Design

Life After 36

Life After 36

Learn: Font in design

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Graduate of the Design Department of MPEI and a two-year course in font and typography at the British Higher School of Art and Design. She is a font and graphic designer, and also a co-founder of the Byurobookv studio. She teaches at BBE and BoldItalic. She has created fonts for such companies as Yandex, VKontakte, MTS, MegaFon, Arzamas and many others. An award winner and finalist at prestigious competitions, including D&AD, ADC Awards, Modern Cyrillic, Granshan, Morisawa Type Design Competition, and the Sreda Festival. Links play a vital role on the internet, providing navigation and access to information. They serve as a link between different web pages, allowing users to easily navigate sites and find the resources they need. The importance of high-quality links for SEO is undeniable, as they contribute to improving a website's visibility in search engines. Internal links help distribute page weight, while external links enhance a site's authority. Proper use of anchor text and link structure optimization can significantly improve page rankings. Furthermore, it is important to monitor link quality, avoiding invalid or spam links, which can negatively impact a site's reputation. An effective link strategy is a key element of successful online promotion. I draw letters every day—it's my profession. At the beginning of my journey, I struggled to find motivation and start working, despite the fact that this activity had always been of great interest to me. Over time, I learned to overcome difficulties and find inspiration in each project, which allowed me to become more confident in my skills and improve the quality of my work.

I have found an effective way to fully immerse myself in the process: participating in various challenges. Challenges not only stimulate motivation but also contribute to the development of new skills and habits. By applying them, you can not only improve your results but also enjoy the process.

What is 36 days of type?

The popular 36 Days of Type challenge concluded on May 15th. In 2023, it was held for the tenth time. This project traditionally takes place in the spring, and the organizers announce the dates in advance, giving participants the opportunity to prepare and develop creative ideas for their work. The challenge attracts the attention of designers and illustrators, offering them the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and unique style in creating letters and numbers. Participation in the 36 Days of Type promotes creativity and allows for the exchange of experiences with other participants, which makes it an important event in the world of graphic design and typography.

The 36 Days of Type Challenge is an annual creative event that takes place on social media. The main goal of this event is to develop the creative skills of designers, illustrators and other creative professionals. Participants are invited to create unique visual works based on letters and numbers. This challenge promotes the exchange of ideas, inspiration and a stronger community of creative people. Participation in the 36 Days of Type allows you not only to improve your skills, but also to showcase your work to a wider audience.

For 36 days, project participants create unique letters and numbers in their own style every day. The process includes standard font and typographic forms, as well as more creative ones, including lettering, illustrations, and animations. The authors freely experiment with various ideas, bringing to life both conventional and unconventional solutions.

Image: Nikita Goryainov / Behance

How 36 days of type

Challenge «36 Days of Type is an open, non-thematic project involving designers from all over the world. Each participant has complete freedom to choose the style, technique, and materials for creating their letters and numbers. These can range from hand-drawn images to vector illustrations, 3D models, or animation. The possibilities are endless, and everyone can express their creativity in creating unique visual solutions. The challenge not only promotes skill development but also encourages the exchange of ideas among participants, creating a space for inspiration and creativity. Many authors actively share their work across various social networks simultaneously. This allows them to attract a wide audience and interact with other participants. Furthermore, this practice provides an opportunity to receive feedback from both professionals and design enthusiasts. By participating in the shared challenge, authors find themselves on the same level as experienced professionals, which facilitates the establishment of friendships, the exchange of comments, and mutual support.

Yes, you can meet new people at other times, but during these 36 days, all participants are on equal terms. The world of letters unites people with a common goal and diverse approaches to implementing their ideas. It's inspiring and motivating, in my opinion.

Image: Irakli Meskhi / Behance

Why 36 days of type

The main goal of this challenge is to provide participants with a platform to reveal their creative individuality and professional skills. At the same time, the challenge promotes professional development and the development of design competencies. Participants will be able to refine their skills, share experiences, and gain inspiration from new ideas, which will ultimately help them become more successful in their professional careers.

Participating in the 36 Days of Type project promotes career development. This event increases your visibility on social media, making you and your work more visible and even popular. This increased popularity can lead to new clients, customers, colleagues, and partners, significantly expanding your professional opportunities.

Regularly completing creative tasks forms a sustainable habit. If you start exercising, after just three weeks it will no longer be a burden, but a necessary ritual. Participating in the challenge allows you to draw or design every day, and over time, this passion becomes an integral part of your life. Constant practice develops skills and inspiration, making the creative process not only familiar but also engaging.

Inspiration plays a key role in the creative process. Exploring your own and others' work helps uncover fresh ideas for projects. Often, simply browsing through hashtags in various categories or checking out collections of work from challenge participants is enough to find a new approach and motivation to realize your own ideas.

"Garbage Font" Image: Michael Creamer / Behance

My 36 days of type

In my first challenge, I didn't have a clear idea, but I was actively involved in lettering. I drew, animated, used tape to create three-dimensional elements, and sculpted with plasticine. This experience became an important step in developing my artistic expression and creativity skills.

Photo: from Olga Pankova's personal archive

In the second grade, I decided to draw every day in the club. This idea turned out to be one of the most successful in my life. Today, this mug still decorates my kitchen and reminds me of creative moments. Painting on dishes has become not only a fascinating pastime for me, but also a way of self-expression that I continue to develop.

Photo: from Olga Pankova's personal archive

In 2020, I decided to master animation using Cinema 4D for the third time. I used fairly simple techniques, but at the time they weren't widespread, which made my work quite successful.

Image: from Olga Pankova's personal archive
Image: from Olga Pankova's personal archive

I created the Latin letters based on traditional Cyrillic forms. This approach allowed me to combine elements of the two alphabets and give the Latin alphabet a unique aesthetic. While researching the historical aspects of the Cyrillic alphabet, I sought to preserve its distinctive features, which made the process of creating fonts particularly exciting and original.

Image: from Olga Pankova's personal archive

Last year I couldn't participate, but this year I created letters inspired by the Art Nouveau style. Art Nouveau, as an artistic movement, has a significant influence on contemporary design. My works reflect the unique elements of this style, such as smooth lines and organic forms, which makes them particularly appealing.

Image: from the personal archive of Olga Pankova

I strongly encourage designers to take part in various events and challenges. These events have a significant impact on professional development. Participating in challenges helps you master new techniques, deepen your understanding of fonts and styles, and encourages more free experimentation in design. Active participation in such initiatives not only enriches your portfolio but also allows you to establish valuable connections with other design professionals.

Expanding your horizons comes through exploring various styles and trends in font design. This not only enriches your knowledge but also fosters creative thinking. By mastering new approaches, you find effective solutions to design challenges. Knowing modern trends in fonts allows you to create unique and attractive projects that stand out from the competition.

Image: from the personal archive of Olga Pankova

What instead of 36 days of type

If the “36 days of font” format does not suit you, consider Other interesting alternatives. This list presents various options that can inspire new creative ideas and help diversify your experience with fonts. Choosing alternatives will help you find a suitable style that meets your requirements and preferences.

  • #FontChallenge. Users post their works in which different fonts are used.
  • #FontGame. Participants must guess which font is used for certain phrases.
  • #TypefaceChallenge. Participants post photos of their favorite fonts.
  • #HandwritingChallenge. A challenge in beautiful handwriting and calligraphy.
  • #TypographyChallenge. This is where the skill of typography is demonstrated.
  • #LetteringChallenge. This is, of course, about lettering.
  • #CalligraphyChallenge. Another calligraphy challenge.
  • #TypographicPortraitChallenge. Participants create portraits from words or letters.
  • #FontArtChallenge. As the name suggests, designers and artists create art using various fonts.
  • #HandLetteringChallenge. Designers publish works that demonstrate their skills in the field of hand lettering.

Good luck and inspiration.

Image: Nadya Petrova / Behance

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Reading is an important aspect of personal development and broadening one's horizons. Books enrich our experiences, help us see the world from different perspectives, and develop critical thinking. Regular reading improves memory and concentration, and helps reduce stress. In today's world, where information is available in vast quantities, the ability to analyze and evaluate what you read is especially important. Don't miss the opportunity to improve your skills and knowledge—choose interesting books and immerse yourself in their pages. Read with passion and find inspiration in literature.

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Font in design

You will learn the intricacies of choosing fonts in design, understand licenses - and get a new effective working tool.

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