Urban Typography

flickr.com

I picked this as my example of Urban Typography because it is a sign you'd see in many urban areas in the U.S.  It's one of those signs you can't help but notice, especially when it's illuminated.  I'll never forget when I was younger and saw one of these with the "S" burned out.  It cracked me up that "Hell" had a location right off of the highway.

Typographical Error

Flicker.com

I'm always delighted to find signs that have misspellings or other silly errors.  Usually I can figure out the message.  I get the first part of the sign, but this one is throwing me a curve ball.  What in the world does "ferever" mean?

Neon Typography

This restroom sign is undoubtedly one that we've all come across at one time or another.  In it's own way, it has become a classic of sorts.  Fancy restroom signs are sometimes barely noticeable.  This on the other hand yells, "Hey! If you've gotta go, the bathrooms are here."

Credit: Flickr.com

It also makes me wonder if there are any other color variations of it. I don't recall seeing a neon bathroom sign like this in any other color than this yellowish white.  Now I'll subconsciously be on the lookout for variations.

Graffiti Typography



Credit: Flickr.com



This example of graffitti typography stood out because it made the message clear.  "Don't eat me" with a cow is simple and noticeable.  It looks to have been stenciled with spray paint on a wall. 

I like the roughness of it as well.  Slightly fatigued, but still strong.  I also like the uniqueness of it--it's not your typical graffiti with crazy colors and hard to read messages.

US Typography

You can't get much more "US" in typography than with our currency.  However, I feel that the US passport is a strong example of US typography as well.

The word "PASSPORT" conveys authority, but is balanced out with a softer touch with the italicized "United States of America". 

The colors of the text against the dark blue cover give it a regal feel.  The words and the colors succeed in giving this item an official look.

The Digital Type Revolution - How Digital Type Changed Design in the 21st Century

Humans have been trying to communicate messages since the beginning of time.  From cave drawings and hieroglyphics to Gutenberg and his Bible, history has shown that man is constantly trying to evolve the methods of visual communication.  



A bitmap example from designhistory.org



The 21^st century is no exception.  Digital communication is a standard form of communication that has had a profound effect on the way we communicate.  

Computer graphics in the basic form originated in the 1960’s with the Cathode Ray Tube, but the first digital typesetting system was introduced by Dr. Ing. Rudolf Hell in 1965.  According to designhistory.org, it was the first device to produce characters entirely from digital masters (Sec. 4).

The first generations of letterforms were called Bitmap fonts.  Fonts.com describes these letterforms as, “comparable to superimposing a sheet of graph paper over a drawn letter and coloring in the boxes (pixels) that fell within the outline of that letter.” (Sec. 1)

Over the years, digital type has evolved into more than colored boxes.  It has evolved into forms that have increased clarity, formatting flexibility and require much less memory space than before.   And with the evolution of the characters themselves has come a revolution in the way designers design.

In the 1980’s, fonts could be designed, perfected and made available to the masses, not exclusively to ad agencies and design firms. (Selby, Par. 1)  Publishers welcomed the ability to use independently created typefaces that weren’t constricted to sizes and formats specifically for printing equipment. (Pollack, Par. 4)   And it only grew from there.

Although words on paper no longer ruled the road, the digital typography revolution changed electronic and print design forever.  It had freed letterforms from their static size and shape and allowed them to break free of standard grids if they choose.  



Bezier Curves allow for customized letterforms.
Credit: designhistory.org



 Today we are a society of electronic media.  Many experts feared that the digital age would be the end of typography and print mediums.  According to Ellen Lupton in her book, “Thinking with Type”, it has actually led to the “burgeoning of alphabetic empire” because a computer display is “more hospitable to text…because it offers physical proximity, user control, and a scale appropriate to the body.” (page 76)

Caroline Archer, a writer and print historian fears that the word ‘typography’ has become an abused term. In her article, “What is typography?” she expresses her concern over the confusion of what typography is.

“My students not only regard hand-lettering as typography, they also apply the term to handwriting, hand-engraving and sometimes even calligraphy and graffiti. While letterforms may be the common denominator of these allied disciplines, they remain separate subjects.” (Par. 1)

Despite fears of artists and designers forgetting the roots of typography, designers seem to agree that digital type has changed design for the better.  Communicating messages is faster and is relatively limitless in possibilities.

Sources

Selby, Michael.  “1980s type – The Digital Revolution.” Michael Selby. 23 Sept. 2008 .2 Dec. 2010. <http://www.michaelselby.blogspot.com>

“The Digital Revolution – The Computer Era”. 2010. 1 Dec. 2010. Sec. 1. <http://designhistory.org>

Archer, Caroline.  “Print’s past – What is Typography?” Printweek.  12 Mar. 2010. Postscript 51. 1 Dec. 2010. <www.http://lexusnexus.com>

Lupton, Ellen. Thinking With Type. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004.

Monotype Imaging. “A Brief History of Digital Type”.  2 Dec. 2010. http://fonts.com

Pollack, Andrew. “Typesetting Gets a Digital Facelift.”  The New York Times. 2 Aug. 1989. Sec. D, Col. 3.  1 Dec. 2010. <http://www.lexusnexus.com>

Hand Painted Typography

I found this example of hand painted typography while looking through old record album covers. I thought this was really neat because it's not just a font made to look authentic.  The words are actual painted letters on the brick wall. It makes a simple and effective use of space.  The band name is the largest text, with the album name next. It follows the typical reading direction from left to right.

I'd never heard of this music group prior to seeing this cover, but I think the combination of the text on brick and the washed out photo make for a unique album photograph.

Type With Interesting Color Treatment

This is an image from a T-shirt sold at Sgt. Grit, a Marine Corps specialty shop.  The image is a tribute to fallen Marines and the United States Marine Memorial.  Visitors to the memorial can trace the names of fallen Marines on the walls with a pencil. 

The text treatment of the "U.S.M.C." is interesting because there is no actual color or pattern--the text is mimicking the tracing of the engraved wall.  (Or it may be a genuine wall tracing applied to the design)  This choice to use the text this way is significant because it enforces the remembrance aspect and the experience of visiting the memorial.  It is not flashy or embellished, but it draws your attention to the main focus of the design in a way that is completely relevant to the memorial.  It's powerful.

Logo-Typography

I admit it. I'm a regular at Dunkin' Donuts. And I love their updated marketing look.  I went on their website to find an image of a shirt they sell because it's a good example of distressed typography, but couldn't find a clear image.  Instead of moving on, I was sidetracked and ended up on their parent company site.  And there I found a really cool logotype.

Some points about this:

• Notice the  "U".  It's lowered, giving the "dunking" appearance.  And it's brown, which reminds me of a doughnut. Dunking doughnut.  I'm assuming that was the design intention, and I find it simply brilliant. 
• The logo colors tie right into what made Dunkin Donuts famous. Coffee and doughnuts.  Great idea. 
• The lowered "U" draws the eye to the "eatdrinkthink" portion, but not too much.  You still noticed the main part first. 

Overall, I think this logo works perfectly for the parent company and what their industry is. I think whoever had been designing the logos for this company is doing a great job.  It's creative, but not complicated. 

Asian Typography

I came across this example of Asian Typography in a book called, "Typography for the People - Hand Painted Signs From Around the World". Written by Daniel Bellon and Klaus Bellon, it includes this image of a menu sign in Hong Kong. 

I found this interesting because the overall feel of the Asian character form is maintained although these are English words.

The dish titles are written in an way that resembles Asian calligraphy.  Each letter shows unique qualities - varying stroke widths, slants, spacing and size.  Although the English words are nowhere near as perfect as the symbols at the top of the menu, it seems the artist took care to match the style as much as possible. Considering that red paint on a white surface doesn't leave much room for error, the artist did well. The only gripe I have is the worn out appearance of the sign.  I think it's time for a new one.

Historical Typography

While looking up information on the Maryland Renaissance Festival that is held annually in Maryland, it struck me to explore their website for an example of historical typography.  Why?  Not only because the event itself is based on a historical time period, but they have many vendors and exhibits based on the culture from the renaissance. And that includes printmaking. 

I could have taken the easy route and used their logo for an example of historical typography, but I wanted something more genuine.  I found just that.  

If you visit the Festival this year and go along the Queens Path, you'll find Artisans of all kinds, including "Allen Ye Printmaker".  Allen Bjorkman is a the owner of Fenix Art Studio in Oswego, NY.  It appears that he is a regular exhibitor at the Festival and one of his specialties are reproductions of Renaissance prints. 

Here is a print of what is called a "Hornbook".  The description from Bjorkman's website is as follows: 

 

England, 16th Century. Consisting of a single printed page overlaid with thin transparent horn and mounted on wood, the Elizabethan Hornbook was a child’s first primer. It taught the alphabet and elements of syllabication; it also included the Lord’s Prayer. Discipline was severe in Elizabethan schools, and the school day was unmercifully long, running from six or seven in the morning until five or six in the afternoon, six days per week. Limited edition screen print (400) from a hand-cut stencil. © 1984 by Allen Bjorkman     I've always liked the Old English style typography.  The uppercase letters are intricate and fancy, and the rest of the characters each have their unique aspects.  For example, the serifs are often angled, but some letters feature decorative serifs, such as the lowercase "s".  The combination of sharp angles and delicate rounded touches make this type seem very complicated.  I can only imagine how long it would take someone to hand write a document in this style.

Childlike Typography

In the previous post, I shared how DuClaw Brewing Company is one of my favorite places for food, drinks and graphic design genius.  And now, I must sing their praises once again.

Their kids menu is an engaging and very child friendly example of design.  I was impressed by their use of a chalk mimicking font.  This type of font can be easily overused in design (not that a kid would care), but not in this case.  Combined with the food graphics and a clear, easy to read item description, this typography adds a nice touch.

The chalky font is called, "Eraser Dust", and can be downloaded free from several sites. Click here to download it from dafont.com.

This is yet another font going into my mental notebook for future projects.

Historical Typography Reused in a Contemporary Design

DuClaw Brewing Company is one of my favorite places to eat and drink.  And every time I visit, there's a new beer or a new coaster that has graphic design genius written all over it. The designs are screaming for someone to take a closer look--they're really eye catching. And of course I do. 

One thing I've always noticed is that whoever designs the promotional materials has a great eye for fonts.  The fonts always seem to match the theme, and when multiple fonts are used, they complement each other. 

Here is a screen snippet of their menu, which can also be found as a PDF on their website. 

Notice the words, "THE SWEET".  I categorize it as a historical font because  the first thing that comes to mind are signs from the wild west--say, a saloon or something.  The distressed, weathered appearance adds to the old wild west look, as do the unique serifs.

It's contemporary because, well, it's in a 2010 menu for one.  And, it's angled, giving it a modern "notice me" appearance. It also has some swashes added to the letters, giving it a slightly updated feel.

I wanted to know what this font was.  And because it was a PDF, I got lucky. 

A few years back I discovered a way to find out what the fonts are in some PDF documents. (A little sidetracking here) With a PDF file open in Adobe Reader, go to FILE>PROPERTIES>FONTS (tab). And wal-la, if you're lucky, it'll list the document fonts.

So the font here is called, "Nasty" and I was able to track it down (thanks Google).  It's a free font and can be downloaded from Fonts101.com.  Click here for a direct link to the download page.

I'm a fan of this font and how it has been used.  I'm making a mental note of it's existence in case I need it for a future project.