I’m writing you from Chiang Mai (Thailand), where we’re going to spend the next two months. This city feels like our third home, and we’re very grateful to be back again.
LOOOONG LIFE UPDATE
The last two months in Naarm/Melbourne were bonkers, and I’d love to share a long life update with you all:
We secured two house-sitting gigs taking care of a dog, three cats & a fish tank.
I fell while walking the dog and ended up in the emergency hospital with my right arm in a sling. I was very lucky that I didn’t fracture it.
Our neighbour’s roof took off and landed in our driveway, blocking access to the house temporarily.
My laptop decided to stop working, so I had to buy a new one overnight.
I gave an in-person talk at Re Design, thanks to Shannon Bell
I met with Dimitri Antonopoulos from TANK
I delivered the visual identity for an upcoming conference run by a dear friend of mine — more on this soon!
I taught nine in-person calligraphy workshops.
We moved accommodations four times.
I gave an online lecture at Towson University, thanks to Viviana Cordova.
We sold our unit in regional New South Wales.
We bought a one-bedroom apartment in Melbourne CBD!
We drove a van to NSW to collect our belongings and store them back in Naarm/Melbourne for a few months — a brief 32-hour round trip.
Yeah… life got busy indeed.
In December each year, my partner and I hold an AGM (Annual General Meeting), where we make most of our important decisions for the year ahead. So far, we know that we’d like to move into our new apartment at the start of April 2026 — when we’ll finally stop living out of a suitcase for the first time in four joyful, tiring, glorious and at times chaotic, years.
How’s your world going?
I’d love to hear from you!
SHARING SOPHIE BEIER’S STORY
A few weeks ago, I read a post on LinkedIn by Sofie Beier, and I would love to share it with all of you.
I got my first graphic design job by pretending I knew what I was doing. Here’s what happened, and what that younger version of me still teaches me today: When I showed up to the interview, I had never used design software before. But I really wanted the job. And I had the kind of unshakable confidence only a 20-something can have. So I did what any wildly optimistic, underqualified person would do: I had Photoshop and Illustrator scribbled on my arm – just in case those “skills” came up. I faked it. And here’s the thing: When we’re young, we act before we’re ready and figure things out as we go. Later, we slow down, evaluate risks, plan carefully, and weigh long-term consequences. There’s value in both. Maybe the real strength is knowing when to borrow from each.
Not like, “I prefer analog tools.”
More like, if I opened Photoshop, I’d have no idea what I was looking at.
I couldn’t even remember the names of the software I was supposed to know.
I got the job.
I caught up.
Now that I do have skills, experience, and perspective, I sometimes miss that fearless, slightly reckless version of myself.
The younger me could’ve used more strategy.
The older me could use a bit more nerve.
Much love,
Maria xx
Below you’ll find some sweet news about Kanat Latin Ultra and my latest signature design.
On the third section of this newsletter, you’ll find a short video about Cadson Demak, an article by Elizabeth Goodspeed and a great newsletter from Nick Hallam.
I’m really happy to share with you that Kanat Latin Ultra was shortlisted for the CA Magazine awards 2025. Additionally, this super display font is a finalist at the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) awards that will be hosted on November 14th in Adelaide (South Australia).
Special thanks to Lara Captan and Josema Urós for their trust and support!
Custom signature design for Thai-Australian tattoo artist, letterer, and designer Wanissa Somsuphangsri, with whom I had the privilege of sharing a few days in her country of birth.
T Y P E 🤓 F A C E S
Cadson Demak was founded 25 years ago, and is a leading voice in type design in Bangkok, Thailand. They were recently featured on Monotype foundry stories where they share how they think about type in relation to the world around them, and why they believe type designers are trend setters. On their Youtube channel, you’ll also find four lectures from the recent BITS 11 Conference, 2025.
You can learn more about Thai type designers on my Alphabettes article called “Thai Type Tourist” from 2022.
Very interesting article by Elizabeth Goodspeed via It’s Nice That about the role of typography and custom typeface design in the current branding space.
Nick Hallam has been the co-founder of many design initiatives including SD&H, a publishing and media company that produced content and run events mainly for the Australian design industry. They were known for their annual conference, Sex, Drugs & Helvetica, that run in Naarm/Melbourne and Meanjin/Brisbane between 2012 and 2017.
I met Nick Hallam in 2018 during The Design Conference Brisbane. Since then, we have been in touch, following each other’s trajectories which have been really interesting and educational. Recently, Nick shared a newsletter with a long list of jaw-dropping AI initiatives. If you are curious to know what some humans are investing millions of dollars on, check it out!
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