Novo Typo Offgrid: DIY Typography, Plant-Based Ink, Recycled Paper

Novo Typo Offgrid by Mark Van Wageningen is a radical handbook for designers who aspire to move beyond the screen—towards the tactile, the handmade, and the ecologically conscious. This 64-page volume, published by The Green Box in 2021, offers a blueprint for a fully self-sufficient typographic practice where letters are not just designed but born of your own paper and pigment.

Drawing from a small Amsterdam studio’s hands-on DIY culture, Novo Typo Offgrid shows how plant-based inks and recycled paper can become the foundation for polychromatic typography that is both vibrant and sustainable. Through its process-oriented narrative, it inspires designers and studios to experiment with materials, color, and form—and to rethink the entire design pipeline from source to print.

With its innovative format and materials, the book is not just a design manual—it’s a manifesto. Ideal for graphic designers, typographers, art students, and any creatives who care as much about craft and ecology as about aesthetic impact. Whether you're seeking inspiration, practical guides, or simply a manifesto for slowing down and engaging deeply with each letter, Novo Typo Offgrid offers a quietly powerful vision.