Three exciting new Typography intensive workshops have been created for designers and communications teams. These combine theory with hands-on explorations, activities and plenty of thought-provoking discussions.
In session 1 you’ll explore the psychology of typography. This will take you back to the most important question of all: why does reading feel invisible? Understanding this is the key to unlocking how your brain responds as a type consumer. You’ll discover for yourself how much your subconscious is influenced by typography, backed up by innovative research by myself and others.
An immersive, interactive journey through how typography changed the world. There will be activities, tasters, smells, sounds, stories and surprises. These are unique experiences that change what you think, feel and do.
I really enjoyed opening the doors and chatting to so many people at our recent open studios. After two years spent online feeling like I was living a cross between The Truman Show and Max Headroom, it’s been so good to create and host in-person events again. One of my favourite reasons is that I get to create props, smells and tasters designed to surprise unsuspecting audiences.
I’ve spent today making props for an event I’m running at the HQ of the Future Strategy Club for their members next week. This is an immersive, interactive journey through how typography changed the world. There will be activities, tasters, smells, sounds, stories and surprises. We’ll time travel through a few hundred years of type history getting a first hand taste of protest movements, pampleteers, social shifts and revolutions.
This is based on an event I created for the London Design Festival, which attendees described as “An immersive experience of storytelling and discovery”, “Brilliant”, “Sublime & crazy tales from the past”, “Wonderful”, “A roaring success”.
Get in touch here or by replying to this email if you’d like to book this event for your clients or organisation.
I created and taught an Experimental Typography course at LCC (University of the Arts London) from 2001 to 2008. It feels so timely to bring back a new version of it online.
Would you be interested?
If there’s enough interest I’ll go ahead and do it!
Images shown from Experimental Typography at LCC between 2001–2008. They’re by Jordi Biosca, Claire Pringle, Joe Gardiner, Becky Chilcott, Claire Mason, Angela Lamb and Zoë Chan.
Typography is changing. Two decades dominated by sans serif typefaces are coming to an end, which type designer Charles Nix describes as “the waning end of a supertrend”. Are you (and your team) ready for this new and exciting typographic landscape?
It’s an exciting time to explore how type reflects culture right now. I was delighted to run online workshops recently with the inspiring type designers at international type foundry Monotype. This was such a brilliant opportunity for all of us to compare notes as we explored the themes and trends we’ve been seeing and chatted about what we think is coming next.
“I loved the event. I know we are trying to make do with the pandemic situation, but I truly feel like this event was even more impactful and inspirational with this format than being with a bunch of people in an auditorium. Sarah was amazing.”
I think that looking at what’s changing typographically reveals the wider cultural themes of what people care about today. After a year when so much has changed, what things really matter to you today? What do you really value and/or what no longer seems important?
Are you and your team ready for the new typographic landscape and the fast-paced changes that are happening?
How to spot and decode typography trends
You can spot the trends and themes for yourself by keeping a visual diary and by following the people who are talking about what’s happening. This is a great way to future proof your typographic skills in a time of fast-paced change that trends, foresight and strategy company The Future Laboratory call “the great acceleration”.
Think about what’s important to you, how might this have changed over the last year?
When you look at what’s happening in the world, how are cultural attitudes changing?
Take a look at the typographic landscape of the products and services you interact with today—can you see any styles or themes becoming prominent that you might not have seen a few years ago?
When you think about these in context of changing cultural attitudes, do you think there are any links?
Are there any companies or products that you think are doing this really well (or really badly)?
How can you incorporated what you’ve observed into your own design process?
Want to find out faster?
You can book a highly interactive online workshop wherever you are in the world. Your team will be prepared for this exciting new typographic landscape with the tools they need to make effective typography choices.
Decoding Type Trends (Semiotics) Masterclass
From £800 (education discounts are available). This is a live online workshop, which can be delivered anywhere in the world. Availability is limited.
Discover how to decode the typography of everyday products. What does it reveal about changing moods and attitudes? How does it motivate your decisions? How can you future-proof your typographic choices? With a formula for making typographic choices that you can use today and into the future.
Ideal for designers, communications and marketing teams, students.
Type Tasting Blog 