Nolan Paparelli

Burns

Type design, 2023

Burns is a geometric sans serif typeface inspired by the work of Herb Lubalin and in particular his typeface ITC Avant Garde Gothic. Knowing the past yet trying to write the future: Burns is a new take on this specific genre of geometric typefaces, distilling a contemporary touch with a very graphic approach and a playful aesthetic. Burns’ design features a high x-height, minimal tapering and pure geometric forms. The Ultra cut became so bold that it allows stroke overlaps and clogged letters, making it unique and expressive. Yet the font family remains consistent and spans a wide range of weights, from the extremely thin Hairline to the super pumped Ultra. Burns is plain with its geometric design but also versatile with many weights and graphic alternates. Hence it is good at generating instant logos but performs well in texts too. Now available on TYPE.WELTKERN®! Nota bene: Italics will be released in 2024!

Everett

Type design, 2021

Everett is a contemporary neo-grotesque typeface known for its characteristic sharpness. The font’s design is balanced with an organic drawing and a particular digital flavor. Strong typographic cuts add a high tension while still keeping a natural reading comfort, finding the right balance between a font that is graphic yet fluid. The typeface now spans 2 collections, the standard Everett and its monospaced variation Everett Mono, offering 40 styles in total. Both font families are now available exclusively on TYPE.WELTKERN®!

Ghost

Type design, 2022

Ghost is a carefully drawn, brutalist yet elegant serif typeface. First informed by street letterings and the sharp flow of honorific Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, the typeface matured over time, from the street to the magazine cover, from graffiti markers to digital typography. Very edgy and spiky, it is a rather rational and constructed serif Roman with a tempered Italic. Now available on TYPE.WELTKERN®!

Edition Taube

Visual identity, typeface, 2021

Edition Taube is a publishing house specialized in artists' books & editions based in Munich / Zurich. Together, we developed a subtle redesign of their corporate identity around their known bird symbol and the introduction of a new typeface. The new identity is very simple and straightforward: one font, one cut, a few type sizes and clear grid systems. This way, the system is simple to use in-house. The typeface FT Kunst Grotesk used in a bold way, gives a contemporary edge throughout.

Edition Taube picture n°1 by Nolan Paparelli

Edition Taube picture n°2 by Nolan Paparelli

Edition Taube picture n°3 by Nolan Paparelli

Edition Taube picture n°4 by Nolan Paparelli

Edition Taube picture n°5 by Nolan Paparelli

Edition Taube picture n°6 by Nolan Paparelli

Edition Taube picture n°7 by Nolan Paparelli

Edition Taube picture n°8 by Nolan Paparelli

Gasteig

Visual identity, poster series, 2020
with PARAT.cc (Jonas Beuchert,
Tilman Schlevogt & Johanna Wenger)

Winning proposal as part of a pitch for Gasteig, Europe’s biggest cultural center in Munich, made with PARAT.cc. The goal was to develop a CD system, in order to avoid confusion between events that the Gasteig hosts and offers. As a nod to the old logo, we designed a type system with brackets as a frame that allows type compositions in the center reacting to what is being promoted. It’s been designed to be flexible and responsive.

Art Basel Digital

Graphics, motion design, 2020
with KAIROS STUDIO
Art Direction: Sebastian Vargas
Animation: Miriam Palopoli

While Kairos Studio being the digital agency of Art Basel, we expanded their digital presence by developing a motion design system and a web tool to generate videos. This enables the communication team to create animated videos on demand to promote all programs on all channels.

Art Basel Digital picture n°1 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen

Editorial design, typeface, 2022
Photography: Daniel Everett
Typography: Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett is an hybrid publication celebrating simultaneously Daniel Everett’s photographic work and the eponymous typeface designed by Nolan Paparelli. The publication is composed of a series of 6 double-sided posters, folded twice, which becomes a large booklet when combined together, always alternating between photo- and typographic details. Now available on WELTKERN®!

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°1 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°2 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°3 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°4 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°5 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°6 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°7 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°8 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°9 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°10 by Nolan Paparelli

Forever Everett Specimen picture n°11 by Nolan Paparelli

MF21

Poster series, 2021
Self-initiated

This poster series emerged out of a commission for a magazine celebrating 20 years of the Swiss music festival Festi’neuch in 2021 (hence the name “MF21” for Magazine Festi’neuch 2021). Using only typography in b/w, the posters extract and remix various content from the magazine into a poster format. It’s a way of rediscovering the experience of the magazine in a different way.

SBX

Poster series, 2020
Self-initiated

Concept for a small music festival on the shore of Neuchâtel’s lake in Switzerland. Mostly self-driven and private event with a very limited capability. Each poster displays the artist, date and time in a vernacular way while more details are accessible through a hotline.

Counterpoint association

Visual identity, website, 2018
with KAIROS STUDIO
Art Direction: Sebastian Vargas
Coding: Alfatih Al Zouabi

Counterpoint association is a Zurich based non-profit organisation that investigates the present through multiple art forms, create alternative narratives to foster critical thinking and mediate new territories for culture. The whole identity is constructed by bringing together the four most spoken languages in Switzerland, inspired by the aesthetics of the federal bureaucracy while adding a more contemporary, technical feeling.

Logotype for Counterpoint association designed by Nolan Paparelli in collaboration with Sebastian Vargas (KAIROS STUDIO)

Website for Counterpoint association designed by Nolan Paparelli in collaboration with Sebastian Vargas (KAIROS STUDIO)

Jana Zornik portfolio

Visual identity, website, typeface, 2018
with KAIROS STUDIO
Art Direction: Sebastian Vargas
Photography: Cécilia Poupon
Coding: Lukas Stocklin & Pablo Perez

As part of an ongoing creative collaboration with the London based designer Jana Zornik, we created a gallery within the website to showcase her work, as well as a custom typeface to highlight projects in a unique way.

Website for London based designer Jana Zornik designed by Nolan Paparelli in collaboration with Sebastian Vargas (KAIROS STUDIO)

Matière Vive

Visual identity, 2018

Modular identity system developed for Matière Vive, a Swiss based practice specialised in digital media and websites. The logotype is composed on a dots grid that allow to write their initials “MV” in various different ways, reflecting the variety of their work and the ability to adapt themselves in any kind of constraints within a project. The use of only lowercases refer to the web designer’s way of typing code.

Modular logotype, visual identity for Matière vive designed by Nolan Paparelli

Business cards, visual identity for Matière vive designed by Nolan Paparelli

Stationery, visual identity for Matière vive designed by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí

Custom type design, 2017

Diccionario Lukumí-Español offers a modern perspective on the Lukumí language, which is used mainly by the Yoruba community in Cuba during Santería ceremonies. Lukumí is an hybrid language, mixed of Spanish and African Yoruba. Commissioned by the designer Laura-Issé Tusevo, I developed a custom version of my Everett typeface for the publication. Based on the most recurrent letters in Lukumí, the typeface plays with double letters and thin punctuation, creating surprising rhythms throughout the various definitions of the dictionary.

Everett Lukumí picture n°1 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°2 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°3 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°4 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°5 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°6 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°7 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°8 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°9 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°10 by Nolan Paparelli

Everett Lukumí picture n°11 by Nolan Paparelli

PUCH Open Air

Visual identity, typeface, 2017
with HERBURG WEILAND
Art Direction: Tom Ising

“Familial” describes best the atmosphere of the PUCH festival. This small Bavarian open air festival stays authentic and charming, offering every year an inevitable summer rendez-vous in the countryside of Munich. Using only typography, the key visual creates a direct link to a known food icon, which is also popular and highly consumed in the area.

PUCH Open Air picture n°1 by Nolan Paparelli

PUCH Open Air picture n°2 by Nolan Paparelli

PUCH Open Air picture n°3 by Nolan Paparelli

Baumeister Magazine

Editorial design, 2017
with HERBURG WEILAND
Art Direction: Stephanie Ising

Baumeister is a monthly architecture magazine published by Callwey in Munich and designed by Herburg Weiland since 2011. In collaboration with the studio, I developed the overall layout of this issue on the theme of “Sound forces” that features the new Elbphilharmonie of Hamburg pictured by photographer Andreas Mühe, among other essays.