pay attention to the signs: A COLLABORATION BETWEEN TYPOSTERS X HANDMIXED

We got our hands on Handmixed's HMX Art markers and wanted to see what would happen if we brought them into the studio. These markers have built a solid reputation in the street art world, but we were curious about how they'd perform in a different context—in the hands of designers who typically work with precision and predictability.

Setting Up the Experiment

We designed three base posters, keeping them intentionally simple so they wouldn't fight for attention with what came next. Each one was printed in both black and white—we wanted to see how the marker would behave on different surface colors and whether it could hold its intensity either way.

What We Found

The HMX Art marker is gloriously impossible to control. The flow twists and shifts in ways you can't predict. You can't plan the result—you have to react to it, follow where it takes you. And honestly, that became the most interesting part of the whole project.

We found ourselves letting go of the final outcome and getting absorbed in the process instead. New techniques emerged that we hadn't planned for. Ideas appeared on the page that we couldn't have designed in advance. Some attempts were about pushing the color intensity as far as possible. Others explored different ways to guide the marker's unpredictable nature into something that felt intentional.

The Takeaway

This project shifted how we think about making. The HMX Art marker doesn't let you dictate where it goes—it invites you to discover alongside it. It's a little daring, surprisingly magical, and it completely breaks the usual relationship between tool and result.

These posters became a documentation of that process. They're experiments, yes, but also a record of techniques we stumbled upon and ideas that emerged from just working with the material. We hope they might inspire others to pick up an HMX Art marker and see what they discover on their own.

All credits for images go to Typosters.