36 Days of Type: Elle’s Cast of Characters

A little over a month ago, our very own Elle Tse set off on what could only be described as a design marathon. Every day, for 36 days, Elle made a character from scratch. In the process, well, we’ll let her talk about that.

What is #36Daysoftype? How did you first discover it?

36 Days of Type is an annual open-invitation project that invites creatives to reinvent the alphabet one letter or number a day.

I discovered it last year while browsing Instagram, where I happened to see the post announcing the first day of the third edition.

What made you want to take on a more-than-month-long design project?

I wanted to challenge myself to be creative in my own space every day.

Lately, I’ve wondered what exactly my own design aesthetic is– when you work with clients every day and your job is to be adaptable to their needs, it’s easy for your own style to get a little lost.

So I wanted to take the opportunity to explore my own capabilities, and challenge myself to break beyond what I’m used to and explore new styles.

Where did you find inspiration for each letter/number?

There were so many amazing submissions on a daily basis that it was easy to be inspired by the numerous designers participating all over the world.

Seeing the things that other people were making opened my eyes to viewing letter forms in a completely different light.

Of course, music was a huge influence, too– I had Breakbot’s “Still Waters” album on repeat near the end of the project, and I think it showed in the funkier designs I created.

How does a sense of community and connection develop, especially since it’s a multinational project?

I think it develops because suddenly, you’re exposed to so many designers who are facing the same task that you are: creating something every day for 36 days.

There’s a sense of accountability and camaraderie, and some days when you feel a little defeated by the project, you’re not afraid to share that struggle because it’s inevitable that someone is experiencing the same feelings.

Creative blocks happen! And because you’re doing something together for 36 days, you become a little invested in each other.

I’ve discovered many designers I would have never crossed paths with through this project, and have had the opportunity to connect and converse with designers I’ve admired for some time because of these 36 days.

Another designer even approached me about taking on an upcoming 100 Days Project where we could be accountability partners/motivators.

It’s just really cool to experience this feeling of belonging with people who are not only states away, but even countries and continents apart.

LTM Team

Collectively, we’re a medley of designers, publicists, digital marketers, creatives, and account execs. And individually, we’re an assorted bag of quirky, fun, and sometimes strange, people who love their places.