Maurits De Baets
$9,11 is a research project exploring the terrible beauty found in tragedy.
What draws us to it? Why do we keep watching? Is there beauty in destruction? Through this work, I examine my personal obsession with 9/11 and attempt to unravel how tragedy transforms into commodity.
Love Letters from Grindr, zine, body images by Andre Vautour, riso print, 180 × 290 mm, 2022.
This zine offers a glimpse into the doomscrolling of gay men on Grindr: searching for a quick hit of lust, or seeking true love?
Where the pink riso ink represents lust, the overlaying red layer symbolizes love. This duality is further reflected in the design, showcasing
personal erotic Grindr conversations, with two contrasting scrollbars. One is made up of received dick pics ,thesecond featuring love poems from Rictor Norton’s ‘Gay Love Letters Through the Centuries.’
The texts’ accompanying ‘nudes’ have coveted love tokens instead of erogenous zones. A fleeting one-night stand gives way to a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates.
Encart for Kom Het Maken campaign, LUCA School of Arts, published in De Standaard, 2025.
The Yarn Letter
Made of merino wool
In this project, the focus was on starting from an existing book. We were provided with 14 essays and 7 interviews on influential graphic design. The goal was to create a publication inspired by the chosen book.
I drew inspiration from an old handicraft book, converting all images into knitting and embroidery patterns. Specific graphic design terms were replaced with symbols, which were explained in a legend for each essay, drawing a parallel to traditional handicraft patterns.
For the publication, I opted for a knitted cover. When this cover is removed, the knitting pattern for the cover is revealed. The letters "THICK THIN" were utilized in the focus sections, which delve deeper into the works of certain designers.
Notes by Amy Jade, catalogue, 297 × 420 mm, cover screen printed with gold ink, 2023.
In making this book, I wanted to highlight what truly defined Amy. It's all about her words—her talent for crafting poems, lyrics, and writing in general. Her clever humor and wisdom shine through on every little piece of paper she wrote.
You won't find any pictures of the well-known 'Amy Winehouse' in this book. I specifically wanted to emphasize her words, which, in my opinion, are her most outstanding skill.
I used the font Apoc by @blazetype, a letter I got to know from the 'Beyond Black' book by Naomi Perry. The letter just screams Amy to me. Each font weight was used to organize Amy's writing in this book. Her Lyrics were Dark, her Poetry Ultra Bold, her Love Letters Bold, and so on.
The cover is screen printed in gold and bound with gold rings.
The pages inside come in various shades of pink, just like Amy's vibrant personality.
You won't find any pictures of the well-known 'Amy Winehouse' in this book. I specifically wanted to emphasize her words, which, in my opinion, are her most outstanding skill.
I used the font Apoc by @blazetype, a letter I got to know from the 'Beyond Black' book by Naomi Perry. The letter just screams Amy to me. Each font weight was used to organize Amy's writing in this book. Her Lyrics were Dark, her Poetry Ultra Bold, her Love Letters Bold, and so on.
The cover is screen printed in gold and bound with gold rings.
The pages inside come in various shades of pink, just like Amy's vibrant personality.
These Are a Few of My Medical Bills, magazine and flip book, 150 × 225 mm, white ink on silver paper, flip book: 65 × 110 mm, 2024.
These Are a Few of My Medical Bills is a magazine that tackles the heavy topic of mental health with a dash of humor. Our generation tends to face life’s challenges with humor, finding a meme for every dark moment. In that spirit, I’ve compiled all my medical documents to tell my personal story of dealing with mental health issues.
This narrative is written in my own digitized handwriting, with four variations of each letter to create a natural, realistic look. The medical documents and essays on mental health are printed using white toner on silver paper, adding a unique and reflective touch.
This narrative is written in my own digitized handwriting, with four variations of each letter to create a natural, realistic look. The medical documents and essays on mental health are printed using white toner on silver paper, adding a unique and reflective touch.
These Desperate Times, broadsheet newspaper, digital print on 55 gsm newsprint paper, 350 × 500 mm, 2023.
Design a 40-page broadsheet newspaper using a provided collection of 120 images. Organize the images into sections and categories with typography. Include at least 6 pages of complex text (from a provided source) with elements like titles, subtitles, index, page numbers, and footnotes.
Use the text as a guiding metaphor throughout the publication. This project aims to develop your understanding of newspaper design, emphasizing concepts like sequence, hierarchy, rhythm, and tactility. Don't limit yourself by the format or page count; aim to explore design possibilities beyond a simple two-page layout.
Combined two known publication grids and split the paper in half. Upper half follows New York Times grid, bottom half the Vogue grid.
Use the text as a guiding metaphor throughout the publication. This project aims to develop your understanding of newspaper design, emphasizing concepts like sequence, hierarchy, rhythm, and tactility. Don't limit yourself by the format or page count; aim to explore design possibilities beyond a simple two-page layout.
Combined two known publication grids and split the paper in half. Upper half follows New York Times grid, bottom half the Vogue grid.