hand-traced stone silhouettes build Wenbin Li’s graphic system
A collection of 100 stones gathered along a coastline forms the basis of Numerous Difference, a project by Wenbin Li that translates natural forms into a graphic identity system. The stones were collected sequentially along the shoreline without selection or categorisation. Each object was numbered on site, and its exact position along the waterline was recorded.
In the studio, the designer hand-traced the outline of each stone, generating a set of 100 unique silhouettes. These forms serve as the foundation for a graphic system applied across multiple formats, including posters, packaging, a billboard, and a tote bag. The shapes, defined by natural erosion over time, are reproduced through four distinct visual treatments: solid black, stippled grain, concentric contour lines, and gradient shading. Each variation offers a different method of interpreting the same form.
All printed outputs pair each silhouette with its corresponding number and the time of collection, establishing a consistent indexing system. The graphics are also applied to packaging, integrating identity and object into a single layer. As each stone produces a distinct outline, every application within the system remains unique.
index poster — all 100 stone silhouettes | all images courtesy of Wenbin Li
typography frames the shift between one stone and one hundred
The project title, 一百不同, carries a dual reading. It translates as ‘one hundred differences,’ while its typographic composition allows an alternative interpretation as 一石不同, meaning ‘one stone, different.’ This duality reflects the relationship between the collective set and the individuality of each element.
The work extends into a spatial installation composed of large sheets of paper, each cut with a stone-shaped void corresponding to one of the traced outlines. Suspended from a wooden frame, the sheets form a linear sequence that allows views through multiple layers simultaneously, aligning the silhouettes into a continuous visual field.
Following the exhibition, designer Wenbin Li returned each stone to its original recorded position along the coastline, re-establishing its place within the natural environment.
poster detail, contour line style — stones #14 and #66
rendering styles derived from four stone outlines
rolled posters and printed cards on display shelf
poster series — three visual treatments
billboard
packaging system — four visual treatments across box formats
tote bag — stone #24
looking through 100 stacked cutouts
installation, side view
installation, side view
aerial map of stone collection points along the coastline
project info:
name: Numerous Difference
designer: Wenbin Li
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom
The post 100 hand-traced coastal stones form a graphic identity system before returning to the sea appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.