Saturday 16 April 2011
Old School...
We went to a local theme park the other week that is known for its kitschness. This type was done - no doubt many years ago - by a sign writer, and for some reason reminds me of the old train station signage in Australia. Perhaps it's the colours, or maybe the thin accent lines...it's interesting that lettering in another language can allude to things in our own past, simply because of small characteristics found in it.
Monday 28 February 2011
About this blog!
Hello and welcome to Street Type - the blog that explores found typefaces from...well, just about anywhere, really!
Over the last few years I have been observing and photographing type in random places, but until now it has all been relegated to the deep dark depths of my hard drive, never to be seen again. So I say enough! Set the letters free!
The first photograph, and inspiration for this blog, comes from the Beppu City Port. The kanji in the middle means water (mizu or sui, as the kanji has two possible readings). I'll have to get back to you about the other two! If anyone knows, feel free to enlighten me - it's safe to say I haven't exactly mastered a kanji dictionary yet...
Now, I can't tell you anything about the typeface itself, which is why I find it interesting. I am fascinated with the cultural connotations of type, and how it relates to our own personal and collective histories. It has taken me almost 6 years to collect even a tiny part of the connotations associated with some Japanese typefaces - for instance, how a bottle of salad dressing will sell itself as 'natural' by using a calligraphy style of type.
This is, of course, dwarfed in a moment by someone who grew up a native Japanese speaker in Japan - from the typeface that was used on their favourite snacks as a child, to the type used in their comic books, each typeface has a connotation for them, whether consciously or not. And it's the same for all cultures. Type not only speaks to us on the level of connotation, but also denotation, and that makes it truly unique in the world of visual communication.
This year I am starting a research degree in typography, so this blog will act as a kind of inspiration, to remind me how much type fascinates me, and how beautiful it can be, even when it's found in a random place, with loads of wear and tear.
So, here's to type! It's time to revel in its history, its use and mis-use, its beauty and terror! Let's ask ourselves why it works or why it doesn't, and why sometimes we just can't get it in the same way a native speaker of that language might.
Over the last few years I have been observing and photographing type in random places, but until now it has all been relegated to the deep dark depths of my hard drive, never to be seen again. So I say enough! Set the letters free!
The first photograph, and inspiration for this blog, comes from the Beppu City Port. The kanji in the middle means water (mizu or sui, as the kanji has two possible readings). I'll have to get back to you about the other two! If anyone knows, feel free to enlighten me - it's safe to say I haven't exactly mastered a kanji dictionary yet...
Now, I can't tell you anything about the typeface itself, which is why I find it interesting. I am fascinated with the cultural connotations of type, and how it relates to our own personal and collective histories. It has taken me almost 6 years to collect even a tiny part of the connotations associated with some Japanese typefaces - for instance, how a bottle of salad dressing will sell itself as 'natural' by using a calligraphy style of type.
This is, of course, dwarfed in a moment by someone who grew up a native Japanese speaker in Japan - from the typeface that was used on their favourite snacks as a child, to the type used in their comic books, each typeface has a connotation for them, whether consciously or not. And it's the same for all cultures. Type not only speaks to us on the level of connotation, but also denotation, and that makes it truly unique in the world of visual communication.
This year I am starting a research degree in typography, so this blog will act as a kind of inspiration, to remind me how much type fascinates me, and how beautiful it can be, even when it's found in a random place, with loads of wear and tear.
So, here's to type! It's time to revel in its history, its use and mis-use, its beauty and terror! Let's ask ourselves why it works or why it doesn't, and why sometimes we just can't get it in the same way a native speaker of that language might.
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