42 - up

We took Poppy to the pictures for the first time ever this week - to see the new Pixar film UP. it's fantastic! Poppy was mesmerised by the "giant telly!" and was fascinated by the big seats and all the people coming in... when the lights dimmed, she was highly entertained...and started whispering to us!... a natural born cinema goer!



Gabi decided to create a typeface based on the balloons used by Carl to take his house to South America. It's also quite fitting as Poppy has been to a few of her friends parties in Oct and Balloons keep being taken back to our house to be unserimonoiusly deflated over a few days...

This typeface is now unavailable for download - but will be included in the limited edition CD Rom of all 52 Typefaces at the beginning of 2010. To secure a CD Rom, please email us (Phil & Gabi) at info@g-r-a.co.uk. If you would like to get involved in making a typeface for the project, please email us at : info@g-r-a.co.uk or leave a comment below!

41 - Skye Beach

During our holiday in Skye, Gabi, Poppy and I collected "stuff" from the beaches, as you do...shells and floatie bits... taking photos of the things we found.



So, Skye Beach is a culmination of memories from our hols... we really do want to go back and explore some more!

This typeface is now unavailable for download - but will be included in the limited edition CD Rom of all 52 Typefaces at the beginning of 2010. To secure a CD Rom, please email us (Phil & Gabi) at info@g-r-a.co.uk. If you would like to get involved in making a typeface for the project, please email us at : info@g-r-a.co.uk or leave a comment below!

40 - fishing

We've been in Skye on holiday for the first time in three years...first time in skye, ever...and boy oh boy, is it spectacular!
We are particualarly blessed with an amazing appartment... a sweedish stylee home called "fiddlers retreat" thanks to a friend of gabi's mum... woderful!
I was bought a fishing rod by gabi, after parping on for weeks about "fishing in the sea at Skye"... I've not fished since I was 14 or 15... I have to say, everything cam flooding back (no pun intended!) - weights, sea floats, bait...casting... ah, it was a dream. So relaxing and calming, what a brilliant time I had...


I was catching Saithe (Sillex) and Red Cod mostly, but snagged a monster looking Bullfish, what a brute!

The Typeface was inspired by all the rig & set up... the equipment that seemed to be embedded into my memory after all these years...

This typeface is now unavailable for download - but will be included in the limited edition CD Rom of all 52 Typefaces at the beginning of 2010. To secure a CD Rom, please email us (Phil & Gabi) at info@g-r-a.co.uk. If you would like to get involved in making a typeface for the project, please email us at : info@g-r-a.co.uk or leave a comment below!

39 - bDay & candles

Poppy was three this week, so as a special wee pressie, Gabi and I designed a font each for her. Both based on her birdhday candles, we hope she likes them!



The cake was also made by Gabi and I... deliciouso!

This typeface is now unavailable for download - but will be included in the limited edition CD Rom of all 52 Typefaces at the beginning of 2010. To secure a CD Rom, please email us (Phil & Gabi) at info@g-r-a.co.uk. If you would like to get involved in making a typeface for the project, please email us at : info@g-r-a.co.uk or leave a comment below!

38 - doves

It's been a sad week, after the wonderful NEOS event, we heard that artist, Jen Beattie, sadly passed away. We were invited by her very close friends (Susie Hunt and Lindsay Stewart) to paint Jen's coffin.

We arrived at Jen's on Sunday morning to see lots of Jen's friends and fellow artists painting the cardboard coffin in the studio, a rather sobering sight. A mixture of sadness, collective spirit and joy - we all worked together to create an amazing work of art for Jen.

Jen's family were very moved by the work, and very grateful for all our contributions...

Gabi was taking some time out with Poppy, taking a stroll through Jen & Jim's amazing garden, watching their white doves... inspiration for Gabi's tribute typeface to Jen. Rest in Peace Jen.



This typeface is now unavailable for download - but will be included in the limited edition CD Rom of all 52 Typefaces at the beginning of 2010. To secure a CD Rom, please email us (Phil & Gabi) at info@g-r-a.co.uk. If you would like to get involved in making a typeface for the project, please email us at : info@g-r-a.co.uk or leave a comment below!

37 - NEOS @ Mill farm

To celebrate the end of NEOS, Gabi and I asked all the artists showing with us at Mill Farm, Kemnay to design a few characters to create a mash up typeface showcasing everyone's individual styles & ideas.

It was fun to see how everyone coped with the "brief" and interesting to see how asking people to write / draw / represent "letters" throws up real challenges… “what sort of shape do you want this?” “how do I draw this letter?”. It’s fascinating to see that the “rules” of known letters really can cause blocks to creative thinking…

We think everyone really produced interesting characters, reflecting their personalities and styles. It makes for a very personal typeface for us – as we had such an ace time with everyone during NEOS’09. So, we doubt our blog readers will “use” this typeface, but hope you can see that this is one of the strongest typefaces representing the “spirit” of this project! Inspired to create a typeface and join in?…





This typeface is now unavailable for download - but will be included in the limited edition CD Rom of all 52 Typefaces at the beginning of 2010. To secure a CD Rom, please email us (Phil & Gabi) at info@g-r-a.co.uk. If you would like to get involved in making a typeface for the project, please email us at : info@g-r-a.co.uk or leave a comment below!

36 - NEOS Lino

We're "doing NEOS" this week (the North East Open Studios). It's Scotland's largest Open Studios with 222 artists, makers and galleries in this years catalogue (Which I (Phil) designed & set up for print)...


Being "slightly busy" at the weekend (with over 350+ visitors to our shared space in Kemnay) - we didn't have time to sort out a #TFAW entry on Sunday.

We're sharing a space with Anne Thomas, a print maker / designer who's come up from England to "go for her first open studios" (She's also our host, Susie Hunt's neice).

She's really cool and up for demoing her printmaking, giving away lino to kids and adults like they were sweeties - very interactive.

We'd headed to the studio today and talked about having missed the Sunday deadline for uploading this week's Typeface... and she then said "I can print my A-Z for you!"...

It's what we love, instant - expressive, sharing and collaborative. So! We thank Anne for her contribution, we're so happy when someone wants to contribute and use their skills to add to our project...

This typeface is now unavailable for download - but will be included in the limited edition CD Rom of all 52 Typefaces at the beginning of 2010. To secure a CD Rom, please email us (Phil & Gabi) at info@g-r-a.co.uk. If you would like to get involved in making a typeface for the project, please email us at : info@g-r-a.co.uk or leave a comment below!