Alphabets

Alphabet Flash Cards for Design-Savvy Hipster Kids

Well, here’s a project you’ll either love or hate: Cape Town, South Africa-based designer and illustrator Emma Cook’s “Design Nerds Flash Cards,” which teach kids the alphabet using such examples as “D is for DSLR” and “M is for Moleskine.” While we wouldn’t fault you for questioning whether it’s a bit precious to teach five-year-olds about fixies, you have to admit that the set is head and shoulders above most kindergarten alphabet flash cards, design-wise. However you feel about this, just don’t take it too seriously. Cook calls the cards “another silly little side project,” and in that capacity, we’re well prepared to enjoy it. See more of her work on Behance and at her website. … Read More

Daily Dose Pick: Alphabets: A Miscellany of Letters

The new book from preeminent alphabet historian David Sacks combines eye candy, font fetishism, and sociological etymology in a lavishly illustrated love letter to the modern A-to-Z.

Sacks examines the development of written language from the ancient to the digital world, from Medieval illuminations to advertisements, and from fine art to boxcar tagging. The result is an engaging, encyclopedic romp through our collective visual history that celebrates human creativity and cultural expression not only in the use of the written word, but in its very invention. … Read More

Pic of the Day: Greg Gunn’s Alphabet Project

By now you know how much we love odd alphabets. LA-based photographer Greg Gunn is a fan of design, sleep, and pizza. He’s also a director with Three Legged Legs, a studio responsible for the video for N.A.S.A.’s “Gifted,” among other films. Peep the rest of the Alphabet Project on Gunn’s website.… Read More