The excellent film on Massimo Vignelli’s approach to book design by Pentagram for Mohawk, just had to feature on Typetoken — Enjoy!

Info

“The grid is an integral part of book design. It’s not something that you see. It’s just like underwear: you wear it, but it’s not to be exposed. The grid is the underwear of the book.” — Massimo Vignelli

Vignelli’s approach to book design is the subject of a new video created by Pentagram’s Michael Bierut and Aron Fay for “What Will You Make Today?” campaign from Mohawk. In the video, Vignelli discusses his use of the grid as the basis for the layout of a book’s pages, using one of his classic book designs for the architect Richard Meier as an example. Working with an audio interview edited by Hilary Frank, Bierut and Fay animated Vignelli’s sketches for the clip, taking them from skeletal grid to finished publication.

Bierut knew Vignelli’s painstaking step-by-step process well. “Because I worked with Massimo for ten years before joining Pentagram, I was very familiar with his unique way of designing books. He sits with all the ingredients—text and images—and draws each page with a pencil, including every photograph, using a grid as a layout guide,” he says.

The video is accompanied by a small limited edition journal that reproduces Vignelli’s grid from the film. The journal is available from Mohawk’s website, while supplies last.

Vimeo Link

The latest issue of limited edition typography 8 Faces is now on sale, available exclusively from the brand new 8faces.com.

Issue 6′s stunning cover artwork (designed by Stefan Weyer) is entirely blind de-bossed, so there’s no ink at all — you have to tilt it towards the light to see all of the details.

This issue features interviews with Simon Walker, Dan Rhatigan, Seb Lester, Nina Stössinger, Grant Hutchinson, Mike Kus, and Eric Olson and Nicole Dotin of Process Type. It also includes essays from Christopher Murphy, Leo Koppelkamm, and Typekit’s Tim Brown, and an introduction by Craig Mod.

Each copy comes with a free type catalogue from Rosetta and a free PDF edition, available for immediate download. The physical edition will ship from 6th May onwards and only 2000 copies have been printed.

The new website was designed and built by Trent Walton, Reagan Ray, and Dave Rupert at Paravel, with 8 Faces founder Elliot Jay Stocks.

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Thanks to 8 Faces | Elliot Jay Stocks for the latest 8 Faces issue #6 images + information

8faces.com

A film documenting the publishing (ad)venture of Baseline Magazine. It is a brief, yet in depth summary about how the International TypoGraphics Magazine is produced and shows it’s associated activities. The film is a collaboration between Marta Patlewicz, film maker based in Rochester, the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) and Baseline Magazine.

baselinemagazine.com

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Thanks to John Hunt | HDR

Revolution or evolution? Fall or rise? Whorehouse or paradise? Cola or guarapo? Marlboro or Cohiba? Beans or lobster? Freedom or Guantanamo? Track suit or tie? Internet or carrier pigeon? Salsa or rap? Old-timer or Turbo? Museum or future-lab? Work or none? Hope or exile? Or a mix of all of these queries? It’s different than we think – much more complicated, deep and full of surprises. Reason enough to dedicate the 21st issue of Slanted Magazine to a young generation of Cuban designers and artists.

“Slanted #21: CUBA – The New Generation” illuminates contemporary design, photography, illustration and typography from Cuba with a special focus on Cuban poster art – most projects and artworks have never been shown outside Cuba

We are very happy to present numerous essays and reports: “Chico & Rita – A film by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal” as well as “Malecón Buena Vista” by Wolfgang Wick (DE), “Happiness” by Frank Wiedemann (DE), “Havana Today, Havana Cultura” by Randall Koral (FR), “Necessary Things” byå Ernesto Oroza (US), “Posters as Bridges” by Carlos Zamora (US), “Design on an Island” by Pedro Contreras Suárez (CU), “Give Guantanamo Back to Cuba” by Jonathan M. Hansen (US), “Equal among equals – The Emporer’s New Clothes” by Michael Schmidt (DE), “The Human Memory Machine” by Ian Lynam (JP) as well as “Cuba, mi amor” by Anna Berkenbusch (DE). Furthermore we talked to Hartwig Runge (Ingo Graf, DE), Javier Mariscal (ES), Mario MC (CU), Sachie Hernández Machín (CU), Sara Vega Miche (CU), Nelson Ponce Sánchez (CU), Raúl Valdés González (Raupa, CU), Michele Miyares Hollands (CU), Giselle Monzón Calero (CU), Roberto Ramos Mori (CU), Edel Rodríguez Molano (Mola, CU), Pepe Menéndez (CU), Eduardo Sarmiento (US), Daniel Díaz Milán (CU), Carlos Segura (US), Pablo A. Medina (US), Claudio Sotolongo (CU), Jorge González (DE) and Yoan Pablo Hernández (DE). In our interview format (10 x 10) 10 international designers gave answers to 10 questions about poster design – Andrew Lewis (CA), Anette Lenz (FR), Götz Gramlich (DE), Gunter Rambow (DE), Harmen Liemburg (NL), Jeff Kleinsmith (US), Kiko Farkas (GR), Niklaus Troxler (CH), Takashi Akiyama (JP) und Yossi Lemel (IL).

There are also some innovations to go along with the new issue:

a) The first issue of 2013 appears in a new format (16 x 24 cm) and bigger volume (320 (!) pages) and will be released 2 times a year in spring and autumn from now on.

b) Thanks to the preceded crowdfunding, this issue is completely bilingual (English/Spanish).

c) Slanted is now interactive: With the free Augmented Reality app Junaio you can experience lots of extras.

d) The additional booklet “Contemporary Typefaces” presents the most interesting typefaces from the last six months: Agmena (Linotype Originals), Aleksei (Fatype), Classic Grotesque (Monotype), Conspired Lovers (HaraldGeisler.com), Daphne (TypeManufactur), Gemma (Mota Italic), Irma Text Narrow (Typotheque), Lettera-Txt (Lineto.com), Lupa Sans Pro (Volcano Type/MyFonts), Macula (Bold Monday), MeM (26+), Paris Pro (Moshik Nadav Typography), Publico Banner (Commercial Type) and Worthe Numerals (House Industries).

e) Slanted #21 is the bachelor thesis of Falko Gerlinghoff and Markus Lange, students at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design.

Slanted Magazine #21: CUBA – The New Generation

Spring/Summer
320 pages
16 x 24 cm
English/Spanish

http://cuba.slanted.de/

http://www.slanted.de/

In a recent two-day Gestalten workshop, participants worked closely with Jessica Hische (a letterer and illustrator) to develop a full vector alphabet and learn about drawing type in a short amount of time. Hische has been named a Forbes Magazine “30 under 30” in art and design as well as an ADC Young Gun and one of Print Magazine’s “New Visual Artists”. Gestalten.tv filmed the workshop and interviewed Jessica about some of the pros and cons of the letters B/E/R/L/I/N.

http://jessicahische.is/

Thanks to Lina Kunimoto | Gestalten

The Geometry of Type

The Anatomy of 100 Essential Typefaces
Stephen Coles Foreword by Erik Spiekermann
Thames & Hudson
Publication date: 21 January 2013

The Geometry of Type explores 100 traditional and modern typefaces in loving detail, with a full spread devoted to each entry. Characters from each typeface are enlarged and annotated to reveal key features, anatomical details, and the finer, often-overlooked elements of type design, which shows how these attributes affect mood and readability. Sidebar information lists the designer and foundry, the year of release and the different weights and styles available, while feature boxes explain the origins and best uses for each typeface, such as whether it is suitable for running text or as a display font for headlines. To help the reader spot each typeface in the wider world, the full character set is shown, and the best letters for identification are highlighted. This beautiful and highly practical work of reference for font spotters, designers and users is a close-up celebration of typefaces and great type design.

• A beautiful and highly practical work of reference for for font spotters, designers and users that celebrates typefaces and great type design inclose-up.

• Features 100 popular typefaces, grouped according to 17 primary type classifications.

• Feature boxes explain origins and chief attributes of each typeface, as well as its best uses, such as whether it is suitable for running text or as a display font for headlines.

Author

Stephen Coles is a writer and typographer. After six years as creative director at FontShop in San Francisco, he now edits the websites Typographica, Fonts In Use and The Mid-Century Modernist. Stephen is a regular contributor to Print and Codex magazines, a TypeCamp instructor and a member of the FontFont TypeBoard. He also contributed editorial content to the most recent edition of FontBook:Digital Typeface Compendium.

Erik Spiekermann founded MetaDesign, Germany’s largest design firm, in 1979 and FontShop in 1988; he now runs the design agency Edenspiekermann.

Further Information

http://typeanatomy.com/

Demian Conrad Design is a creative studio based in Lausanne, Switzerland and boasts a strong graphic style coupled with beautiful typography.

Far from visceral, their approach is forensic and objective, employing a level of thinking and curiosity that has quite clearly rewarded them with many great projects.

Demian has kindly agreed to answer a few questions for TypeToken.

Having studied with Edward de Bono, how much influence has he had on your work?
Edward de Bono is one of the rare brilliant minds who has improved the way we use creativity thanks to a series of techniques he developed. He has also demonstrated that creativity is not a mysterious magic gift but it is a proper skill that you can develop and improve. I’ve been implementing his great techniques for a long time and they help me to find solutions when I’m stuck with a problem. The PO ‘provocative operator’ is a simple tool to provoke new ideas. I used it, for instance, for ‘Camerata de Lausanne’ when I had to set the problem, the question being ‘Can we communicate the concept of contemporary music, without the classic visual elements like a violin, partitions and musical notes?’

Experimentation flows through your studio, but perfection is just as evident. How do you balance them both?
It is always difficult to balance it, in some way we would like to do more experimental projects, but as we are serving an industry we also have to keep an eye on objectivity. I believe my work is a kind of Swiss heritage mixed with a pinch of dadaism. One of our influences is the Fluxus Movement with its performative techniques. So when you see the last project produced for the LUFF campaign you can read there is the wish to try new ways to express a visual sign.

At what point during a project do you introduce typography?
I would say that typography is the starting point of the visual project, having analysed the problems and set the questions of the project. I decided to avoid the use of illustration and figurativism within my studio’s process, and so I give more emphasis to typography and geometry. It is always an exiting and empowering process to communicate within typography constraints.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Do not listen to other people’s opinion when you think you have the right answer.

If you had to favour one typeface, what would it be?
It’s not possible to choose the best one because every typeface has it own purpose and set of values. But recently, I re-discovered Univers by Adrian Frutiger and I have to say that is seems so perfectly objective.

You can view more of Demian Conrad’s work on his site.

The updated edition of ‘Grids’ published by Ava academia – is well worth checking out. Something for everyone (from students to seasoned pros) in this well designed book, explanations / theories behind grid systems and illustrated with some beautiful ‘real life’ grid based work.

Ava information

A comprehensive guide to the use of grids in graphic design.

Argues for an informed and flexible approach to using grids, to allow for effective and creative designs.

Contemporary case studies are supported by concise descriptions, technical expansions and diagrammatic visualizations, enabling the reader to fully understand the work being discussed.

An in-depth guide, supported by interviews, exercises and resources, all presented in a visually stimulating style designed to appeal to students and practitioners of the creative arts.

avabooks.com

To find out more about Corey, read this interview by Veer, look at his site, or follow him on Twitter too.

AVA Academia publish some excellent books covering applied visual arts and design subjects, there recent Typography focused titles are well researched and illustrated with some great typographic work

The Fundamentals of Typography (second edition) is an updated version of the popular first edition of this book, in which Ambrose and Harris introduce the fundamental principles of typographic theory and practice. It covers a wide range of subjects, including the history of typography, typographic detailing and the use of creative typography across a range of media. Packed with clear explanations, expanded illustrations and historical and contemporary examples from leading practitioners around the world, this book offers an essential guide to the subject of typography and its role within graphic design. The second edition includes considerable new and revised content from the authors, including new case studies and student exercises.

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Basics Typography 02: Using Type is a wide ranging and practical guide to typography. The book starts with an exploration of how to define type, where it is found and its many different uses. It goes on to examine layout and practice within a graphic design context, teaching designers how to work with type through specific projects and student exercises. Highly illustrated, this title contains images of historically important work alongside many examples from contemporary design studios. A helpful running glossary and examples of successful student and professional work make this an esential handbook for students of graphic design and visual communication.

more

From the San Francisco Chronicle — A brilliant insight a man who has been working with Monotype casting machines for over 62 years.

A recent Thursday at 10:23 a.m.: In the basement of Arion Press, where they still print books the old-fashioned way, Lewis Mitchell slid open a box of parts used to change the font size on the Monotype casting machines he has maintained for 62 years. “I thoroughly enjoy the sound of the machines turning, and seeing the type come out is a joy,” Mitchell said. He can tell by the sound of the moving springs and levers if something is awry with his machines — a skill he said all good technicians should have.

Four different owners have run the business since Mitchell walked through the doors at age 18, and he has had several opportunities to leave, including a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that he declined. Now 80, Mitchell can’t imagine retiring from the job he loves so much.

When Mitchell started making this kind of type, it was really the only way to print things, and now he doesn’t know how many books he’s helped print over the decades. There were once type-casting operations in most major U.S. cities, but now the practice is almost extinct. There are only two companies left in the world that cast type for printing presses, and Arion is by far the largest.

Mitchell has four grown children and nine grandchildren, but he calls the 20 type-casting machines his “babies.” “I treat them with kindness. I don’t use a hammer on them or an over-sized screwdriver.” The first machine, which started the company during 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, is still its best machine — proof that Mitchell’s methods work. “My dad taught me from square one if you going to do something, you’re going to do it right or you don’t do it.”

This lettering project by Karen To illustrates words which have been removed from English dictionaries. We like it.

See more words and definitions here.

‘TYPE MATTERS!’ BY JIM WILLIAMS (MERRELL PUBLISHERS)

The following text is (Jim Williams own words) taken from the book and explains how the book originated and how it came to be published

Preface

My passion for type was born while I was studying for my A level in Technical Drawing. The teacher, Mr Dykes, ran a small letterpress workshop at the school and would leave on his desk proofs for small bits of jobbing printing. Unsurprisingly, I found the contents of his desk far more interesting than my struggle with the mathematics of designing gears and ratios. Thank you, Mr Dykes!

I went on to study graphics and typography at what is now the University of Central Lancashire, but was at that time Preston Polytechnic, and had the good fortune to be taught typography by Alan Livingston and Ben Casey.

After graduating, I immediately went to work for one of London’s most respected advertising typographers, the late Maggie Lewis, who was known as ‘the queen of type’. This feisty lady had a fearsome reputation for typographic excellence but, on occasion, would bake apple crumbles for me. I think she was concerned that this shy young lad from Liverpool wasn’t eating properly.

My grounding in classic 1980s advertising typography was completed with spells at Steve Legate’s studio and working under Len Cheeseman at Collett Dickenson Pearce. Perhaps my time in advertising is one of the reasons I love big type so much, and it has informed my approach to typography ever since.

Type Matters! came about when I was asked by a design company in Manchester to give a series of talks, one of which was about tips that could help its designers with day-to-day typography. The presentation sat on my desktop for several months afterwards, and when I returned to Staffordshire University (where I lecture part-time) after the summer break, I spoke to the awards manager, Barbara Ridley, about the presentation and the merits of it being printed for use by our students. With her usual enthusiasm and friendly encouragement, Barbara managed to find the funds for its production.

It was then featured by Creative Review, and that was when I discovered the amount of interest in this subject. I began receiving requests for copies from all over the world. Many of the people who subsequently sent me feedback said they found it easy to understand and encouraged me to think about developing it into a book.

Many things have informed the content of Type Matters!, including what I have learned from the people with whom I’ve worked, the glaring mistakes I’ve seen and the questions I’ve most commonly been asked by students. I hope you find it useful.

— Jim Williams

Publishing Information

Merrell Publishers

Soft flexi binding

160 pages  22 x 17 cm (8.75 x 6.75 in)

ISBN: 978-1-8589-4567-5

Published April 2012

This monotype typeface created by Synoptic Office, where the height of the letterforms is determined by how often a letter is used, is definitely a looker!

As described on Synoptic’s website, “this typeface maps the rhythmic ebb and flow of English.”

I find this fascinating, I hope you do too!

Over the past 10 or so years at Fontsmith, we have been quietly drawing and thinking about these letters, we’ve been thinking about how they fit into a specific picture. How can we create the tone of a letter-shape to fit into the context of a graphic designers brief. Legibility is fundamental, it is the omnipresent requirement, but the tone and texture of the letter shape is ever changing. As a species of brand aware individuals, we have become alphabet savvy. No matter how small, organisations want to communicate in a distinguished and personal manner, tailoring their words carefully to help them speak with a voice that is fitting to their offering. They also want to have ownership and control over their graphic assets and a font is a very powerful asset indeed. When used effectively a font can be the glue that binds all of the other graphic elements together.

The type industry has never felt more fertile than it does today and in this climate, interest in type design has piqued at feverish levels. So to continue Fontsmith’s superb relationship with the good folk here at TypeToken, Mike Sullivan (aka design tweeter @studiomr) has asked me to write a few words about the Fontsmith bespoke type design process. Obviously every type design project is different. There is no set formula or right way to design a bespoke typeface. Here I have attempted to break things down, to simplify and pigeon hole the process in order to give a little insight into how a bespoke type project may play out at Fontsmith.

Stage 1 – The Brief – context, words, colours and type mood-boards…

When we are approached by an agency, designer or client, we have a quick conversation in order to define the fundamental parameters of the brief. A conversation that revolves quite simply around the question – “How and where are these fonts going to be used?”. We can then wade into the exciting bit, the creative undertones of the proposed type. Typical questions are: “What are the values of this font?”, “How does it want to speak?”, “Is it direct, at a distanced or is it understated and approachable?”, “What other design elements are going to sit with it?”, “What is the photographic style”, “What colours are being considered?” etc…

Listen and understand your brief. Make notes, think, doodle and see where those doodles take you. Designing type isn’t rocket science but it does require a huge amount of skill and understanding that can only be gained through years of experience. It requires a fine eye for detail and craft, a visual sensibility for type styles and formal relationships within letter shapes. It requires an understanding of what has gone before and how that can help you to explore new creative possibilities.

Sometimes we create typographic mood-boards like the one above. Mood-boards allow you to gather a range of stylistic influences to pitch your own ideas into. They can help a client to define a typographic area that they feel comfortable with, a style that tonally resonates with them.

Sometimes mood-boards are very focused. For the UEFA Champions league typeface we felt that we had a good idea about where things should go. We gathered a mixed bag of typographic influences – a blend of sturdy sans types and classical forms implying a heritage and weightiness that felt right for the brand. (See above)

Stage 2 – Initial Ideas – sketchbooks, blackboards & beziers…

We begin to draw, craft and experiment with letters in our sketchbooks and on-screen…

The freeness of the sketchbook, can really aid the discovery for new ideas. More often than not, the confines of the computer and mouse can act as a straight jacket. We like to mix the process up, sometimes all sketch book, sometimes all on-screen, sometimes both in varying amounts.

Stage 3 – Developing and exploring a theme…

Our initial client presentation will include mood-boards, sketches and vector based ideas. This variety of ideas helps to define what aspects of the brief are important to the client and in-turn form a clearer direction for the project. Wh we have clarity, the next phase involves digging deeper. We begin to look at introducing subtle features into the letters and evolving alternative characters for the concept in order to work out which letterforms best suit the design in both it’s uniqueness and functionality. We use a standard font test word – ‘hamburgefontsiv’ to get a good overall picture for all shapes and the DNA within the alphabet. We also often accompany this test word with project specific words, sometimes juxtaposed with project colours and photography.

Here are three ideas that explore the realm of the Slab Serif. The top option is rounded, the middle is squarer and the bottom has more contrast and a slightly condensed proportion.

We also just play with individual characters to find the right energy. This collection shows a selection of experiments from our work on the Channel 4 typeface.

Stage 4 – Fontlab Refinenents – glyphs, spacing, kerning and coding…

We then push on and create a “Beta” test font for design agencies to start dropping into their design work.

We begin by crafting a more comprehensive character set within Fontlab. We refine the relationships between letters and we letter space each glyph to achieve a harmonious balance and grey tonal colour in text.

We then move onto kerning. The above image show kerning pairs for the Sheffield City typeface.

Engineering the functionality of the new typeface.

We print out large versions of characters and stick them to the studio walls to check over the curves.

We explore the possibility of complimentary weights and styles. For instance we can develop a re-weighted and simplified text font from a headline font like the tests above. Bespoke typeface design creates a very strong and unique synergy throughout a brand. It communicates through a plethora of varying situations and mediums, using different words to subtly convey a consistent tone. Branded type is a subtle and powerful device.

Stage 5 – Project launch…

The big launch and inevitable blog critique… always an exciting yet nervy time for all concerned ;) Here are a few of the bespoke projects that I have been involved in over the past few years…

The team – See above.
From Left to Right – Jason Smith, Me (Phil Garnham) , Emanuella Conidi, Helen Buckhurst and Fernando Mello.

Russian graphic designer Dina Silanteva is a recent MA graduate from Kingston University, London. Her project Typographic Music is a remarkable body of work which was initially started as research into generative systems and multi-layered typefaces, that led onto an identity system for a music festival. This was further developed as an iterative process of investigations in generative typography.

Using a basic grid and three simple geometric shapes to construct letters, certain parameters around these basic shapes (radius, saturation, color, transparency) change according to a set of rules.

More of the processes behind this work can be found in Dina’s impressive report.

London Typographica – Creating the typographic map of London

London Typographica is a project aimed at type enthusiasts in London. It is both a smartphone app and website, enabling type fans to photograph their favourite publicly accessible samples of type and lettering.

The smartphone app will upload photos to the website, and record the location automagically. Text and tags can be added to each ‘typograph’, to give it some context.

London is rich in both historic and new sources of public type and lettering. Much of it is either being replaced, or lost. Our aim is to record type as it changes.

www.londontypographica.co.uk

@LDNTypographica

Thanks to David Bennett | OPX for the images and information.

Antwerp – A new typeface release from A2-Type / A2/SW/HK

In 2009 A2/SW/HK launched A2-TYPE to release and distribute over a decade’s worth of specially crafted typefaces. A2-TYPE create and release retail typefaces at regular intervals, as well as develop bespoke fonts for magazines, newspapers, brands etc. — Clients include MoMA; Design Museum, London; Wallpaper*; Royal Mail; Penguin Press UK, NYC; Phaidon Press; Faber & Faber; Tate Modern, Tate Britain and V&A Museum. In 2010 Kubel was awarded the prestigious 3-year artist and designer working grant from The Danish Art Foundation. Kubel is a visiting lecturer at Royal College of Art in London and a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale, AGI.

My typeface Antwerp is a 16th-Century typeface with contemporary proportions. The design is a free spirited amalgamation and interpretation of the all inspiring archives of type on display in the Museum Plantin-Moretus in the Belgium city Antwerp — hence the fonts name. The typeface was developed as part of Kubel’s studies at the Expert class Type design 2010 – 11 at Plantin Institute of Typography.

The concept behind the typeface was to create a contemporary family of text typefaces with historical references. The final design incorporates a large x-height and has a warm appearance on the printed page as well as on screen. The first drawings were done by hand on paper before it was developed into digital format, on screen in FontLab. The family of typefaces evolved slowly overa period of ten months and is by the opening of this exhibition in its final stage of completion. Antwerp has been designed as an OpenType font and features many number styles including old style figures (non aligning numerals) plus a large set of ligatures and fractions.

My passion and admiration for 15 and 16th century Italian, French and Dutch typefaces might shine through in Antwerp — I acknowledge that it has become an integral part of my ‘type dna’ — It’s how I design letters, fonts, alphabets and it’s also a direct translation of how I draw type by hand on paper — in other words, I have been conditioned by history!

I set out to design a typeface with a solid range of weights giving designers and art directors maximum choice (Light, Regular, Medium, SemiBold & Bold + corresponding italic styles) when typesetting books, newspapers and magazines. The importance and focus on detail in the individual glyphs are intentional and something I have spent a long time crafting. Large punctuation, slightly inclined stems, old style serifs and pronounced ink traps are all part of the underlying structure of my final font. The relatively large x-height* is a decision I made to bring my design more into the 21st century and essentially make fit with the current trends found in the design and advertising community. *It is argued that a large x-height aids legibility although no conclusive studies have been published on this subject. I have tried to incorporate my love of handwriting and the flow of my own ‘shorthand’ into my Italic font(s). Normally an Italic typeface is between 7 –15° slanted, my italic is 19° which is a feature I have been looking for when designing books and setting text myself. Since the introduction of digital type, italics have become less and less slanted and has in essence moved closer to the romans. From a technical and aesthetic point of view it’s understandable, however, in real life, when it comes to how type performs on the printed page and web as well; I call for italics with more contrast! After all since the 16th century Italic typefaces are used to high light words and sentences in text – this is what my typeface does as well as of course keeping the proportions and overall structure of the roman.

Antwerp is in essence the culmination of all my scribbles, thoughts and research done over a period of many years — I acknowledge that it would not have been conceived had I not joined the Expert class Type design course under the guidance of Frank E. Blokland.

The typeface has been designed in 5 weights with sophisticated 19° Italic styles as companion and supports extended Latin A language settings (Eastern European) — The typeface(s) are commercially available from London based type studio A2-TYPE in November 2011.

Henrik Kubel is a partner in London based design studio A2/SW/HK.

www.a2-type.co.uk

Thank you to Henrik Kubel from A2-Type for providing the images and information about this fantastic new release.

The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design establishes a LETTERPRESS STUDIO. This video shows a few Visual Communication Master students on their first journey into the world of Letterpress.

For more information check out www.kadk.dk or visit the typo blog www.dkdspluskarch.blogspot.com

The Type Fellowship — An embodiment of passion towards the power of language and its engagement with visual form. Initiated by my desire to instill enthusiasm for what is often mistakenly viewed as a stuffy subject.

The project consists of a lecture for students comprising inspiration and guidance for typogrphical treatment. An accompanying printed guide was produced featuring work and wise words sourced from contributors:
—

Andy Altmann, Jonathan Barnbrook, Wim Crouwel,
Kjell Ekhorn & Jon Forss, Vince Frost,
Lionel Hatch, Rudy VanderLans & John Warwicker

–

It is my firm belief that type is one of the most powerful tools in a designers arsenal. Typographic designers are architects of information, constructing meaning and imparting an emotional response through crafted compositions. Welcome to The Fellowship…

By: Harry Heptonstall

Lettering: A Reference Manual of Techniques by Andrew Haslam and published by Laurence King

This newly published book (September 2011) is a comprehensive reference guide for any designer wanting to know more about the techniques and production processes to create lettering themselves or to commission work from external sources.

Using a combination of explanatory text, step-by-step photographs and classic and contemporary examples, this unique survey brings together over 80 processes involved in creating lettering and applying it to many different surfaces.

Included are hand-drawn lettering techniques (from sign writing to tattooing); dimensional lettering (hand engraving to laser cutting); typesetting (from letterpress to lettering in food); printing (Letraset to printing on bank notes); lettering on textiles (embroidery to flagmaking); and illuminated type (neon signage to holography).

1,400 colour illustrations

270 x 210 mm  240 pages

HARDBACK

ISBN – 978 1 85669 686 9

info

Shady Characters – The secret life of punctuation

Urban artist PIKY is inspired by the aftermath of war and revolution (and underlying themes of sociological, political de/reconstruction).

Originally drawn to the fractured urban environments which he encountered in the more subversive quarters of Cuba, Russia, and Eastern Europe, PIKY became intoxicated with these street textures (which he terms ‘the Filth’): a gritty cocktail of revolution, collective memory, alien alphabets and advertising, served up in ad hoc layerings, combinations, and patterns. Today the artist explores this theme by transforming London street ephemera into subversive, satirical, and political art.

PIKY’s work brings him into conflict with authority (and the other ‘Filth’): the dynamic act of ‘vandalising’ commercial advertising is the core theatre of his work.

He’s also driven by conflict with his alter egos: creating three distinct personae to separate his disparate activities as an artist > graphic designer > art collector/dealer.

PIKY usually wins the battle though, and he’s currently planning the next family holiday to Beirut!