When Wallpaper* asked us to turn a trick with the trademark tart cards of London call girls, Freestyle Interactive more than rose to the challenge. In conjunction with St. Bride Library and Type, Wallpaper* invited their favourite designers to work a selection of graphical fonts into seriously sexy designs.
In a sweltering exploration of all things naughty in the world of art and design, Wallpaper*’s current Sex Issue oozes appeal. The international cult following for the publication more than attests to the trust that designers and artists worldwide place in the publication, so it’s no surprise that Freestyle is blushing with pride at being asked to be more intimate with the audience’s readership.
Long heralded as accidental art, the tart cards which fight for attention in London phone boxes command a cult-like devotion and are influential inspiration for a number of mainstream artists such as Tom Phillips and Ray and Nils Stevenson – the famous duo behind the Sex Pistols infamous design style.
“We were delighted to participate in this project” says Paul Gataaura, designer at Freestyle Interactive. “As a designer, the respect we have for both Wallpaper* and Type are enormous. We had a blast coming up with a number of witty and clever plays on words for the fonts we obsess over in our work with clients”.
The pleasure of working on the project clearly showed: of the 450 designs on display, Freestyle contributed a whopping 12 cards. “We are very proud to have our designs exhibited alongside the likes of KesselsKramer & Cartlidge Levene”. In addition to featuring online in Wallpaper*’s July 2009 issue , the cards will also be on display at KK Outlet , London from 22nd to 29th June. There are plans for the cards to be exhibited in Birmingham in the near future.
But the connection to the project goes much deeper than a mere casual encounter. Freestyle has been connected with Type in a range of different ways including the Plus+ International Design Expo .