Today’s interview is with Timba Smits. A man that is busier than helvetica, and more talented than Rockwell. If it’s innovative type you’re after, check out Timba here here and here.

1. Describe yourself in a word

BUSY!!!

2. Describe your typography?

A double scoop of Nostalgic inspired hand drawn and computer designed
retro flavoured type topped with subtle textures and grainy goodness.

3. Do you adhere to the rules and regulations  of typography, or make up
your own?

To be honest, i don’t even know the rules and regulations of type.
Call me dumb or call me stoopid but i just go with the flow and try to
have fun with it wherever i can. Rules seem to suck the fun out of
most things in my book.

4. What artists / typographers have influenced you in your recent work.

I’m a big fan of Gary Taxali, Nate Williams and Allan Sanders. Each
for their own classy use of type combined with thoughtful vintage
imagery.

5. What is the most acclaimed project you have worked on?

Wooden Toy Quarterly!!! The only quarterly magazine to come out once a
year and proud of it! haha!

6. what is it about typography that you love?

It’s uber challenging! It drives me up the wall most of the time but i
like that and enjoy working with type more than most other things.
Sometimes i feel it’s like a wild stallion that cannot be controlled!

7. What is your favourite letter and why?

The kind that you get from a girl saying that she loves you!

8.  serif or san serif ?

I like both. But i guess i tend to use more San Serif type in my work.

9. what can we expect to see soon from you? Other projects, shows, etc.

The launch of Wooden Toy the music edition in April combined with the
Lyrics & Type 2 exhibition in London, followed up by the worldwide
launch of Street/Studio, a book i’m working on with Thames & Hudson
about Melbourne Street Artists and badda bing, badda boom, a solo show
in August in London and possibly Melbourne.

Check out Timba’s work at one of the Australia wide openings of Go Font Ur Self*

We thought the best way to kick things off would be with one of Australia’s hardest working graffiti artists “Saynt”. If you live in Sydney, you should have come across his walls around the inner west for sure.

1. Describe yourself in a word

Stress

2. Describe your typography?

Some formal training as a designer and signwriter can be seen in there somewhere, however being a total graffiti junkie is probably a bigger influence on my work, and I bounce between commercial, ‘public’ styles and mashed up classic graffiti flavours.

3. Do you adhere to the rules and regulations of typography, or make up your own?

I have more rules governing my graffiti than type based projects- White keyline, in-line, highlights and ‘piano keys’ should be punishable by death!

4. What artists / typographers have influenced you in your recent work.

This work is some kind of response to all the toy panels and graffiti in general I have seen over the last few years, just wanted to drop a bomb on some suckers and no digital type I could come up with was angry enough to do the job so I bashed out a rough ‘face’ that looked like a death-threat… in blood!

5. What is the most acclaimed project you have worked on?

By day I am a community artist working on many projects with disadvantaged kids, watching them bash out their first wobbly looking piece and get psyched on graff is the best job going.

6. what is it about typography that you love?

26 letters can describe anything, and good typography is icing on the cake

7. What is your favourite letter and why?

The ‘S’- it’s so dope, whether it’s some QS with a No.6 sign brush, on screen in Adobe or pumping out a wildstyle piece, the ‘S’ is just too good, you can do so much with it.

8.  serif or san serif ?

Old school, New School- I cut out of school fool, its about whatever gets the job done.

9. what can we expect to see soon from you? Other projects, shows, etc.

Pieces, lots of pieces.

More on Saynt here

We took a bunch of photos but decided not to show them all, as you really have to go to the gallery and gawk at them close up to understand how well executed and interesting the paintings are.

More details here.

One exciting event not to miss is the opening of “Wonderlust”. A ‘pop up’ show by UK artist Xenz. More info below…

/ VENUE
AMBUSH GALLERY
James St, Waterloo

/ DATE
Opening – Thursday 18 March
Continues until 28 March

/ TIME
6pm to 9pm

/ INFO

Mixed Business is an amazing group show brought to you by We Are The Image Makers, the Opening Hours, Stupid Krap and Semi-Permanent. The exhibition features some of Australias leading artists alongside international talent such as Semi-Permanent Sydney speakers Travis Millard and Mel Kadel. Check the full list to your left for the names of the artists involved.

Definitely a show that you do not want to miss!