Hey! It’s been a minute, but here we are at the end of the year, and this is Ben Kiel writing this Background Layer, sporting an updated design courtesy of Nick Sherman.

We hope this finds you preparing for rest and recovery from a year that has been...something.

Polymode book

The biggest thing that we have been trying to get out the door is a forthcoming book about personal identity and typography. This began with an essay about the Polymode typeface, which we commissioned Elizabeth Goodspeed to write to promote the project. In discussing with Elizabeth how best to utilize her content, the idea of a book featuring multiple perspectives on the question of how type can become part of one’s identity arose.

This was a great idea, providing an excuse to work on another project with Polymode (the studio) and an interesting jumping-off point. So, in early next year, we’re self-publishing the book, designed by Polymode, now called Identity is Variable. There’s a great conversation between Be Oakley, Mindy Seu, and nicole killian; essays from David Jon Walker, Kyle Letendre, Diana Guerrero-Maciá, and more; a comic by Kruttika Susarla; a poem from Sadie Red Wing; and so on.

It has also been an eye-opening experience in the economics of publishing. We paid all contributors, designers, and our editor (duh), which has the book penciling out costing more than the wholesale price ($20). So, into the ledger as a marketing expense and learning experience it goes.

If it sounds of interest, please sign up for a temporary newsletter that will get sent out twice: once when we announce pre-orders and once again when the book is for sale. Then the list is deleted, and hopefully we sell through the 750 copies of the book that we are going to print.

In addition to that project, we have several other things cooking for 2026, including the final release of Polymode and Plumbago. The retail version of the custom typeface we created for Hashicorp will be released. And Aglet Arabic will come out (near the end of the year). It’ll be a busy one!

Lastly, clearly we have missed the holidays with the Polymode book, and we are down to the wire on shipping, but if you are still looking for things, I'm going to recycle my list from last year, as all of these folks are great people doing good work who may be selling something you want or want to give:

• Sump Coffee: We planned XYZ at this coffee shop, and they have always been supporters of us. They now have an outpost in Williamsburg, so NYC show up!
• St. Louis Art Supply: Friends and supporters, who have the best collection of art supplies online.
• Typotheque sketchbook: So good. Designed by Atelier Carvalho Bernau. Buy in multiples to get a good price on the books and on shipping. Give to friends and keep some for yourself.
• South City Stitchworks: Zach here in Saint Louis makes a fine bag for bikes of all kinds. Check out the catalog, or get a ride wallet (good for all your cables in your bag, not just your spare tube and CO2 on a ride)

• Books. Just buy books:

  • If you haven’t paid an actual or virtual visit to Katherine Small Gallery, this is your source for design books. GO!
  • Did you get your copy of Kelli Anderson’s Alphabet in Motion? If so, why not?! Katherine Small sells it, as does Kelli.
  • Take a look at the books our friends Polymode have designed and buy them!
  • Or, look at the books that our friends at Work/Play have made and buy directly from them.

So much text. So here is a fun list of music videos that feature type in some interesting way:

• The Mountain Goats
• De La Soul
• A Tribe Called Quest
• Artifacts

Have a great end of the year, a good New Year’s and see you in 2026!

—Ben