, 2008 9:18 pm
Actually, those who use Helvetica always strike me as the laziest — default font in Quark Xpress (get off my lawn). Come on, there are far more interesting typefaces out there — let the face die a quiet death. I loathe Helvetica only. Hell, I’ll take a Futura-only ad before anything with straight Helv.
- 39May 13th, 2008 1:18 am
Amazing! Smashing Magazine’s editorial team is just amazing.
Where did you people find these stuffs!?Anyways, the Anapodi Klosti poster’s typography looks like the one used for Bjork’s book cover, the book titled Bjork if you’d like to look it up.
PS: Sorry for the URL name. Just gotta do it!, it itches when I don’t. :D
- 40May 13th, 2008 2:13 am
excuse me but the “R” logo RECYCLE it’s my design :)
tnx for the post.
Satoboy
- 41May 13th, 2008 2:25 am
excuse me but the “R” logo (recycle) is designed by SATOBOY
- 42May 13th, 2008 2:33 am
@SATOBOY, Lord Gyas: thank you, corrected.
- 43May 13th, 2008 2:36 am
tnx you too!
:D
- 44May 13th, 2008 3:32 am
Fantastic article! I love everything about type!
:)
- 45May 13th, 2008 3:53 am
Superb collection, thanks a lot smashing mag. :)
heres a picture i found yesterday, maybe for the next type collection.
Creation Graphique - 46May 13th, 2008 4:12 am
Hello smashmag…
Thanks for linking me up :-)I’ve always been a big fan of this blog and it’s an honor to appear in it :-)
Cheers! - 47May 13th, 2008 5:20 am
I worked with Ryan Katrinawho made that CIM logo, he is a very talented graphic artist.
- 48May 13th, 2008 5:24 am
I have a question…is typography meant to be downloaded as a font? I would LOVE to download any of these as a font!
- 49May 13th, 2008 5:28 am
“wow! it’s so cool! Thx! “. It really is inspiring.
- 50May 13th, 2008 5:41 am
Doesn’t it bother you, though, that many of these examples, beautiful as they may be, are nearly unreadable?
- 51May 13th, 2008 5:51 am
Thanks a lot Smashing Magazine for linking my works.
@ journal.marisaduma.net : The typography on Bjork’s book is by M/M Paris and is a custom font that looks like a thread. There are many fonts that look like this. On Anapodi Klosti poster ( “klosti” in greek language, means thread) , the outlines of PF BeauSans has been transform to a thread…
Thanks…
- 52May 13th, 2008 6:43 am
Awesome inspiration! some really insane tyopgraphy work!
Thanks!
- 53May 13th, 2008 7:42 am
Except in a few cases I wouldn’t call this typography as much as I’d call it illustration. The images are certainly elegant and beautifully composed but it is not necessarily a study in typography because it uses a letter or word.
- 54May 13th, 2008 9:02 am
Does anyone know the font used in Nik Ainley’s typographic piece? He uses it in several pieces, but I can’t seem to figure it out.
- 55May 13th, 2008 9:42 am
Good stuff!
- 56May 13th, 2008 10:40 am
This is the best website ever.
- 57May 13th, 2008 11:34 am
@AxE – why are you worried about what other people are leaving as comments on a blog you don’t own? I mean really, what are you the freakin’ comment police?
Anyway – What font is that used in the CO2 image?
- 58May 13th, 2008 12:30 pm
Some fantastic examples in here. I really must experiment more with fonts.
- 59May 13th, 2008 1:03 pm
You have unveiled some incredible resources in this post. Thank you.
- 60May 13th, 2008 4:14 pm
@Lindsey
That font is Helvetica Neue Thin or Ultra Thin
Anyone want to take a guess on the font in Nik Ainley’s piece?
- 61May 13th, 2008 8:10 pm
beautiful
- 62May 14th, 2008 1:31 am
beautiful. inspirational. well done. wow.
- 63May 14th, 2008 3:02 am
Absolutely amazing – stunning work on show here.
- 64May 14th, 2008 3:36 am
like wow… it’s sooooooo cool…
- 65May 14th, 2008 6:19 am
I have a question…is typography meant to be downloaded as a font? I would LOVE to download any of these as a font!
sorry for the repost…just hoped someone would answer!
- 66May 14th, 2008 10:46 am
Vinícius: I made the goodmorningstranger and didn’t know about such a book. if you can track it and post a link i’d really like to see it ! thanks for your post
- 67May 14th, 2008 11:01 am
@TekServer
The font I used for good morningstranger is originally “avant garde” and I added custom serif to mimic “Lubalin Graph” because lubalin graph with ligatures isn’t avaible as a digital version.thanks for your comment & thank you smashin mag.
- 68May 14th, 2008 12:08 pm
really cool stuff, but I really miss any typo work from ALEX TROCHUT here!!
- 69
- 70May 15th, 2008 4:22 am
Wow! Another great smashing list, as usual quality equals quantity.
- 71May 15th, 2008 5:10 am
amazing and so graphic article, thanks -_-
- 72May 15th, 2008 11:37 pm
Excellent article ! Thank you !
- 73May 16th, 2008 3:05 am
The first time I find myself so hate English…so many in English for reading~~~without any professional knowledge about website building…
- 74May 16th, 2008 3:11 am
555…pity girl…
- 75May 21st, 2008 7:23 am
Some inspiring work here, particularly “Spaghetti Dinner Poster” and “Moctezuma: James Brown” among others. Great collection, cheers Gareth
- 76May 21st, 2008 8:43 am
“Aphrodisiac Dessert – Dessert type for a dessert announcement.” is actually from a Veer slideshow of Alejandro Paul’s lovely Feel Script.
- 77May 22nd, 2008 7:28 am
Smashingmagazine is the best website.
- 78May 26th, 2008 7:59 pm
Actually, the Computer Arts 139 Cover was designed by Mopa, a brazilian design studio. The type is Affair from Alejandro Paul, the exquisite argentinian typedesigner from Sudtipos. The “Stay Fresh” is specially designed with unusual ligatures that aren’t in the original open type file. The subtitle is handmade from the Saul Bass style.
- 79June 7th, 2008 6:36 pm
The red on the bread and butter seems to be the butter on top of the bbb “bread”.
- 80June 17th, 2008 3:04 pm
Thank you for this blog, I’m going to study Design and it comes in very handy.
I’ts inspiring, thank you. - 81June 22nd, 2008 4:26 pm
Smashing Mag is the best site ever, period. My scope of design is expanded by every single inspiration article I read on here :)
- 82July 16th, 2008 4:05 am
So many beautiful ideas, so little time!
- 83July 21st, 2008 9:25 pm
hi,
verry nice article
- 84July 31st, 2008 9:48 am
Yeah, this post frigging rocks!
There are some pretty talented people out there –
someall of these kick major butt, but my favourite has to be the stuff that carries with it an old world, vintage flavour; maybe I’m just getting old, but the vintage/retro stuff is really floating my boat at the moment. - 85August 13th, 2008 5:27 pm
I have to agree with most of the posts. This is one of your better posts to-date. Great stuff, keep on scouring.
- 86October 9th, 2008 2:09 am
very nice works, mainly creative
- 87November 6th, 2008 2:45 pm
Amazing & creative
-Jim
wordbywordhut.com - 88November 14th, 2008 11:36 am
really cool… u guys rock!
- 89November 20th, 2008 4:41 am
You may also want to include the typography work Luca ionescu
found here
- 90March 30th, 2009 7:18 am
Sugeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!1
I got good god designs.Thanks (^o^)/
- 91April 23rd, 2009 8:37 am
Awesome stuff!
- 92July 21st, 2009 3:46 am
Typography is no-doubt an essential tool to communicate your ideas. But I believe there must be a balance between the graphics and the text. For example, I would like to go for a simple picture of a candy or a bowl of candy with the “sweet taste of sugar” text. On the other hand, “scarlet” created by Nik Ainley is too flowery to go with any additional graphic. Well, my favorite is FitzGerald Album.
- 93August 12th, 2009 11:58 am
I agree that they are beautiful but true to many of them, NOT READABLE!
- 94August 25th, 2009 9:59 am
How can stuff be so mind blowing? Question still remains.
- 00
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This is one of your best type post yet smashing mag! Thank you.