Lettering Design / Calligraphyđď¸ @intermediate_mike
Iâm excited to share some âbehind the scenesâ from my VII Breaths projects. As the journal develops I plan to offer exclusive content and benefits to paid (and free) subscribers.
The new logo for VII Breaths is currently under construction. As I already had the numerals and the aesthetics of martial arts and samurai culture, designing a logo was the next step. The concept of a seal, whilst incorporating font imagery was the vision and I knew the exact person to take my ideas to the next level.
Hereâs some current & previous work from the talented Mike Aitchison.
Under Construction
The Roman numeral seven is inside a box which symbolises breath and âbox breathingâ.
The open box gives a sense of movement/freedom. When I shared the logo with a couple of people, I was asked whether the logo + box was a snake, which I kind of liked, as this could symbolise the creative life force and shedding skin transformation.
As well as a typographer, Mike is a talented producer and musician. Weâve connected and made music/art through the years.
Mind đĽ
Seven years ago we released: Season One
Numerology
Some say seven represents time or a bridge to the spiritual world. It reminds us that everything of limited duration is not real. The number seven can also be said to symbolise totality in the material world.
Iâve previously spoken of my reasons behind seven breaths, and that it occurs within 1 minute of breathing. But why is seven so special?
I remember first wondering about the significance of numbers through sport. In football, the number 10 was generally given to the creative force in the team, but many great footballers have also worn the number 7, such as Garrincha, Kenny Dalglish, George Best and David Beckham. One of the greatest players of all time Cristiano Ronaldo made it his own after Sir Alex Ferguson said that he should wear number 7, which was worn by many legends at Manchester United.
Through books and films, I began to see it reappear, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Seven Samurai, Se7en.
Seven Deadly Sins
There are Seven virtues and Seven Deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins.
Se7en
In the film Se7en, two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Once you begin searching for meaning or significance, you can find it anywhere, or in anything. Yet some numbers seem to carry more weight or symbolism.
Seven days of the week, and there were seven wonders of the ancient world:
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were:
the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt
Of the original seven, only the Great Pyramid exists today.
Seven is the number of completeness and perfection (both physical and spiritual). It derives much of its meaning from being linked to the Christian belief that God created earth and all things in seven days (including a day of rest). The number 7 is also important in Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
Menorah
The Jewish Menorah has 7 candles, and according to Jewish tradition, the creation of Adam occurred on October 7th, 3761 B.C. (or the first day of Tishri, which is the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar). The seven lamps allude to the branches of human knowledge, represented by the six lamps inclined inwards towards, and symbolically guided by, the light of God represented by the central lamp. The menorah also symbolises the creation in seven days, with the centre light representing the Sabbath.
The Koran, Islamâs holy book, also speaks of seven heavens.
Seven Heavens
Muslims making the pilgrimage to Mecca walk around the Kaaba seven times. In Chinese culture, seven represent Yin and Yang combined with the Five Elements: water, fire, earth, wood, and metal. This combination represents the concept of harmony in Confucianism.
Mathematically, the number seven also has a couple of features that make it appealing to many people. First, itâs an odd number. Even numbers can be easily divided by two, so odd numbers seem more unique to some people. Seven is also a prime number, which means it can only be divided by itself and one.
The number 7 is also seen throughout nature. There are 7 oceans, 7 continents, 7 vertebrae in the neck, 7 layers of skin (2 outer and 5 inner), and ocean waves roll in sevens. Seven colours in the rainbow.
There are seven notes in the musical scale.
The C-major scale comprises seven diatonic steps
Heptatonic scale, also called Seven-note Scale, or Seven-tone Scale, musical scale made up of seven different tones. The major and minor scales of Western art music are the most commonly known heptatonic scales, but different forms of seven-tone scales exist. Medieval church modes, each having its characteristic pattern of whole and half steps, used seven tones. Scales that resemble the medieval modes are found in some European folk music. Heptatonic scales can also be found in the music of Africa and some American Indian music.
Truth be told, Iâm barely scratching the surface of the number 7.
I find numerology and symbolism intriguing, and remember being mesmerised by the Darren Aronofsky film Pi. During one of the most memorable scenes of the film, they discuss the power of numbers and mathematics.
One: Mathematics is the language of nature. Two: Everything around us can be represented and understood through numbers. Three: If you graph the numbers of any system, patterns emerge. Therefore, there are patterns everywhere in nature. â Max Cohen
Lucky for some, special for others: SEVEN / 7 / VII