M@G - A DESIGN WONDER @ HEART

Crafted from fine white porcelain and designed under the golden ratio principle, the M@G reveals a typographic symbol of celestial importance with every sip you take. It is the first in the LETTERES line of LIVING TYPE limited edition objects of desire and one that introduces its owner to a symbol of celestial importance across the passage of time. The ‘sine qua non’ of digital living thanks to e-mail addresses and social media handles, the @ symbol’s origin is something of a mystery that puzzles historians and linguists alike.
One theory suggests that it was invented by medieval monks looking for shortcuts while copying manuscripts. Others beg to disagree. With the earliest @ symbol found in a translation of a Greek chronicle circa 1345 archived in the Vatican Apostolic Library, one could assume that the symbol bears an almost heavenly element. A gift of divine proportions or not, @ is perfectly infused in our studio’s typographic object you hold dear as a universal code of conduct, one that people relate to beyond borders or language.
It became a standard key on typewriter keyboards in the 1880s and after almost a century it conquered the digital era as the definite instrumental symbol in use. Pioneered by American electrical engineer and computer scientist Ray Tomlinson in 1971, the @ symbol unveiled itself as the only viable answer to a seminal problem “How do you connect people who program computers with one another but are miles apart?”. 
Nestled quietly in every email, in every Twitter post, in every Meta tag, the once obsolete @ has evolved into what MoMA proclaimed upon entering it in the museum’s collection, as “the defining symbol of the computer age".
Set in Parachute Typefoundry’s double-awarded Centro typeface, the M@G provides a deep soulful spirit with an eclectic mix of type, industrial design, and long experimentation. An homage to humanity’s universal need for connectivity, unity, and peace. Charmingly moulded at the bottom of this premier product, the @ offers an excellent excuse to kickstart discussion, a means to address one another with the M@G at hand: “What are you looking @?”

Blessed by the Golden R@tio 
Designed under the golden ratio principle to provide aesthetics and functionality that adhere to strict mathematical laws, the M@G provides a literally hands-on balanced experience. 
From the proportions of nautilus shells through tree leaves, pine cone seeds or sunflower spirals to the work of trailblazing artists like Le Corbusier and Salvador Dali, the golden ratio conquered the world of aesthetics as a proportion by default pleasing to the eye.

It’s a M@G, M@D World 
The use of @ has become so significant that it has inspired people across the globe to embed it with tales and urban myths. But what does this symbol mean to non-English speakers? A world made of @s unfolds:

@ Africaans - aapstert (monkey tail)
@ Armenian - shnik (puppy)
@ Bulgarian - maymunsko a (monkey a)
@ Chinese - xiaolaoshu (little mouse)
@ Czech - zavinac (rollmop)
@ Danish - snabel a (elephant trunk)
@ Dutch - apestaart (monkey tail)
@ Finnish - miuku mauku (meow meow)
@ French - arobase
@ Greek - papaki (little duck)
@ Hungarian - kukac (worm)
@ Hebrew - shtrudel (strudel)
@ Italian - chiocciola (snail) 
@ Japanese - atto maaku (at mark)
@ Korean - dalphaengi (snail)
@ Norwegian - krøllalfa (curly alpha)
@ Polish - malpa (monkey)
@ Portuguese - arroba
@ Russian - sobachka (little dog)
@ Serbian - ludo a (little dog)
@ Slovenian - afna (monkey)
@ Spanish - arroba
@ Swedish - snabel a (elephant trunk)
@ Turkish - kulak (ear)
@ Ukrainian - ravlyk (snail)
@ Vietnamese - a còng (bent a)

THE DESIGNER

Designed exclusively for LETTERES, the M@G is created in close heartfelt collaboration between Parachute Typefoundry’s in-house design team and renowned Greek industrial designer Yiannis Ghikas. Commissioned to elaborate on Parachute’s initial prototype model, Ghikas applied his acclaimed expertise to our LIVING TYPE concept with a unique design that employs his signature artistic and highly functional flair.
Epitomizing the artist’s very own mantra for products that stand the test of usability whilst nurturing seminal aesthetics, Ghikas provided LETTERES’ inaugural object of desire with subtle and rare qualities. The M@G bridges Ghikas’ quest to evoke emotive responses via forms and functionality with Parachute Typefoundry’s unbiased dedication to breathe life into type for this match made in design heaven. Ghikas has received the red dot design award (2009) and the German design award (2016) and his portfolio of collaborations features Objekten (Belgium), miniforms (Italy), Hiro (Italy), Biocidetech (UK), Marubun (Japan). His work has been exhibited internationally.

M@G - A DESIGN WONDER @ HEART

Crafted from fine white porcelain and designed under the golden ratio principle, the M@G reveals a typographic symbol of celestial importance with every sip you take. It is the first in the LETTERES line of LIVING TYPE limited edition objects of desire and one that introduces its owner to a symbol of celestial importance across the passage of time. The ‘sine qua non’ of digital living thanks to e-mail addresses and social media handles, the @ symbol’s origin is something of a mystery that puzzles historians and linguists alike.
One theory suggests that it was invented by medieval monks looking for shortcuts while copying manuscripts. Others beg to disagree. With the earliest @ symbol found in a translation of a Greek chronicle circa 1345 archived in the Vatican Apostolic Library, one could assume that the symbol bears an almost heavenly element. A gift of divine proportions or not, @ is perfectly infused in our studio’s typographic object you hold dear as a universal code of conduct, one that people relate to beyond borders or language.
It became a standard key on typewriter keyboards in the 1880s and after almost a century it conquered the digital era as the definite instrumental symbol in use. Pioneered by American electrical engineer and computer scientist Ray Tomlinson in 1971, the @ symbol unveiled itself as the only viable answer to a seminal problem “How do you connect people who program computers with one another but are miles apart?”. 
Nestled quietly in every email, in every Twitter post, in every Meta tag, the once obsolete @ has evolved into what MoMA proclaimed upon entering it in the museum’s collection, as “the defining symbol of the computer age".
Set in Parachute Typefoundry’s double-awarded Centro typeface, the M@G provides a deep soulful spirit with an eclectic mix of type, industrial design, and long experimentation. An homage to humanity’s universal need for connectivity, unity, and peace. Charmingly moulded at the bottom of this premier product, the @ offers an excellent excuse to kickstart discussion, a means to address one another with the M@G at hand: “What are you looking @?”

Blessed by the Golden R@tio 
Designed under the golden ratio principle to provide aesthetics and functionality that adhere to strict mathematical laws, the M@G provides a literally hands-on balanced experience. 
From the proportions of nautilus shells through tree leaves, pine cone seeds or sunflower spirals to the work of trailblazing artists like Le Corbusier and Salvador Dali, the golden ratio conquered the world of aesthetics as a proportion by default pleasing to the eye.

It’s a M@G, M@D World 
The use of @ has become so significant that it has inspired people across the globe to embed it with tales and urban myths. But what does this symbol mean to non-English speakers? A world made of @s unfolds:

@ Africaans - aapstert (monkey tail)
@ Armenian - shnik (puppy)
@ Bulgarian - maymunsko a (monkey a)
@ Chinese - xiaolaoshu (little mouse)
@ Czech - zavinac (rollmop)
@ Danish - snabel a (elephant trunk)
@ Dutch - apestaart (monkey tail)
@ Finnish - miuku mauku (meow meow)
@ French - arobase
@ Greek - papaki (little duck)
@ Hungarian - kukac (worm)
@ Hebrew - shtrudel (strudel)
@ Italian - chiocciola (snail) 
@ Japanese - atto maaku (at mark)
@ Korean - dalphaengi (snail)
@ Norwegian - krøllalfa (curly alpha)
@ Polish - malpa (monkey)
@ Portuguese - arroba
@ Russian - sobachka (little dog)
@ Serbian - ludo a (little dog)
@ Slovenian - afna (monkey)
@ Spanish - arroba
@ Swedish - snabel a (elephant trunk)
@ Turkish - kulak (ear)
@ Ukrainian - ravlyk (snail)
@ Vietnamese - a còng (bent a)

THE DESIGNER

Designed exclusively for LETTERES, the M@G is created in close heartfelt collaboration between Parachute Typefoundry’s in-house design team and renowned Greek industrial designer Yiannis Ghikas. Commissioned to elaborate on Parachute’s initial prototype model, Ghikas applied his acclaimed expertise to our LIVING TYPE concept with a unique design that employs his signature artistic and highly functional flair.
Epitomizing the artist’s very own mantra for products that stand the test of usability whilst nurturing seminal aesthetics, Ghikas provided LETTERES’ inaugural object of desire with subtle and rare qualities. The M@G bridges Ghikas’ quest to evoke emotive responses via forms and functionality with Parachute Typefoundry’s unbiased dedication to breathe life into type for this match made in design heaven. Ghikas has received the red dot design award (2009) and the German design award (2016) and his portfolio of collaborations features Objekten (Belgium), miniforms (Italy), Hiro (Italy), Biocidetech (UK), Marubun (Japan). His work has been exhibited internationally.