Type Idol
Band logos or album covers become iconic and result in a herd of spin off merchandising. We scribbled the logos on our school books, have the poster on our walls, wear the t-shirt, get the tattoo. They become so familiar that they become idols in their own right and can be reduced down to a simple typographic element and still be recogniseable.
How many do you recognise?
How Punk changed Graphic Design
Sarah Hyndman on Punk, which first exploded in the 1970s and, at the time, looked like youthful rebellion.
In actuality it was part of the Postmodernist movement which began as a reaction to the rigid restrictions of Modernism. Its DIY ethos encapsulated the anti-establishment mood of the mid 1970s, a time of political and social turbulence. The former British Empire was dissolving and a new era in British music, fashion and design was beginning.
Taking the stage to articulate the feelings of a dissatisfied generation calling for change were the Sex Pistols, who played their first gig in 1975 at St Martins College of Art. Their outrageous behaviour and contempt for established conventions announced the beginning of Punk. The DIY ethos and uncontrolled, home made style was revolutionary at the time and launched a new era in British music, fashion and design.
(A side-note from the author: Be more Punk, a call to action in 2016.)
We are surrounded by fonts in our everyday lives and we use them to navigate our environment, understanding instinctively that they communicate a great deal of the information before we’ve even read the words. We choose typefaces to express our personal style or to demonstrate our allegiance to a philosophy, music style or band.
Which type of music would you expect to hear when you play each of the records above?
Book a Type Tasting if you would like to find out more…
Virtual Type Safari: Record Shop
Take a virtual tour of the Type Tasting record collection and hear the stories behind the typography on the record sleeves.
(Studio based talk with slides)
Type Tasting has been touring the streets of Dalston exploring the signs that illuminate our social rituals, rummaging around in record shops* looking at type on album covers, and next year we’re off to take part in SXSW in Austin, Texas. Typography is the new Rock ‘n’ Roll. We’ll tell you more soon…
*Read the article in the next issue of Artrocker Magazine
Top 5 spots for a typographic day out in London
By Sarah Hyndman
1. London Transport Museum
This museum in Covent Garden is crammed with the informative typography that we have used every day for almost a century to navigate our way around the city. The buses and signage date from the 1920s to the present day and sit side by side, enabling us to compare the lettering and how it has changed over the years.
Photo ©TfL, from the London Transport Museum collection. http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk
2. Highgate Cemetery
The inscriptions on the gravestones in this beautiful North London cemetery give a view of London’s social history dating back to 1839, with many prominent figures buried there. The lettering to be seen ranges from ornate Victorian script to the typographic simplicity of Patrick Caulfield’s headstone (above). Tours are open to the public all year round.
Photo by Kath Tudball
Guess the film?
We had a creative and productive Type & Sound workshop on Thursday with the Save the Children design team. Do you recognise the films referenced in the posters created during the session?
London = ‘25 Hr City’ built by Edward Hill
Process: Brainstorming / Exploration / Destruction / Preparation / Outlining / Heart / Crane / Building / Expanding / Pausing / River & Trees / Lettuce and Watercress / Conclusion
Where you there?
If you came along to our London Design Festival workshops at the V&A we’d love to hear your comments (or see your photos). Please either comment here or email sarah@typetasting.com
Type Tasting’s Sarah Hyndman on the BBC’s The Arts Hour
“We hear from Sarah Hyndman about how new sign design in London is reflecting the cultural and economic changes in the city.” Interviewed by Nikki Bedi. Listen to the interview.
What’s your London? with #LDF13 at the V&A
The drop in workshop on Sunday beneath our exhibition of words at the V&A with the London Design Festival was just as lively as Saturday. Here are the words made with their smiling creators.
Type Tasting Blog 