Firewood, Ripped Paper, and Robot Toothbrushes

Sharing something I've made for the first time

Hello again — happy July 👋

In a thrilling (and slightly nerve-wracking) first, I’m starting this month’s round-up with something I’ve made. Human connection! Sharing! Mild terror! 😱

Accidental Pizza Typography 🍕

I was on a walk to a pizza place and encountered the wonderful sign below 👇

The R and OOs are particularly nice. I mentioned objet trouvé last month, didn’t I?

It was like finding Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in a skip. The composition, materials, and colours were all accidentally beautiful, to me. Sorta like the Nando’s font, created from hand-painted lettering.

Soon, I was home, still recovering from a vegan ‘nduja and hot honey pizza. Picture me, eyes watering, nose running — not from emotion, but my embarrassingly low spice tolerance.

Riding the wave of chilli-induced delirium, the following designs flopped out of my brain:

First, the obligatory pizza box mockup. It feels like it just about avoids the ‘ransom letter’ look. Or ‘Chiller’ from Microsoft Office 2007 — if you know, you know.

Next, an enjoyably angsty album cover, if I do say so. It certainly would’ve passed as a university project if I slapped a hundred pages of ‘research’ on top. With thanks to Kuro for the vinyl mockup.

I’m not saying that these random experiments are flawless and beautiful, but it hopefully serves as a reminder that design inspiration really is everywhere. And when the moment strikes, take a second to snap the photo or make the sketch, begin a new creative experiment, and maybe send it to a hundred strangers via email.

Hand-crafted Election Coverage 📄

It’s election time, here in the UK. We’re all braced for swingometers, endless interviews, and elaborate virtual sets. It’s Nice That interviewed Chris Clarke, The Guardian’s creative director of editorial design, about this year’s election coverage illustrations. In an age where AI can instantly generate alternate realities, the reassuring tactility of the ‘rough and ready’ is an obvious, but satisfying approach.

Why shitty robots are the antidote to perfectionism 🪥

I’ve followed Simone Giertz on YouTube since her “shitty robot” debut in 2015. But I didn’t know back then that these ideas were fuelled by her fear of failure, and that lowering the bar was her way forward. It reminds me strongly of my performance anxiety during university, and that the best project I ever made was when I tried to make the worst outcome possible. I should probably write about that.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading — all 100 of you! 🥳

While it’s pretty common to have a few hundred Facebook friends or Instagram followers, there’s something really special about 100 people letting me unceremoniously plop myself into their inbox each month.

And while I try not to measure this project in metrics and arbitrary milestones, reaching 100 feels like I’ve graduated from ‘shouting into the void’ to ‘writing to a large group of friends’. Nice. Cozy.

Bestest wishy-wishes,
Tom 🐢

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