Letterheady

A new online archive of bygone stationery design

Before email signatures and customized Twitter themes, people wanting to make an impression with correspondence turned to the gloriously idiosyncratic and oft-outrageous personal insignia stamped onto letters. Letterheady, a new website from writer Shaun Usher, celebrates this lost art of communication with interesting letterheads from iconic figures and corporations of the 20th century including Wrigley, Charlie Chaplin, Einstein, Marvel Comics and more. Gestalten editor and …

Toroflux

A kinetic sculptural toy that turns plastic and metal into a study of beauty and science

Gallery and design store Moss recently reminded us of the exciting and beguiling art toy Toroflux. Created in 2000 by German brothers Jochen and Conrad Valett of Valett Design, the simple tools and construction for the kinetic sculpture consists of a large plastic ring with a slinky-like metal coil wrapped around it. The result though is a surprising example of physics and artistic invention. When …

Evelin Kasikov

Craft meets illustration in a London designer's embroidered CMYK "prints"

In an age when most graphic designers choose pixels over paintbrushes, Evelin Kasikov uses cross-stitch embroidery to create images based on CMYK printing. While still a masters student at Central St. Martins, the London-based designer made her name with the technique, integrating traditional craft with modern technology to explore various perceptions of different visual messages. The process of translating conventional halftone images by using CMYK-colored …