Jules Vernacular is the typo-pseudonym (nom-de-typo-plume?) of French graphic designer Jack Usine. Jules's blog (which is really Jack's) is well worth a visit. Some wonderful French vernacular type and signage on display.
More on M. Usine. GUsto and Smeltery (all Usine endeavours).
Via Coudal (I think).
Most of the photos here are from the city of Hoi An, now largely a 'tourist town' in Central Vietnam. From the UNESCO site: "Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site."
A fascinating place to visit, and highly recommended for type-nuts. The mix of Vietnamese, Chinese and French typography is spellbinding. (But note that in order to fit in with the surrounding streetscape, some signs have perhaps been deliberately 'aged' – see Phuc Loi below). Cars are banned from the old city area of Hoi An too. You get around by walking, cycling, perhaps a ride on the back of a motor-scooter. Lovely.
In days of yore, the riders wore wool. That's right, wool. Good old environmentally friendly wool (pretty much). You know, from sheep. Logos and type were stitched on by hand. Wool is a terrific insulator and keeps you warm even when wet and draws heat away from the body when one gets hot.
One of the reasons I enjoy being a cyclist and a cycle-sport spectator is the scenery, the visual poetry of the sport, and the (moving) typography!
When I first heard of this upcoming show by Letterbox I thought: "it's about time someone covered this subject... typographically".
Orbit Oblique is a typographic tribute to 'animals lost in space'. "During the period 1949-1990 the space race between the USA and Russia saw dozens of animals being launched into space in the name of scientific research. These unwilling participants included not just monkeys and dogs but also cats, rats, frogs, worms, spiders, fish and even fruit flies. Many were never seen again."
The exhibition features a series of backlit typographic billboards, the first public release of the typeface Bisque (whose exclusive usage rights were auctioned on ebay) and the publication that accompanies the exhibition sounds terrific: a limited edition hard-bound type sampler with letterpress printed covers.
Orbit Oblique opens this Thursday April 17 from 5.30 onwards. Dr. Mark Davis, Culture and Communications, University of Melbourne will launch proceedings (pardon the pun). All welcome. This intergalactic typographic show runs from April 17 till May 17 at Craft Victoria, 31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.
Continue reading "A Typographic Tribute to Animals Lost in Space" »
Marion Bataille’s beautiful (and nicely engineered) pop-up book ABC3D. Thanks David Thompson. Oh-so-clever – and out in October.
Review
Hand Job: A Catalog of Type
by Michael Perry
Princeton Architectural Press, 2007
Undoubtedly the winner of 'Design Book Title of the Year: Undergraduate Humour Category', Michael Perry's Hand Job (see?) is a funky, street-savvy compendium of hand-drawn type and lettering that features the work of 55 designers (think 'indie' and zine culture – torn jeans too). A handsome, colourful book that looks like it has been modelled on manga comics (this volume is about the same size and thickness as a large manga book), Hand Job is a fun, spirited and very groovy (if slightly patchy) visual smorgasboard of typo-doodlery, hand-drawn type and general design typo-street-funk.
A more reflective tome that explores and attempts to categorise the unique traits of hand-drawn type this is not. Steven Heller and Mirko Illic have done that already. But Hand Job is a fun and interesting read even though there's not a lot of words here – this is essentially a picture book. Everyone who dropped by our studio picked up our copy and made the same 'arf, arf' noise (that title again).
For (younger) lovers of hand-drawn type. 100 extra street-cred points with every purchase.
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There's a movie of the book (literally) over at Drawn! and a slideshow of the book here.
Over the last ten years, Letterbox has been documenting the re-emergence of once-entombed signage. Some of these old signs remain in the light of day for a while. Some are soon covered up again.
A story from India along vaguely similar lines and if you fossick here and here... you'll turn up some more in New York. (Type designer Tobias Frere-Jones recently conducted a type-tour entitled 'Alphabet City' through the streets of lower Manhattan). And let's not forget Melbourne's own Typo-Tour, courtesy of Letterbox as well.
Some typographical gardening (typo-topiary?) spotted (and photographed) in Sydney by Designland's Katherine Chadwick. The 'Sex & Death' reference is not an enigmatic statement reflecting upon the human condition – it relates to an exhibition entitled Sex and Death: Orchids, Carnivorous Plants and Us, to be at the Sydney Tropical Centre from 1 December.
Designland do seem to have a 'thing' about typo-topiary. They spotted these hedges in Christchurch too.
Old signs. Large type. Weathered, worn, busted, broken and rusted letterforms. Salivating yet? Go to this stunning photoset at Flickr of the Las Vegas Neon Graveyard. Via Boing Boing.
Character 4: 26 Letters a Second
Helvetica, 2007
ACMI July 22
It's winter in Melbourne, and you know a Character event is just around the corner. Character has been a series of yearly design and typography-based events and forums devised by Stephen Banham in conjunction with RMIT's Communication Design program. This year, graphic design and its relationship with cinema/the moving image was to be explored. Gary Hustwit's new documentary film Helvetica was to be the focus of this always well-attended event.
Staged at an ACMI cinema, which I think Banham jokingly referred to as 'Pat Benatar Theatre' (!), a few cinematic shorts were screened:
Toast by France's Bagard, Dufoure and Harang was a suitable (if effect-driven) opening sequence.
Float by Stephen Watkins, saw typography liberate itself from city signage and hover and glide over Melbourne (shades of Hitchcock's The Birds, but with type).
Kapitaal by Holland's Studio Smack is quite a well-known piece exploring the typography found in advertising throughout a modern cityscape – and was great to see on the big screen.
But the main attraction was the eagerly awaited Helvetica. When I first heard that someone was making a film about Helvetica, I must admit I envisaged something about as dry as eating Salada biscuits in the desert. Thankfully, Gary Hustwit's film is very juicy indeed.
