Istanbul (Not Constantinople) | Newsletter
On April 1st, my partner and I landed in Istanbul and WOW… I decided not to do research beforehand because I wanted to feel the city first, and after a few days in, I already knew that I will be back.
Finding accommodation in Istanbul wasn’t an easy task. Many Airbnbs require an initial booking request, and many of them didn’t approve us, as I believe the owner is living in the actual premises, and our dates were not convenient for them to move out. Originally, we planned to spend two months in Istanbul, as it is our preferred length of time, but due to the rental prices, we reduced it to only one.
After looking for accommodation for several weeks, we found an apartment with great views of the Bosphorus and located in the neighbourhood of Üsküdar, which I adore. The apartment was big enough to host friends and extremely quiet at night in this 15-million-people city; a great improvement from Rural-Karaoke Vietnam.
The food is absolutely delicious, and the people have a warm Mediterranean flair which made me feel at home straight away. The mosques are all over the city showing off a scale of magnificence hard to match; I find the contrast between the noisy, dense, and busy streets with the peaceful and stunning beauty of its mosques to be mesmerising.
We have discovered many fabulous places, and these are just a few of them.
A great location with amazing views, plus a free co-working + design library space. Melis Koyuncu runs the Design Council and she made us feel welcome straight away. The space hosts events and talks such as the one we attended on “Tall buildings and urban habitat” by Spanish architect Javier Quintana de Uña.
Great library space and cafeteria where you can work and access many interesting books.
A fabulous exhibition and library space currently hosting an incredible calligraphy exhibition by Emin Barin. You can see many images of his works in my Istabul IG stories. The building has an incredibly rich history and you can read all about it in situ.
Currently hosting a great exhibition called “Suppose you are not” curated by Selen Ansen and open till December 2024.
Yapı Kredi bomontiada | Cultural Centre
Fantastic performing arts and exhibition space, currently hosting a fabulous photographic exhibition by Ara Güler.
Currently showing an incredible photographic body of work by Ozan Sağdıç.
Novos Architecture Studio renovated Moda Pier, so that it can be used as both a pier, a book-café, and a public library in the most stunning location you can ever imagine.
If you are planning to visit this city in the near future, I’m sharing with all of you my Istanbul Google Map with most of my favourite places including restaurants, coffee shops, museums, mosques, art stores, galleries, and more; you are welcome!
I want to thank Cem Eskinazi, Azza Alameddine, Onur Yazıcıgil, Rumeysa Boz, Caner Aras and his partner, for making our trip even more extraordinary.
And lastly, thank you Istanbul, I love you and I’ll see you again soon!
Maria xx
TDC Certificate of Typographic Excellence!
I’m really happy to share with all of you that the Type Directors Club has awarded my Calligraphic editorial for Middlebury Magazine, yay!!! You can check the other finalists and categories here.
This feature showcases a highly ornamented and fully customised pointed-pen calligraphy piece, displaying high contrast, angular attributes and a discontinuous ductus to match the energy and personality of the partner illustration by André Carrilho. You can see a video showing all my creative process here.
Designer + letterer + calligrapher: Maria Montes
Creative director: DJ Stout
Art director: Stu Taylor
Design firm: Pentagram (US)
Publication editor: Matthew Jennings
Client: Middlebury Magazine (US)
Women in Type & Design | Resource Updated 2024
Throughout March, I shared on Instagram and LinkedIn an updated compilation of resources spotlighting “Women in type & design”. Now, you can access all of them on my blog. Please, get in touch in you know of any additional resources!
Intro to Italic Calligraphy (L1) | Live Course
DATES
May 4, 11, 18, 25
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COURSE SUMMARY
— 2h x 4 Live online classes via Zoom
— For beginner and intermediate students
— Level 1: No calligraphy experience required
— Videos available to watch for 3 months
— Every lesson is recorded and uploaded 3 hours after each class
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INCLUDED IN THIS COURSE
— Italic Calligraphy minuscules (lowercase)
— Italic Calligraphy majuscules (uppercase)
— Visual material list supplied
— Personal class notes provided
— Exemplars sent in advance
— Q&A session after each class
— Weekly suggested homework
— Homework feedback shared with all students
The Pergamon Project | Onur Yazıcıgil | ATypI 2023 Paris
The Anatolian continent, also known as Asia Minor, is a cultural geography that has hosted various civilisations for thousands of years. Mysia, an ancient region located in the northwest of this region, hosted the significant ancient Greek city of Pergamon from the 3rd century BCE until the 3rd century CE. The Pergamon project is a Greek type revival project based on the stone inscriptions of Pergamon’s Acropolis and Asklepion.
State of Black Design 2024
The State of Black Design is a groundbreaking conference and career fair. The conference’s designer-focused programming offers a unique blend of resources, career development, and networking opportunities in a safe and culturally-rich environment.
WE THE PEOPLE is the overarching theme for the 2024 State Of Black Design conference. The State of Black Design events are realised by academics, practitioners, freelancers, civil activists, teachers, motivational speakers, and students. We gather as advocates. You can access many educational information on their website and Youtube channel.
Zuzanna Rogatty | Women at Work Podcast
Zuzanna Rogatty, designer, letterer and art director on finding your formula for making things work.
Success means something different for everyone: that is the whole thing. Zuzanna Rogatty, for example, left Poland to pursue her path in New York and later moved to Honolulu to find the perfect match for her energy. Before staying safe, low profile and in her comfort zone, this designer, letterer and art director who comes from an artistic family and wants to challenge the limits of typography and the viewer decided to take a leap of faith. And isn’t that the basis for all great things to happen?
Gerard Unger ‘24 Scholarship | Now Open!
TypeTogether’s Gerard Unger Scholarship is now open for submissions! Until 1 June, all current and graduated students from 2023 and 2024 may submit their type families for an opportunity at this mentorship.
Please read through our FAQ, use the online form to submit your application, and send us an email if you need extra info. Each year we receive such inspiring and unique designs. We can’t wait to see what you’re working on and help you release it to the world!
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Credits
Thumbnail image: Calligraphy by Emin Barin
Font in use: “Teşekkürler” set in Kit Rounded. Type designers: Eben Sorkin and Onur Yazicigil. Foundry: Darden Studio.