Dalston Type Safaris: typography is all around us

Take a tour of Dalston* and learn about the signage and lettering along the way. What does the typography reveal about the rapidly transforming area? How do fonts influence your choices? Explore signage and end up in a quintessentially Dalston bar.

Upcoming Dates:
Sunday 19th January, 6.30-8.30pm (sold out)
Sunday 2nd February, 6.30-8.30pm (sold out)

*In winter this is a longer talk with slides and a glass of wine in the warmth of the Type Tasting studio, followed by a quicker walk through Dalston. As we’re walking through Dalston you’re invited to take photographs of the letters you see to make up a saying or phrase.

We’re surrounded by type and we use it to navigate our lives. The look of the fonts we encounter as we walk down the high street influences our choices before we’ve even read the words. These also transmit a great deal about the social, economic and historical development of the area.

Dalston is a vibrant area in which bars and shops are constantly popping up and the signage is ever changing. Many venues, along with their signage, have become Dalston landmarks from Dalston Superstore’s neon, the Art Deco letters of the Rio Cinema’s, the enigmatic Birthdays Display Type ‘B’ to the chatty cinema sign in the ubiquitous Helvetica above Ruby’s Bar. And these are constantly changing. Since the opening of the new London Overground extension with stations at both Dalston Kingsland and Dalston Junction, and with many bus routes running 24 hours a day, it is an easy area of London to visit.

If you would like to arrange a special Type Safari for a group on a particular date please get in touch and I’ll be happy to accommodate this.

Type Tasting’s Dalston Type Safari has appeared in Dalstonist, Design Week, Londonist, Time Out, BBC’s The Arts Hour, Brazil’s O Globo and Town magazine.

“The Dalston Type Safari was a lovely way to spend a Sunday night. Informative but not stuffy, fun but not dumbed down, it was a pleasure to learn a brief history of type and get more of an insight into one of London’s most interesting areas. The mix of people in the group made for a friendly, inclusive atmosphere and a very democratic way of learning. It’s great that even those who are mostly desk-bound professionally can try their hand at something creative without the fear of looking daft or not being good enough.” Emily Gosling

“Sarah’s enthusiasm and energy for type came through in her talk about different fonts and how they were used on buildings in the area. She really motivated me to go and photograph, neon, hand drawn and art deco fonts among others around Dalston. Loved it.” Cathy Hull

Type Tastings are led by Sarah Hyndman who runs design company With Relish. Sarah studied an MA in Typo/Graphics at the London College of Communication and subsequently set up and run the year long Experimental Typography evening course. Sarah has been interviewed about Type Tasting on the BBC’s The Arts Hour and Radio 4’s Today.

Since the launch in February 2013 Type Tastings have taken place at Hoxton Hall, Pick Me Up at Somerset House, the St Bride Library, the London Design Festival at the V&A and in March 2014 Type Tasting goes to SXSW in Austin, Texas.