Here are a selection of the research images for the Type Tasting workshop at SXSW. Above: geometric signs from Austin (USA), Delhi (India), London (UK), Brisbane (Australila). Below: Victorian style signs from Rome (Italy), Bangkok (Thailand), San Francisco (USA), Geneva (Switzerland).
It’s just two weeks until South by Southwest Interactive starts, described as a “massive festival, bringing together the brightest minds in digital media, technology, journalism, health, film, space, business, gaming and more, with hundreds of sessions, parties and meetups spread across dozens of venues around Austin.”
The Type Tasting Global Lettering Workshop is on Saturday March 8th and has been listed by Mashable as one of the ’38 SXSW 2014 Panels You Can’t Miss’
On the road: The Art Deco Lark Cinema, Larkspur, California USA / Big Display Sans Serifs visible from a distance at the Billabong Roadhouse, Western Australia / Eurostyle & a Condensed Sans Serif on the 1950s style Antiques sign at Barbie’s Coffee Shop, Three Rivers, California USA / Casual Script and Slab Serifs at the Edgewater Inn, Pismo Beach, California USA…
Above is Club Labrynth by Sam Roberts from Ghostsigns who came along to Sunday’s Dalston Type Safari. He explains that “For me, Club Labrynth is the earliest memory I have of Dalston as a destination. Back in the mid-1990s it was the weekly hardcore/jungle night at the legendary Four Aces nightclub… The provocation of memory was an unexpected aspect of the Type Safari, and there were other long-term Hackney residents on the walk sharing their own recollections.”
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.
Type Tasting Global Lettering Workshop
SXSW Interactive, Austin, Texas
Saturday March 8th
“Get creative whilst exploring and reinterpreting the typography found in street signs and signage from around the world.” We’re expanding on the Dalston Reimagined idea from last summer and take it global. Are there patterns to be found on a larger scale, what does the signage reveal about an area, a city or a country when compared?
Gift Vouchers & new Dalston Type Safari Dates
Sunday 19th January, 6.30-8.30pm
Sunday 2nd February, 6.30-8.30pm
(book early as spaces are limited)
Safari ticket 1 person £20, includes souvenir map on the day
Safari ticket + gift voucher in a presentation card for 1 person £25, for 2 people £45 (UK). Please order by December 10th to receive the gift voucher before Christmas.
Type Tasting at SXSW, Austin, Texas
Type Tasting Blog 
