Swirls, beads and Art Nouveau roots: EmKlaebe on type design as world building. Inspired by subway tiles, mosaics, snail shells and lollipops, this designer uses typography as a way of creating microcosms of larger ideas which expand how typography lives. “Missive Serif and Missive Bead are companion typefaces – Missive Serif is an ornate display family with dramatic flares, gooey ball terminals and Art Nouveau roots. Missive Bead distills those legible display serif forms into a grid-based system for embroidery, using a framework designed around the elongated proportions of bugle beads,” says Emily. “All of my typefaces are rooted in a distinct concept while remaining ubiquitous. Promoting a typeface means creating a microcosm – combining colours, materials and typesetting – that shows where the typography might live.” #ItsNiceThat