iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I'll be honest: a major reason for me being active on social media is to get eyes on my work. It's how I have a career doing what I love. While I want to support alternatives to big corps, bluesky is unfortunately failing to be worth my energy. I will stick to mastodon for the community aspect. Bye!

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Day 8 of Drawing a Font Every Couple Days. Today: reverse contrast Art Nouveau, based on a hand-painted sign I passed by chance in Amsterdam Oud Zuid.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Day 7 of Drawing a Font Every Couple Days. It’s been a week since the last font, and I spent 3 days on this one. Forgive me. Today: 1900’s Arts & Crafts/Jugendstil/Whateverist take on Fraktur, with organic curves, Lombardic capitals and lots of ornament, that does well in a Brothers Grimm setting.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Day 6 of Drawing a Font every Couple o' Days: Art Nouveau Script Revival

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Day 5 of Drawing a Font Every Day. Took a few days off, but am back with this little connecting script font. Not based on anything specific, just a marker script that looks like something you’d see on a 1930’s movie poster or aperitif ad. Handwriting-ish but also crisp, bordering geometric.

A waterfall specimen of a script font, jagged and geometric but with a handwritten flow guiding it all. The words spell out guitar brands, and look somewhat like the logos of those brands inlaid in the headstock.

A waterfall specimen of a script font, jagged and geometric but with a handwritten flow guiding it all.

A very simple mock-up poster of The Ox-bow Incident, using primarily this WIP script font to show how it looks appropriate in this '40s cinematic context.

A 30's style poster reading "Chaque matin, mange l'oeuf!". French for "every morning, eat an egg!". The first two words, "Cheque matin", are set in Coquette by Mark Simonson. The illustration in the center is an egg, the yolk of which is also a rising sun.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Drawing a font every other day, day 4. Monospaced Blackletter.

A waterfall specimen of an unnamed typeface. It is a monospaced blackletter, a very unusual combination of two common styles, which causes some letters to look rather odd. For instance, the "l", which is usually a simple little vertical bar, here has an enormous top-heavy swash, which fills what would otherwise be a large gap of negative space.

Further waterfall specimens of this typeface, set in a smaller point size, which foregoes detailing individual letter details, instead showing the overall texture.

A quick little design using this unnamed typeface. It shows a historical photograph of a punch-cutter. Below this is written "Herzberg Entwurf GmbH", a literal translation of Herzberg Design Co. Below that is some smaller text which simply forms a design element and isn't really meant to be read.

A quote by Orson Welles: The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Day 3 of drawing a font every day: a boring Neo grotesque optimized for text sizes.

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Reposted by Herzberg Design Co

Mass-Driver @mass-driver.com · 18/03/2026

New release: MD UI. The International Typographic Style projected one step into the future. UI is a neo-grotesque tuned for maximum performance across all scales; a typeface that augments the function of a timeless form. Available today in 48 styles. mass-driver.com/typefaces/md...

A list of all 48 styles of MD UI: three optical sizes, eight weights in each, and matching italics. The typeface is a clean, slightly squarish geometric sans in the neo-grotesque style.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Day 2 of Drawing a Font Every Day. Today: an expressive Uncial/half-uncial/blackletter mashup, based on a piece of lettering by the late great Helmut Salden. #typedesign #helmutsalden

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Drawing a font a day for 30 day. Day 1: Tuscan slab woodtype meets Art Nouveau.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Concepts for Port St Lici SC, a new soccer club out of Florida’s treasure coast. Art direction by Matthew Wolff

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

From the archive: a brand identity for Idle Hour, a bookstore in a small Kansas town. Unfortunately, I don’t think they ever did open up, but still pretty pleased with the work. Blackletter wordmark based on some Helmut Salden lettering, ornament inspired by the building that was to house the shop.

Bookmarks and business cards for Idle Hour books. The bookmark is designed so that one side looks like the spine of a book, with the flip side looking like the pressed together pages.

An Ex Libris stamp for idle hour books, featuring a woodcut illistration of a skeleton reading. He was having such a good time reading that he died.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Some letters should be hard to read!

Highly ornamental, illegible blackletter, in pink and cream on a black background, stating “The Herzberg Design Co, It’s Good”.

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Reposted by Herzberg Design Co

Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 28/10/2025

Our final batch of 100 Tens features contributions from this brilliant bundle of designers:⁠ ⁠ Lucas Sharp⁠ Matthijs Herzberg⁠ @herzberg.bsky.social Nolan Pelletier⁠ @nolanpelletier.bsky.social Craig Frazier⁠ Oded Ezer⁠ Christoph Niemann⁠ @christophniemann.bsky.social Petra Dočekalová Susan Kare⁠…

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Here’s every typeface that I’m currently working on (to some degree or another). Hopeful that they’ll all see the finish line before I start drawing 2 dozen new ones. Which one are you most excited about?

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

The most minimalist “1” I could manage drawing, in honor of @letterformarchive.org’s 10th anniversary. I think that everyone in the typosphere has, at some point or another, benefitted from the Archive and its tireless efforts to preserve, showcase, and honor the mighty letterform.

A highly decorative number “1”, colored in red and gold and blue on a black background.

As most of my illustration work, this was drawn in procreate on the same rusty trusty iPad that I’ve owned since 2020. The lettering is inspired by classicist Baroque ornament of acanthus and garland and cherubs, but this isn’t here applied to decorate any object: it *is* the object. I opted for mono-width lines with a bit of texture to them (using the default “narinder pencil” procreate brush), which makes it look more like a seventies children’s book than a seventeenth century bible.

A highly decorative number “1”, colored in tan and gold on a black background.

As most of my illustration work, this was drawn in procreate on the same rusty trusty iPad that I’ve owned since 2020. The lettering is inspired by classicist Baroque ornament of acanthus and garland and cherubs, but this isn’t here applied to decorate any object: it *is* the object. I opted for mono-width lines with a bit of texture to them (using the default “narinder pencil” procreate brush), which makes it look more like a seventies children’s book than a seventeenth century bible.

A highly decorative number “1” in black and white.

As most of my illustration work, this was drawn in procreate on the same rusty trusty iPad that I’ve owned since 2020. The lettering is inspired by classicist Baroque ornament of acanthus and garland and cherubs, but this isn’t here applied to decorate any object: it *is* the object. I opted for mono-width lines with a bit of texture to them (using the default “narinder pencil” procreate brush), which makes it look more like a seventies children’s book than a seventeenth century bible.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

In use: Ubique, the new & custom house typeface for Foreign Affairs magazine. Here it is seeing the light of day for the first time in the July/August issue. #typedesign #caslon

The cover and a front page spread of the latest edition of Foreign Affairs Magazine, meant to showcase the custom typeface within in its natural environment.

A photo of an open spread of Foreign Affairs Magazine, somewhere outside with a pond in the background. Clouds reflect in the pond. The small caption reads “read in public to look smarter”.

Several stacked pages of Foreign Affairs’ July/August edition, showcasing Ubique in headline and text sizes.

An illustration of a bookshelf shaped like a globe.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Font WIP: Better Böcklin (better name yet to be workshopped).

A waterfall specimen showcasing 5 weights of a new version of Böcklin, a jugendstil typeface originally from 1904. Creme letters on a dark green background.

A waterfall specimen showcasing 5 weights of a new version of Böcklin, a jugendstil typeface originally from 1904. Dark green letters on a creme background.

“Better Bocklin”, full alphabet uppercase, thin weight (image erroneously states “light”).

“Better Bocklin” full alphabet, lowercase

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

“When in doubt, use Caslon” Ubique is the new house typeface for Foreign Affairs Magazine, used in print and on their website for everything from headlines to paragraphs to footnotes.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Two rounds of RS/RGS monograms + the final thing.

A collection of 8 “RS” and “RGS” monograms in various styles, creme color on a black background.

A second collection of 6 “RS” and “RGS” monograms, evolved from the prior collection, creme color on a black background.

A finished “RS” monogram executed in a streamline moderne style, creme, red, gold on a dark teal background, with ornate flourishing.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

I drew this handy guide for folks who, like me, keep forgetting the order of the alphabet

Hand drawn lower-case Roman alphabet, tasteful, stylish, exceptionally well lettered. Cream on black background.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Goofballs shall inherit the earth!

A flourished piece of Italic calligraphy/lettering, stating: “The Herzberg Design Co: Fortune Favors the Goofy”

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

“Drew an uppercase to this psychedelic blackletter” hmmm that’s not gonna take off. “It’s the way I drew an uppercase to this psychedelic blackletter for me”

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Southern Gothic, WIP blackletter with Width and Weight axes.

A waterfall type specimen displaying a work in progress blackletter typeface, black type on yellow background.

A specimen of an in-progress blackletter typeface, using the text: “If you do something too good, then, after a while, if you don’t watch it, you start showing off. And then you’re not as good anymore.” The text is a quote by J.D. Sallinger from “the catcher in the rye”.

A waterfall type specimen displaying a work in progress blackletter typeface, creme type on a red background.

A type specimen displaying a work in progress blackletter typeface, reading “The Herzberg Design Co New Orleans And Beyond”. The black type is interspersed with pink typographer’s ornament.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Obviously the most pressing and urgent part of the website redesign I’m grinding on: drawing a 404 page.

Highly ornamental lettering in an art nouveau style, stating “Error 404 Page not Found”.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

A slide from tomorrow’s presentation on earning a living drawing shapes: last year’s shape-drawing income distribution.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

I’m presenting a lecture about my work and career as a shape-drawer at Loyola university here in New Orleans. Free entry, all are welcome. Nunemaker Auditorium, Wednesday February 19, 2025 from 4:55-6:10. See ya there!

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Last day of my last sale ever. Get it while you can. Herzbergdesign.com/fonts

Image of the text “Black Friday Sale, 30% off all fonts”, creme on a black background, set in my typeface Mancine.

Image of the text “Black Friday Sale, 30% off all fonts”, creme on a black background, set in my typeface Cloisterfuch.

Image of the text “Black Friday Sale, 30% off all fonts”, creme on a black background, set in my typeface Thanatos.

Image of the text “Black Friday Sale, 30% off all fonts”, creme on a black background, set in my typeface Schmaltzy.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

30 percent off all my fonts on herzberg design dot com, applied automatically. This is the last time I’m doing a black Friday sale, or any sale for that matter, so have at it!

A piece of calligraphy, shaped as a rombus, using swashy italics. It reads “Black Friday Sale, Fri-Mon”.

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Reposted by Herzberg Design Co

Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 02/09/2023

Here’s 16 European towns, letter’ed by hand in Procreate in various Art Nouveau inspired styles. Goal here was not to imitate any existing lettering work from the period, but instead find new forms that still fit the style.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

White on black just looks better. Miscellaneous lettering pieces from the archive, all drawn in Procreate.

“Pensacola Florida”, lettered in a swashy reverse contrast script.

“Happy Mardi Gras 2022” in an italic-inspired script with very fine hairlines.

“The loathsome dung eater”, lettered in a chunky blackletter with a glowy effect.

“Flora’s Coffee” lettered in an art nouveau reminiscent broad nib script, surrounded by stylized flowers.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Two recently designed JTF monograms for a client’s personal use. She liked the concepts so much, she couldn’t pick just one.

A “JTF” monogram, with creme beveled letters on a burgundy backdrop, surrounded by golden swirls.

A second “JTF” monogram in a different lockup, with creme and golden brown letters on a dark blue backdrop, with stylized acanthus decorations surrounding it.

A collection of 8 “JTF” monogram sketches.

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Herzberg Design Co @herzberg.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

A WIP typeface I haven’t touched in a while. High contrast, not too calligraphic (for once), with art nouveau flair, weight and width axes. Absolutely begging for optical sizing and an italic.