The Edit: five projects including Anthony Burrill’s explorative London exhibition on ampersands

Each and every day, we're lucky to discover dozens of interesting and inspiring projects from around the world. From global identities and campaigns to side projects and independently published books, The Edit is home to five of them; every two weeks.

Returning once again to Jealous East, graphic artist and designer Anthony Burrill is showcasing his prints alongside a hand-painted mural spanning an entire wall. The exhibition, titled ‘YOU HAVE THE ANSWER,’ focuses on the ampersand as an emblem of human connection; a glue that holds our relationships together. Alongside Burrill’s well-loved Me&You print, the exhibition features bold, monochromatic screenprints which have never before been exhibited to the public – some of which were created in the Jealous Print Studios. Repeats and rotations of the ampersand letterform create abstract patterns, serving as a reminder of our own interpersonal connections. ‘YOU HAVE THE ANSWER’ is at Jealous East, London, between 27th October – 20th November 2022.

During the height of the COVID pandemic, many Western countries saw an increase in racism directed towards people of Asian ethnicity. In response to wider discussions surrounding pandemic-triggered racism, a group of East and South East Asians in the European design industry have initiated a project, sharing their stories, perspectives, thoughts, and reflections. Made possible by Bakken & Bæck, Seen was created by Listya Amelia, Ezekiel Aquino, My Kim Bui, Amelie Dinh, Nathalie De Vallière, Annabel Lake and Kalok Yeung. Through the format of direct messages, Seen not only communicates a typically heavy topic with a playful and nuanced approach, but also expresses the complex and multi-faceted theme of identity with creative flair and authenticity. Taking space in ‘its own little universe,’ Seen channels the nostalgic and familiar Y2K aesthetics of early messenger platforms to form an accessible space, welcoming you into the conversation. In their press release, Bakken & Bæck explain that, “for us, the DM format captures the ongoing process of navigating our identities in the industry – a process that often requires collective sense-making, and one that is forever in flux.” After the launch of the first set of conversations, there are many more conversations to follow. 

Harnessing the spirit of adventure, the team at Fiasco Design have created a dynamic, progressive and optimistic identity for international education provider Bayswater. Mirroring the vibrant and diverse community of the educational provider, the Bristol-based studio utilised a suite of bold, colourful patterns as the core of the visual language. The vibrant palette features proudly within the logomark, the pathways of which represent the unique journeys of Bayswater’s students. Rounding out the unifying look is the aspirational and energetic tone of the brand – whose typographic direction, featuring Fann Grotesque – provides a friendly and trustworthy personality. 

Working with Dance Info Finland, multi-disciplinary art director and designer Sofia Pusa has delivered the identity for Ice Hot Nordic Dance; an international platform and event presenting cutting-edge Nordic contemporary dance. With the event taking place in the Nordic wintertime, it was key for the visual language to embody the spirit of the platform whilst highlighting Nordic nature. A project of contrasts, Pusa’s creative direction – much like the event itself – brings light and warmth to the dark and the cold of a typical Nordic winter. Here, she draws upon the celestial light and forms of the aurora borealis; the northern lights dancing in the winter sky. Pusa further communicates this juxtaposition of hot and cold through expressive and contemporary typographic choices. With tilting and rotation, the primary typeface Labil Grotesk plays on the themes of balance, gravity and movement. With high-contrast and gestural strokes, Orelo provides a striking serif counterpart.  

For the identity of Ishimura+Neichi, an emerging Tokyo-based architectural practice, Keita Takemura devised a web-based identity and design system that is not only beautifully designed, but also seeks to be memorable and recognisable too. Expressing both ease of access to information and memorable typography on a single page, Takemura combines Japanese and English type with balanced precision. The London–based designer opted for Studio Feixen’s Noi Grotesk as the English typeface, meanwhile, Monotype’s Taguzane Info proved to be the perfect option for the Japanese. In utilising these typefaces together, Takemura pays tribute to the type designers who grew up in each of these cultures. He notes that this project provided a unique challenge, with its need for pixel-perfect Japanese-English typesetting in a digital context.