Product Design
Buffel(tje) & Rotjoch(ie)
2026/09/28 21:29
It was a sh*t load of work—font design, endless tests, copy writing and specimen design—but I am so glad with the result!
Meet the Saudara Family, a clever monospaced type family developed for day-to-day use on your computer screen or smartphone. Loosely inspired on the 26 capitals of Quizmaster made by Löwen Spielautomaten (back in 1985), typefaces like Monaco and Geneva (which were shipped with Macintosh computers around that same time) and my fascination for arcade games.
For just 50 EUR you purchase a Desktop License for the entire Saudara family:
- Saudara Mono Regular
- Saudara Mono Italic
- Saudara Mono Bold
- Saudara Mono Bold Italic
- Saudara Display Light
- Saudara Display Bold
Single cuts cost 10 EUR. Just send a DM to designisfijn[at]icloud.com or send a chat on www.instagram.com/marcelvandeijl
Download an interactive type specimen here.
»Vechtstreek is gonna wreck it!«
2025/05/24 23:44
Vechtstreek is a ttribute to typeface Chicago by Susan Kare, an American artist and graphic designer who contributed interface elements and typefaces for the first Apple Macintosh personal computer (1983).
Vechtstreek is a true vector-based font with more than 180 glyphs* pure nostalgia! Use it in your every-day-apps like TextEditor, Notes and Mail or make a pixelated impression with Adobe’s Creative Suite.
An early version of Vechtstreek goes back to 2018 when Walt Disney’s movie »Ralph Breaks the Internet« displayed a Chicago spin-off in various scenes and made me wonder »Can I do that?!«
If your project requires that retro bitmap look-and-feel Vechtstreek is gonna wreck it! Or in typical Dutch: Vechtstreek gaat het rammen!
* Uppercase, lowercase, standard punctuation, accented uppercase, accented lowercase, arrows, &cetera.
Download a type specimen in PDF format.
Monkey Mind
2025/02/15 08:36
Monchhichi is a line of Japanese stuffed monkey toys first released in 1974 (when Arda was born). They were licensed by Mattel in the US until 1985. These adorable monkeys were created in order to inspire respect and love in young children. There name is derived from the words ‘Mon’ (which translates to ‘Mine’) and ‘Chichi’ (which closely resembles the sound of baby sucking on a pacifier [Dutch: zuigspeen]). This is a special edition to celebrate the brand's 50 years. Straight from Japan! Wearing a T-shirt with the famous Hokusai [Grote Golf] wave. For Arda, for Valentine’s Day. I have added her little monkey from 1984(!) to this short stop-motion movie.
Everybody happy
2024/12/26 15:44
The smiley icon has been around since 1972 and remains relevant and inspiring. This bright light serves as a gentle and joyful reminder. Switch the led light on for 15 minutes at a time. Just enough to give the little moments in life that extra shine! A gift from ‘Schoonmoedertje’ for X-mas.
Think different
2024/12/26 15:38
One of my favorites under the X-mas tree this year: ‘Positive Potato’. “I may be a tiny potato, but I believe in you. Go do your thing.” A gift from EGO 4 Arda.
World’s #1 puzzle
2024/11/17 18:31
1974: Ernö Rubik—a professor from Budapest in Hungary—wanted to help his students understand 3D problems. His solution? The Rubik’s Cube! Ernö created the first working prototype in 1974. With 8 corner blocks and 12 edge blocks, 8!×12!×38×212 different positions are possible. However, it is not possible to achieve every situation by twists:
- Turns of corner blocks can only be done with at least two blocks at the same time
- Side blocks can only be rotated with at least two blocks at the same time
- Movements can only be made with three blocks at a time
Due to these limitations, the above value must still be divided by 2×2×3=12. Result: 43 252 003 274 489 856 000 (more than 43 trillion) in different positions. Only one of them is the right solution!
1982: The Museum of Modern Art in NYC selects Rubik’s Cube for its permanent collection.
2017: Rubik’s Brand enjoys a record year with retail sales reaching $250 million.
2021: For the trainspotters: as a big fan of this legendary puzzle (I solved it!) with its iconic design I have added a favicon of it to this site.
2024: Happy Birthday: Rubik’s Cube 50 years!
Less but better
2024/10/30 07:36
Replica of the iconic Braun pocket calculator ET66 (1977)
In the 1980s Dieter Rams, one of Germany’s most important and the world’s best known industrial designers, formulated his design philosophy; The 10 principles for good design:
- Good design is innovative
- Good design makes a product useful
- Good design is aesthetic
- Good design makes a product understandable
- Good design is not conspicuous or attracting attention
- Good design is honest
- Good design is long-lasting
- Good design is thorough, down to the last detail
- Good design is environmental-friendly
- Good design is as little design as possible
It’s no accident that this Braun calculator looks surprisingly similar to some features in the iPhone as Steve Jobs and his lead designer Jonathan Ive used to admire the products and design philosophy of Dieter Rams.
My Braun replica—a limited edition in white—comes from the Design Museum In London.
Curiosity is the life force in all of us
2024/09/26 20:44
When imagination, creativity and play are your fuel, your limitless potential can take you anywhere you imagine. This remarkable LEGO® set—created in collaboration with visionary designer Pharrell Williams—reflects his unbridled creative optimism + undeniable creative influence.
This exclusive set [a pre-order] is a special gift for my boys Niels and Sjoerd, as a sort of ‘old-age reserve’. ;)
Powerful Jedi
2024/06/08 18:36
Darth Vader is a character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He is the primary antagonist of the film trilogy. Born into slavery, he eventually becomes a powerful Jedi. He is lured to the dark side of the Force by Chancellor Palpatine, and transforms from Anakin into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Here in LEGO® BrickHeadz style. :) A gift from Niels. THX gab!
