The University of Youtube | Newsletter
This month, I want to share with you a positive story that happened recently.
My partner has been asking me to be active on Youtube for a while. After many months of considerations, in September 2020 I decided to release my first educational video.
Many colleagues of mine refer to this platform as the University of Youtube. In 2011, when a friend of mine asked me to join her designing scarves for global fashion labels, I became a Youtube student myself. Eleven years later, I decided to give back to the platform that helped me become a professional textile designer.
I thought of my first educational video as being a calligraphy snack. I had zero expectations, as I am aware that there are many stablished creatives on this platform. To my surprise, my video had been watched over ten thousand times after three months, and I started to receive subscribers daily.
By then —and totally unrelated to the content of my videos— I discovered Tara Brach and started watching her free lectures. I spent over five hours on her channel, before I jumped on her site for the first time. In there, I learned about her books, and purchased the first one. I continued watching her lectures and finished her first book.
Six months after my first Youtube video —and inspired by Tara Brach—, I decided to create a series of six other videos giving away tips and tricks for students starting out with their Copperplate calligraphy journey.
After finishing Tara’s second book, I bought her third and fourth books and two Spanish versions for my mum and auntie. This made me reflect on my own behaviour as a Youtube user, and made me realise how much value I had received from Tara’s wisdom before I actioned my first purchase.
So, I went back to my channel and added a link to all my educational videos called “Take what you need, give what you can. Support my accessible Youtube education”.
My first video has now been watched over seventy thousand times. In March 2022, I received my first donation which put the biggest of the smiles on my face :))
Below, I am sharing a project I have recently finished, an article I wrote called “Cooking Up a Design — Understanding branding assets better”, and my next two upcoming calligraphy courses. On the third section of this letter, you’ll find a few resources to learn more about Ukrainian creatives and how to support them.
Much love,
Maria xx
Windsorborn | Wordmark + Monogram
Custom wordmark and monogram in collaboration with Sydney’s creative performance agency Windsorborn. The logotype was developed taking into account that both elements are in constant dialogue with Voyage and Neue Haas Grotesk fonts.
Nina Utashiro | Collaboration
A few months ago I collaborated with designer and art director Darren Oorloff and producer Rew Kubayashi crafting a custom lettering for the new up and coming Nina Utashiro’s work. The EP has not been released yet, but you can taste a couple of meticulously crafted singles called Aria and her recent Étude by this incredibly talented Tokyo-based woman.
Cooking Up a Design | Article
Understanding Branding Assets Better
In 2019 while I was teaching typography, calligraphy and lettering at RMIT University, I explained to my visual communication students that graphic design have a lot to do with cooking.
Sometimes, you are given the ingredients to cook with, and have to come up with an effective and flavoursome dish; other times, you are in charge of curating the ingredients and the final dish; And other times, you go all the way in and prepare the soil, plant and grow your own ingredients, harvest them, select the recipe, and create a four-course meal!
Online Intro to Copperplate Calligraphy (Level 1)
This 8-hour Intro to Copperplate calligraphy courses runs in a webinar format via Zoom. I record each session and you are able to review the videos later on, and for those of you living in a different time zone.
May 29 & June 5, 19, 26
From: 9.30 to 11.30 am AEDT / UTC+10
Level 1: Beginners and intermediate students
— 9.30am to 11.30am AEDT / UTC+11
— 4 Sundays (no class on June 12)
— Videos available to watch for 2 months
— Materials list supplied
— Personal class notes provided
— Handouts sent in advance
— Copperplate minuscule and capitals
— No calligraphy experience required
— Q&A session after each class
— 1 spot for a BIPOC student available
— Every lesson is recorded and uploaded 3 hours after each class
Work out your Time Zone Conversion here.
Copperplate Variations (Level 2)
July 10, 17, 24 & 31
From 9.30am to 11.30am, AEDT / UTC+10
Level 2: Intermediate
— Copperplate Capitals Intermediate Level
— Variations on the lowercase alphabet
— Variations in the alphabet ratio and its ductus
— Intro to ligatures and numbers
— Variations on where to apply pressure to obtain different look and feels
Assignments:
— Write an envelope address
— Choose a short quote and apply as many variations as possible.
Rotson Studios Co-working Creative Space
My partner founded Rotson Studios in 2014. Since 2017, I have been helping him to run this fantastic creative space and we currently have a few desks for grabs!
Our creative space is housing freelance illustrators, photographers, videographers, copywriters, graphic designers and animators. The best part of this space? Its people.
Get in touch, share this newsletter or come around and check it out in person, we are in the heart of Ngár-go (Fitzroy).
Ukrainian Creatives Online Showcase
The New Exhibition is an online showcase shining a light on work of Ukrainian designers, illustrators, animators and other creatives that have been caught in the crossfire of war.
We can make a tangible difference in their lives. As art directors, designers and agencies working in Western Europe and the Americas, we can hire these remarkable people for commissions and projects. They need the work. They need to support their families.
And we need them. Their talent. Their passion. Their artistry.
Katerina Korolevtseva via Design By Women
Katerina Korolevtseva is a graphic designer and art director who lives and works in Kyiv, Ukraine. As the Russian invasion escalates, Katerina discusses her experience, what we can do to show our support and explains how Ukrainian designers are using their skills to show the world the reality of what is happening.
Read the full interview as well as her recent blog post on Alphabettes called “Ukrainian type design heritage in modern context“.
АБЕТКИ by Vika & Vita via Alphabettes
“Ukrainian type designers often emphasize the historicity of letters. And we are no exception.
We have been working with letters for about 12 years and we always love receiving orders for Cyrillic — here we can show all our knowledge about Cyrillic in some specific work [..]” By Vika & Vita, designers, illustrators and calligraphers.
Read the full blog post via Alphabettes here.
This article is part of my May 2022 newsletter called “The University of Youtube”. Check the entire content here.