A publication for the typornographer in all of us

She is an independent graphic designer and art director and before founding this “pamphlet of typographic smut” worked as an art director at Condé Nast and a designer at Princeton Architectural Press. In 2013, she was named to Print magazine’s New Visual Artist list, an annual distinction that recognizes the industry’s top 20 creative talents under the age of 30 but this is not the only reason to keep an eye on Elana Schlenker. A porn magazine for the TYPORN lovers, Gratuitous Type is  her declaration of independence from the non-very-creative graphic design states out there since 2010 is. With just one issue per year, GT appropriates conventions of pornography magazines to frame its otherwise innocuous subject matter. Extending this concept to its covers, each installment plays with strategies of censorship. Gratutitous Type Issue 4 features interviews with Raw Color, Kokoro & Moi, Europa, Tim Lahan and Emmet Bryne whilst the centerfold section is a graphic riot erupted thanks to Dutch studio Letterproeftuin. This year, acetate screen-printed with copper ink overlays the magazine’s cover content and various dot patterns, designed by Issue 4 contributor Dries Wiewauters, frame content throughout the issue. Check out Elana’s Schlenker humble yet very smart printed venture with content faultlessly curated by her and all her prior installments here.