Novo Typo Offgrid Expo
The ‘Novo Typo Offgrid Expo’ project comprises three key components: an exhibition, a workshop, and a bilingual CH/EN publication. It will take place in April 2025 during Shenzhen Design Week at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shenzhen. The exhibition and publication explore how a self-sufficient and sustainable design studio can operate within a Chinese context.
The ‘Novo Typo Offgrid Expo’ project comprises three key components: an exhibition, a workshop, and a bilingual CH/EN publication. It will take place in April 2025 during Shenzhen Design Week at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shenzhen. The exhibition and publication explore how a self-sufficient and sustainable design studio can operate within a Chinese context.
The exhibition is centered around three fundamental elements: letters, paper, and ink. Using local materials from Shenzhen, it demonstrates how these foundational components can be created sustainably, adapting the Dutch design philosophy to the Chinese environment.
By visually translating a universal design concept into the Chinese context, the exhibition fosters dialogue with local designers, students, and other participants. It aims to inspire and inform the Chinese design field, offering fresh perspectives on sustainability and self-sufficient design practices.
- 2024
- Grantee: Mark van Wageningen
Mark van Wageningen is the founder of Novo Typo, a (typo) graphic design studio and font foundry based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is the author and designer of award-winning design books, such as Typewood, Novo Typo Color Book, Type and Color, Novo Typo Offgrid, Analog Aesthetics and Novo Typo On Site. His work has been translated into English, German, and Chinese.
Novo Typo’s approach to design is deeply rooted in a love for craftsmanship and an experimental and investigative approach to design, production techniques, tools, materials and their context. The studio’s output is situated at the intersection of design, applied arts, and craftsmanship.
- Organisation: Novo Typo
In 2019 Novo Typo launched the Offgrid Project, an ongoing design research initiative focused on self-sufficiency, autonomy, and sustainability within the context of graphic design. The project investigates the foundational elements of graphic design—letters, paper, and ink—exploring how they can be created and utilized in sustainable and self-reliant ways.
The Novo Typo Offgrid Project aims to identify and implement viable, eco-friendly alternatives for graphic design and production processes. Guided by a hands-on, do-it-yourself (D.I.Y.) approach, the project unfolds in a series of logical, interconnected steps. Each phase builds upon the previous one, fostering a cohesive and self-sustaining design ecosystem.