If the typeface did the talking
After working for many happy years in Shoreditch, once London’s ultra-trendy artist and tech area, and enjoying a recent spin around Williamsburg, Brooklyn, these posters strike an amusing chord, poking fun at hipsters.
They were created to promote “Hipster Script” a gorgeous typeface launched last year by Argentinean type designer, Alejandro Paul, with the words and concept by Brooklyn based Jon Parker. I particularly like “You’re using a font that came with your operating system? Oh.”
It is a beautiful typeface, as one poster says, with more swashes than most and ligatures for customising your typography. Ale Paul is also one of the founders of Sudtipos, the first Argentinean type foundry collective who have built an impressive collection of over 100 typefaces. He say’s about this design:
Hipster Script is another of my habitual attempts at trying to reduce the divide between manual and digital. In this case, I try to articulate brush lettering, try to get the computer to emulate continuous painting.
I also toyed with ligatures containing apostrophes, something I’ve never seen before. With this typeface I think I’ve become more balanced in uniting the spontaneity of post-war ad lettering with the current trends in illustration and design.
Hipster Script received a Judge’s choice Certificate of Excellence at the Type Directors of New York and was selected to be part of the Bienal Tipos Latinos 2012.
Swashy “N”
The US version of the Pencil to Pixel exhibition, from Monotype, came with a whole microsite of goodies – well worth a browse. This drawing of an exuberant “N”, that appears to be bowing with a flourish, is one of my favourites.
Original ink drawing of a swashy “N” by Eduardo Cotti for the Pastonchi family, designed with Francesco Pastonchi in 1927
Handwritten Images
These pictures have been created from the handwriting of Annemarie Wright a British artist currently exhibiting in London’s Woolff Gallery. Made with pen and ink, the words are either by or about the person or image depicted. From a distance just the image is visible and as you move closer the words become dominant.
Shown above:
Lily Allen ‘@lilyroseallen’
Text: Lily Allen tweets
David Cameron ‘What do you think of David Cameron?’
Text: Public Opinion from ‘What do you think of David Cameron’.com and twitter.
The Queen ‘I’m more than conscious of the importance of football’
Text: A selection of extracts from the Queen’s speeches
Tony Blair ‘Their families have been told’
Text: Names of fallen British soldiers from Iraq and Afganistan
George Bush ‘The problem with the French is that they don’t have a word for entrepreneur’
Text: ‘Bush-ism’s’
Graphic Glass for Good
According to Faucet Face, 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour. And that’s just in the US alone.
To combat this global issue, Mason Gentry set up Faucet Face, a social enterprise, to encourage us to drink more tap water by selling beautifully designed and reusable glass bottles to drink it from.
Pointing out that “everything tastes better in glass”, the benefits are not only a much nicer way to drink water but a portion of the profits go towards helping others drink clean water too. For each bottle sold a minimum of 100 litres of drinking water is provided to families in India who suffer from contaminated river water.
The thick, quality bottles feature playful lettering by Seb Lester and Ray Fenwick. Mason showed me some of the original sketches, inspired by early Pepsi-Cola bottle lettering.
Superfantastic ‘T’
I couldn’t resist posting this Instagram shot by James Verity of Superfantastic. Although it’s simple, I love the image colours and textures.
The typeface used is Gille Classic (AKA Home Style) by FontMesa, a revival based on a French typeface by Joseph Gille in 1820.
How to ‘Print’ Type with a Needle and Thread
This inventive CMYK alphabet has been hand embroidered by Evelin Kasikov, a London based designer with a very analytical approach to craft.
Evelin found that by stitching two overlapping CMYK thread colours at 90 and 45 degrees, an ‘analogue halftone’ is created.
Originally the alphabet was created as a typographic experiment but once the technique was refined it enabled the creation of some elaborate and fantastic typographic posters like the one at the bottom.
If Words Could Fly
This inspiring and beautiful 3D poster was created in support of the people of Fukushima, Japan. Called ‘Words can fly a thousand miles’, the sentiment seems quite apt again following the Oklahoma Tornado.
The team of designers, based in Montreal, were inspired by the Japanese custom of Senbazuru that promises luck or a wish to anyone folding a thousand origami cranes.
Once complete, the team sough donations and handwritten messages to console and encourage people after the devastation. You can see it in progress here.
Credits: Creative Director: Kyosuke Nishida, Art Director: Kyosuke Nishida, Brian Li Sui Fong, Designer: Dominic Liu, Photographer: Simon Duhamel. This project was realised with the help of Surface3 Design Office.
Book Review: The Geometry of Type
There are many things I like about Stephen Coles’ recent book; the bright, clean design and the accessible structure allowing you to dip in and out; but most of all, it’s the lack of fluff or filler. The content has been carefully honed to focus on the important details, which is in fact what the book is all about: the details of each typeface.
In highlighting and comparing the features that give each typeface its character, anyone exploring this subject can begin to make informed choices between similar typeface options.
The pithy descriptions describe each typeface’s origin and advise what makes each appropriate for certain scenarios and where it might fail. These are occasionally laced with a subtle humour that keeps the tone of the book warm.
The great balance of written and visual explanation means the book works well as a quick reference but has a seductive way of drawing you in to read more and examine further.
The 100 “essential” typefaces chosen covers a decent range and they have been categorised in the most straight-forward way. Historically it stretches from Gill Sans 1928-32) right up to Heron Serif (2012), but also acknowledges original creation dates for revivals such as Bembo (1495).
I’ve already found it useful in my work and I know I’ll enjoy repeatedly picking it up in the future to compare other typefaces in my collection and those I’ve spotted in the wild.
Well worth picking up a copy. Take a look the book’s online companion on tumblr: The Anatomy of Type
A Spark is All It Takesby Charlotte Estelle Littlehales
It would be amazing to be the person that lit this!
I’m assuming that this idea was inspired by “danger” and other ‘match type’ work by Pei-San Ng
iesanbrooks:
The math: 2,600 matchsticks, 720 minutes to create, and 1 minute of fiery immolation to undo it all; Charlotte’s typographic matchstick design is a testament to the creative and sometimes destructive power of imagination.
8 Faces Issue #6 is now available to buy.
Our latest issue features stunning de-bossed cover art by Stefan Weyer (tilt it towards the light to see the artwork in full) and interviews with Simon Walker, Dan Rhatigan, Seb Lester, Nina Stössinger, Grant Hutchinson, Mike Kus, and Eric Olson and Nicole Dotin of Process Type. In addition to that stellar line-up, we have essays from Christopher Murphy, Leo Koppelkamm, and Typekit’s Tim Brown, and an introduction by Craig Mod.
Only 2000 copies are available! Order yours now at 8Faces.com
What is 8 Faces?
If you could use just eight typefaces, which would you choose? 8 Faces is a magazine that asks this question — and many more — to eight leading designers from the fields of print, web, illustration, and of course type design itself. Eighty-eight pages of in-depth interviews, critical essays, and inspiration from the very best in the business. We pride ourselves on producing a printed magazine that you’ll want to keep on your bookshelf. Our covers are adorned with our foil-blocked silver logo and each issue is an experiment with an attention-grabbing new printing technique.
8 Designers x 8 Typefaces in 88 pages.
8 Faces – Out Wednesday.
I’ve seen the final version and it’s looking very fine.
About: Jamie Clarke, Type Worship Editor
I’m a designer based in London. I’ve worked mostly on the Internet but I’m especially passionate about all forms of typography and lettering.
I co-founded the design agency, Thin Martian (annually rated a top 100 UK design company, Design Week), which was acquired in 2013 and I was previously Head of Design at Microsoft in the UK.
I’m currently developing my own lettering work under the ‘Type Worship’ label, consisting of typographic posters (coming soon) and custom lettering artworks, all printed by hand.
I have written for a number publications including the 8Faces Magazine which also sponsors the Type Worship blog.
You can find more about me here:
Selected Articles:
