In conversation with... Giulia Boggio

So Giulia, where are you based currently?

I am currently in London, where I have lived for the past 7ish years, but am originally Italian. 

 

How did your journey into graphic design begin, and what initially drew you to the world of typography?

I have always been a creative kid, so it only seemed right to study something creative. So I got a BA in Graphic Design & Art Direction in Milan. Then I moved here and for so long I did anything but. I worked in a restaurant, then in a photography studio, then I started tattooing and just rode that wave for five years. Then during lockdown, I was faced with the question of how to make it work when your job is impossible to do. And that was how I fell back into it - even deeper into type design.

Sitting back and trying to put a portfolio together, I stumbled into an old sketch and decided to turn into a functioning typeface, which is now Bastardo Grotesk.

 

 

What is your typical design process when working on projects?

I would be an absolute clown if I pretended to have any process. It's mostly instinct and chaos, then I chisel all the unnecessary away. I carved a balance where I can let the work follow the flow of my creativity, I could never thrive in a 9to5, I would just not function very well. So I've worked really hard, I still do, balancing both jobs until I could just go with the flow.

I think this is the only "process", if you want. Work when inspired, who cares what time it is. 

 

What is it about typography that captivates you as a designer?

I love the idea of creating something finite that is, in its way, infinite. Designing something that will likely be a part of something larger, in the eyes of someone else. To see the typefaces transform in contexts and designs, to see different sides of it.

 

Are there any specific typefaces or typographic trends you’re particularly fond of right now?

I love seeing more independent designers thrive outside of large companies or studios. It's just beautiful to see. I like having the chance to create a new narrative. 

 

How do you balance creativity with readability when designing with type?

I have never worked on anything so convoluted to face this problem yet, but I do think legibility is not always SO important, when creating display and experimental type. See what Anne-Dauphine Borione is doing. It's typography, it's art, it can be all of it. And I think this kind of play is vital to creativity.

 

Can you share a bit about your current role at and what excites you most about working there

Working on Alt has been great so far. There is a long way to go and we're only at the first steps. But we're really excited to be able to publish good work while supporting and platforming under-represented designers. I think it's important to create and hold more space for expression, for people, for something new and needed. We're working on the release of Nadrey, by Ivorian type designer O'Plérou Grebet, which I am really looking forward to. It's a really interesting typeface, it almost feels alive, it has so many interesting shapes and angles, I loved it as soon as I saw it. See it here

 

What has been one of your favourite project to work on recently?

I am working on a revival, if you want, inspired typeface based off of Information Fette Designed by Friedrich K. Sallwey. It's featured in a few of the posters

 

What’s one typographic mistake you see often in design, and how do you think it can be avoided?

"Popular" Typefaces. I don't like trends much. 

 

Is there a type designer or typographic style that has had a major influence on your work?

I have a tendency of absorbing everything but focusing on nothing. I don't know much about the history or the hierarchy of much of what I do. I like to follow instinct like a rat chewing ahead following a scent. So I guess yes, everything I've seen and liked so far and every typeface I felt I needed but I couldn't find.

 

Finally, if you could create your own typeface, what kind of personality or emotion would you want it to convey?

All the typefaces I have created have always started from a need more than a plan. I like the idea that it will be the designers working with it conveying different emotions, reading different sides of it.