Project Summary

Each year Firebelly redefines this task by guiding the reader's attentiveness in an effort to honor and celebrate each of the canonized artists. The studio’s third Typeforce catalogue explores new heights in fundamentals by uniting history with the discovery of contemporary methods. Honored typographic traditions, simple mark making and hand-carved stone forms are complementedwith emerging glimmers of light, moments of resounding reflection and bursting brilliance.

Typographic and design attention, conceptual and craft vigilance, production and paper effects used throughout this volume; these maneuvers were meant to inspire, challenge and encourage a stronger connection across a designer's ideas and the material production.

This piece was designed in-house at Firebelly, printed and produced by Graphic Arts Studio with finishing support from Delta Press Inc. and high quality paper stocks generously donated by Domtar with suport from Unisource Worldwide.

Designers and Artists Showcased in Typeforce 3:

Abby Christensen, Alex Fuller, Alexa Viscius, Andy Luce, Brandt Brinkerhoff, Cameron Brand, Cristina Vanko, Dave Pabellon, Derek Olson, NosE, Elaine Fong, Gregory Calvert, Jana Kinsman, Jason Frohlichstein, Jason Lazarus, Jennie Li, Jessica Viscius, Jillian Barthold, John Pobojewski, Jonathan Duncan, Jonathan Petersen, Jordan Martins, Juan Chavez, Kady Dennell, Katherine Walker, Kyle Fletcher, Lauren Connoll, Matthew Hoffman, Meaghan Burritt, Mike Wilgus, Nathan Legsdin, Nick Adam, Ranee Wu, Rick Valicenti, Ryan Duggan, Thom Snels, Tom Burtonwood, Vida Sacic

Production Notes

To open the book a reader cracks the cover down the center, this is aided by strategically placed die cuts. This cracking reveals the true cover and a powerful moment where solid gold foil is hit with a hand-tooled plate illustrating the proper technique of letter forms chiseled into stone, the metallic and fluorescent inks display a reverberated reflection. The interior is paginated by content types, using multiple paper stocks gives visual cues guiding the reader across sections. 

Aside from the metallic and florescent spot colors, three different CMYK mixes were used to ensure our reds were identical across the three paper types. Photography from the opening reception alongside images of the artists’ works displayed the exhibit in it's entirety. A custom numeral set was designed to lead off artist title introductions and announce page numbers. Being inspired by carved traditional forms achieving hairline, this font became lovingly known as “Hard Times”.