CMD+Shift Design

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Also check out part 2, Punctuation Tattoos!

The Skin Project

I love TYPE. Typography in print, typography on the web.. i love it all. Typography is one of my favorite parts of design and it is one of those things you can find in unlikely places. Sometimes on an old store sign, or a business card, the back of a food package or even on someones body. I recently read about the “Skin Project,” short story being published in a single edition – its 2,095 words tattooed randomly on the skin of 2,095 participants – the words are scattered all over the planet on various body parts, all black and in classic book fonts. “Skin Project”, written by Shelly Jackson and is still in the production process. If you would like to be involved with the project – visit the Skin Project website to learn more.

Literary Tattoos

Sometime, the words of someone else expresses something about you that you yourself could have never articulated. Weather it be a passage from your favorite novel or a song lyric, sometime it just fits.

“And so it goes…” — Kurt Vonnegut

“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.” — Sylvia Plath

If you’ve got a way with words – maybe you have your own personal passage to commit to your skin.

“All you can really do is…” — Kendal Tull

The Letter

It’s not so much what you say, but what what typeface it is written in. These people celebrate their favorite fonts with letter that can represent a whole person, idea or meaning in one single letter. (or it can just be a pretty letter) Weather it’s to show your appreciation for type families like Univers or Frankenfurter or the single character umlaut — weather the letter has a story behind it or you just think its got a sexy looking crossbar.

Science & Tech Type

As a web designer, of course I get a kick out of this “head tag“, not only does it celebrate HTML markup, but its placement is clever (and the kerning is nicely done!) Do it big! Here’s a whole sleeve dedicated to Windows infamous blue screen of death and an absolutely breathtaking numberal rendering of pi (at least the first few hundred digits.) Typography isn’t just about letters – numbers too. (and punctuation!) Need an idea for getting a numerical tattoo? You could use this binary translator to get a special message translated to code.

Clever Ideas

Not only do these pieces look great, but they’re oh so clever. The “To Do” List has now been marketed as a temporary rub on so that anyone can enjoy the convenience this ink provides without the permanence. //