The Graphic Mill

19/04/2026

The logo visually communicates the company’s exclusive focus on premium Japanese luxury vehicles through the integration of a sleek car silhouette and the map of Japan. The red circle, inspired by the Japanese flag, reinforces authenticity and origin, while the clean, modern form reflects sophistication, precision, and high-end automotive excellence.

19/04/2026

05/04/2026

Saul Bass was a master of simplicity—his logos distilled complex ideas into clean, unforgettable forms. Born in 1920 in New York City to Jewish immigrant parents, his artistic journey began early and was shaped under the guidance of György Kepes, a pioneer of the Bauhaus-inspired functional aesthetic.

Working during the rise of modern graphic design in the mid-20th century, Bass became one of the most influential designers of all time. He created enduring identities for major corporations, including AT&T and Kleenex.

For nearly 50 years, Bass was the go-to designer for organizations seeking clarity, longevity, and meaning in their visual identity. His work is not only iconic but remarkably durable—the average lifespan of his logos is around 34 years. Many still endure today, including designs for Kosé Cosmetics, Kibun, Warner Communications, the Girl Scouts, and Geffen Records.

Graphic design in film

In the 1940s, Saul Bass left New York for California, where he initially worked in advertising. His breakthrough came in 1954 when he designed a poster for the film Carmen Jones. Impressed by his innovative approach, the filmmakers invited him to create the film’s title sequence as well—a decision that proved to be transformative for the industry.

Bass elevated the visual language of film posters through his distinctive minimalist style, characterized by bold shapes, limited color palettes, and symbolic imagery. More significantly, he revolutionized the role of title sequences in cinema. Previously, film credits were static, uninspired, and often overlooked. They were projected onto closed curtains, which would only open once the actual film began. Bass reimagined this convention, turning title sequences into an integral and expressive part of the cinematic experience.

Film direction and legacy

Working often with his wife, Elaine Bass, he produced acclaimed short films, notably Why Man Creates (1968), and directed the science-fiction feature Phase IV (1974). Saul Bass’s synthesis of art, design, and storytelling continues to influence motion graphics, branding, and visual culture worldwide.

19/03/2026

With memories of a friendship that began decades ago at Vibhavi—and still endures.

Over the years, I’ve had the honor of designing several of his book covers, each one a small milestone in our shared creative journey.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸.
covers

17/03/2026

Neville Brody — The Rock Star of Graphic Design
Art Director, The Face (1981–1986);
Dean, Royal College of Art (2011–2018)

Neville Brody is widely regarded as the “rock star” of graphic design—the rebellious, rule-breaking designer who shattered conventions and redefined how typography could speak, move, and provoke.

Emerging from Britain’s post-punk cultural explosion of the 1980s, Brody revolutionized editorial design as the art director of The Face. Rejecting rigid grids and predictable layouts, he transformed pages into visual stages where typography performed as image, rhythm, and attitude. His work captured the raw energy of youth culture and permanently altered the language of contemporary design.

Brody later extended his visual experimentation to Arena and to iconic album cover designs, bringing the rebellious spirit of music culture into graphic communication.

As a typographic innovator, he co-founded the influential digital type foundry FontFont and designed groundbreaking typefaces such as FF Blur and Industria. Through these works, he challenged the very idea of readability, exploring typography as both a system of communication and a powerful visual expression.

More than a designer, Brody became a cultural catalyst—pushing graphic design beyond decoration into a bold, experimental language that continues to influence designers in the digital age.

14/03/2026

Victor Vasarely (1906–1997), born Győző Vásárhelyi in Pécs, Hungary, was a pioneering artist and the father of Op Art, renowned for his geometric abstractions that create optical illusions through contrasting colors, patterns, and lines. After studying at Budapest's Podolini-Volkmann Academy and briefly at the Bauhaus-influenced Muhely workshop, he moved to Paris in 1930, where he worked as a graphic designer before fully embracing pure abstraction in the 1940s. His iconic works, like the "Vega" series, explore perception and movement, influencing Kinetic Art and earning him acclaim at documenta exhibitions in the 1950s and 1960s. Vasarely's philosophy emphasized art's democratic potential, leading to public commissions worldwide.

In 1972, Renault commissioned Vasarely, collaborating with his son Yvaral (Jean-Pierre Vasarely), to redesign its longstanding diamond-shaped losange logo, which dated back to 1925. This urgent project followed a 1971 prototype that plagiarized a supplier's design, sparking legal issues. The resulting emblem, a sleek, three-dimensional losange formed by interlocking white and black parallelograms, evoked speed, dynamism, and modernity through Op Art's illusory depth. Debuting on the Renault 5, it symbolized the brand's forward-thinking era, remaining in use until 1992 and inspiring subsequent iterations, including today's stylized version. This fusion of art and industry underscored Vasarely's belief in accessible, functional aesthetics.

13/03/2026

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

For me, that moment came early in my career when I was asked to design a 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗲.

The client handed me their materials:
a pile of 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 and a 𝗯𝗼𝘅 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀.

This was before the digital workflow became common. Every image had to be 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 before it could be used in design — and scanning was expensive.

Scanning hundreds of slides was not an option.

The responsibility of choosing the right images was entirely mine.
I started by building the 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁— the structure that would hold the story together. Then I edited and reshaped the content from the hotel literature, cutting and rearranging it so it would fit the visual flow of the design.

But the most demanding part was the photographs.

There were 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀, each one a possible piece of the story. I had to carefully review them one by one, selecting only the images that truly captured the spirit of the place.

Only those selected slides were sent for scanning.

Step by step, the brochure began to take shape.

When the final printed piece was presented, the reaction was simple:

“𝗪𝗼𝘄.”

That project taught me something that still guides my work today.

Design is not only about creativity.
It is about𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.

That brochure was more than a project.

𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗜 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿.

12/03/2026