Among the tens of thousands of projects in typography, Behance was asked to select ten highlights for 2008. To complete this task, Behance’s Chief of Design, Matias Corea, reviewed all of the community favorites as well as the works on display at TypographyServed.com, and then looked a little deeper into each piece of work. The outcome is an extraordinary list of inspiring work that advances the field of typography.

Chumbitos by Anderson Maschio
Anderson Maschio lives in Curitiba, Brazil. His work is full of subtle and delicate gestures. Always residing in the territory of minimalism and simplicity Anderson has a tendency towards geometry. Chumbitos is a fun, bold, unicase, monospaced, square, grid-based display font. Chumbitos is a heavy statement, an experiment of legibility vs. communication. Love or hate, Chumbitos doesn’t let the viewer indifferent. Maschio describes it as Wood Body with Electric Heart and Synthetic Mind.

More Info: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Chumbitos/40566

Effektive CV/Poster Mailer
Anderson was based in Glasgow, United Kingdom and he decided to move for work to Australia. To ease his way into the hearts of the Australian design agencies Anderson created this magnificent self promotion piece. The living proof that the best work comes out when there’s no clients involved in the process. This two color piece is a challenge to flow of information and small demonstrates that small budgets can go a long way. For the obsessive typography lovers there’s nothing better than a piece that speaks through type.

More Info: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Effektive-CVPoster-Mailer/107375

Beautiful Decay Issue T
In the last five years, Alex Trochut has become in one of the most visible heads in illustration and lettering coming out from Spain. Based in Barcelona he has done work for a wide range of prestigious brands all over the globe. He is a visionary that mixes illustration and typography like no other, creating powerful emotional messages that can be read, literally. Last November he was commissioned to design the cover for Beautiful Decay where he stretches more boundaries of legibility and emotional charge. A sublime piece full of detail that clearly explains the meaning of the word ‘craft.’

More Info: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Beautiful-Decay-Issue-T/41498

Readin Nature
Christopher Hewitt is a London based Freelance Director, Designer and Photographer.
As Hewitt describes it: “After reading a lot of Steven Hawkins and Richard Dawkin’s work I was inspired to create a sixty second short based around the birth of evolution and the over growing power of nature. Reading Nature is an abstract vision of the big bang and the growth of humanity. Ben Lukas Boysen also created a magical score that binds the two mediums perfectly. Reading Nature is to be screened at Lumen Eclipse in 2008.”

Many times students have asked me if it’s possible to make a design piece feel contemporary and modern with a serif typeface. I wish I have had this short piece from Christopher Hewitt at hand.

More Info: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Reading-Nature/145642

MOTOTYPE
Joel Lozano is a graphic designer from Barcelona. He joined Robin Frank in one of Andreu Balius’s typography workshops to create this experimental font based on the study of modular type. The font was constructed by taking pictures of motorcycles and identifying the parts that looked like letters (very interesting exercise that explores the possibilities of imagination and the elements of everyday). Once more seems like inspiration can be anywhere you just have to look hard enough to see.

Say What Again
Created for a class called Time Based Typography taught by Duff Yong at the Savannah College of Art and Design this piece has become well known and spread in hundreds of blogs since its publication. SCAD student Jarratt Moody is in Time-based Typography. The basic idea of the project was to take a piece of audio from wherever (movie, song, poetry reading, answering machine) and then represent that audio on screen using only typography. Jarratt chose a dialogue from Pulp Fiction as his subject matter. Simple camera movements and great and precise timing make you stay in awe till the end. It’s short but really sweet.

Feijoa
This is a clear example of the craft of the typographer. The process driven by determination and a vision.

Dharma Lounge – Stand Forget Breath Acknowledge Observe
Palette Industries is a team based in Calgary, Canada. This team of multifaceted designers strives to construct unique situations that explore the intrinsic nature of their own embedded narratives., creating a continuously evolving dialogue between the object, the individual and the environment.

The Dharma Lounge came to fruition through the exploration of using text as both structure and decoration. The purpose of this chair is to create a situation where the participant is embraced by the possibilities of creating a relationship with the object based on personal and communal experiences and memories thus substantiating the lifespan of the product. Customizable colors, text and languages are an option Palette Industries offers as well.

More Info: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Dharma-Lounge/128645

SMOKE + TYPE
Daniel Gordon from New Zealand explores relatively undiscovered terrain by mixing photography and type. Since the first time he published this pieces there have been many who have attempted to emulate his craft but have not achieved to innovate and keep it fresh.

More Info: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Smoke–Type/40834

FLAVOR
Juan Camilo Rojas is a Miami based graphic designer with a strong ‘intention’ to protest social issues that concern him. This particular piece is made out of over 3000 used cigarettes.

More Info: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Flavor/142234

Behance
The Behance Network (http://www.behance.net) is a platform used by thousands of top creative professionals from around the world.

– Matias Corea