This blog documents Darden Studio life. Think of it as a Christmas letter, all year round. About us
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Recent Posts:
The NY Post: Pulse and Page Six
Tatler Asia: Ten Simultaneous Redesigns
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On the newsstand
For the launch of Pulse, a new supplement of the Sunday New York Post, Al Trivino chose Zydeco, a headline series in six weights. Al used the series to set a ‘super-masculine’ tone on the cover, and for signpost heads throughout. At about the same time, Page Six Magazine appeared, using several Freight series as part of the display ensemble.
¶ Posted by Joshua Darden on Jul 17, 2008 ·:· Permanent link
On the newsstand
In its latest incarnation, creative director David Gray and his team have maintained Out’s sexy, intelligent voice. We supplied pre-release versions of Jubilat for this redesign, which is complemented by Freight and Mario Feliciano’s Rongel in text.
¶ Posted by Joshua Darden on Mar 06, 2008 ·:· Permanent link
On the newsstand
For nearly a century the design of this Meredith publication has been of the “show me, don’t tell me” variety, and in this incarnation, crafted by Maryjane Fahey, nothing has changed. Everything from seed germination to color theory can be found in its pages, with informational typography aided by several families in the Freight series. On a personal note, it was wonderful to hear about this redesign, as about half of the meals I ate as a child were from my mother’s trusty BH&G cookbook.
¶ Posted by Joshua Darden on Feb 28, 2008 ·:· Permanent link
Custom Typography
Esterson Associates contacted us to refine the Harpers Wine & Spirit mark, based on Freight Big Black. This project was straightforward enough that we were able to complete it well under the usual budget, with special versions for web and interior applications. This redesign benefited from a continuous typographic texture from cover to cover, fostered by using Freight Big, Display, and Sans together throughout.
¶ Posted by Joshua Darden on Apr 30, 2007 ·:· Permanent link
Custom Typography
This small project kicked off our expanded features for Freight. The Boston Globe Magazine commissioned fractions for the entire Freight series, which pushed us to contemplate a favorite typographic kōan: kerning the 7 / 4 fraction triplet. This magazine is printed using the gravure process, which considerably softens the hairlines of Freight Big — the Display steps in where appropriate.
¶ Posted by Joshua Darden on Aug 01, 2006 ·:· Permanent link
On the newsstand
We arranged testing licenses for Anton Ioukhnovets in 2006, which resulted in these issues of Gentleman’s Quarterly, with several of our designs in text and display. GQ maintains some of the most sensitive typography in its market, so these spreads reflect a modularity appropriate to their choice of type.
¶ Posted by Joshua Darden on Jul 15, 2006 ·:· Permanent link
Custom Typography
Cookie was among our first magazine projects, in late 2005. In addition to an invisible redesign of a nameplate which had tested well in focus groups, we contributed a proprietary system of display numerals for folios, supplemented by Freight Text and Freight Sans, providing a crisp counterpoint to the vivid photos toward the front of the book, and a quiet imperative to info-heavy listings and service pages.
Kirby Rodriguez & Alex Grossman pushed Freight Sans to its limits; a few months after the launch, they commissioned the Semibold and Hairline weights for four-color knockouts and fine display, respectively.
¶ Posted by Joshua Darden on Aug 01, 2005 ·:· Permanent link
