Let's start at the very beginning...

During the first session of the Foundation Degreee in Calligraphy, we have been learning about Roman Capitals. Studying in particular the classical letters in the inscription on Trajan's Collumn. These letters are pretty much the starting point for any reference or study of calligraphy, or typography for that matter. They are considered to be the finest example of Roman Capitals, and although there are others, these are the ones we are basing our study on, and which I will be exploring and disecting over the coming weeks.
It feels rather strange coming back to these Trajan letters, because this was actually my own starting point for design and typography forty years ago! My art teacher, Bob Lightfoot, trained us pupils in calligraphy. Girls practised sloping Italics and boys did Roman Caps. I realised some years ago that Bob must have been a pupil of Leonard Evetts at Kings College (now Newcastle University), as I remembered him wearing the KC blazer and badge! Evetts was not only a pre-eminent stained glass designer, but also a master letterer and calligrapher. He wrote books about the Trajan inscription, and his definitive book 'Roman Lettering' was the one we boys used in our art classes.

It is nice to think of the continuity there... Evetts researching the Trajan and presumably learning it from someone (perhaps a pupil of Edward Johnston?...note to self...must look into this!), Bob Lightfoot learning from him...and me learning from Bob. I can say with all honesty that this teaching sparked a flame in me which resulted in me studying typography and design forty years ago, and also finds me carving out time to study calligraphy more seriously at this time. [to be continued]

Steve Jobs...on dropping out... :)

“If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

– Steve Jobs

Hat Tip... Swiss Miss

Typetastic!

Back from a lovely holiday in Ireland (pictures soon), I was greeted with the news that my teaching services are required this term at Sunderland University. The module I'll be delivering?... Creative Typography... this pleaseth me more than words can say and it starts next Monday... yikes, better go and get prepared!

In the beginning was the Word... or in this case perhaps the Letter!

I recently bought what many are coming to consider the closest thing there is to the 'bible' of typography. There are many books around which are written for designers and typographers, and are mainly to do with typographic design and how to arrange type in terms of graphic composition, but this book - The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst - deals with much more than that. Go here for a good review of the book by Roy Johnson.

Why we need good typographers...

Chile mint boss pays the price of coin spelling howler
The general manager of the Chilean mint has been dismissed after thousands of coins were issued with the name of the country spelt wrongly...
More here

Helvetica Cookie Cutters by Beverly Hsu...

One hundred and one things to do with Helvetica just went to one hundred and two...
Helvetica Cookie Cutters by Beverly Hsu...

[hat tip - Death by Kerning / Swiss Miss]

Chernikov reviewed on 'I Love 'Typography'

James Puckett has a nice review on 'Graphic Masterpieces of Yakov G. Chernikov: The Collection of Dmitry Y. Chernikov'. Chernikov was one of the most accomplished Russian Constructivist writers and architects. From 'I Love Typography'. Go here to view the article.

Humanist type on 'I Love Typography'

A good type series on 'I love Typography'. The first one in the series is Humanist, aka 'Venetian'.

Typo Toast

Jonny Baker explains 'bread suspension - worship trick 73' on his blog. Always looking to be creative and engaging, his community 'Grace' got the worship cooking by baking some alphabet bread shapes and then toasting them.

"...we came up with the idea of getting some alphabet cutters and cutting text into bread that was suspended on washing line across the front of the space saying i am the bread of life. we toasted it so it was less floppy - grace toast!"

The result of the Desk Top Publishing 'revolution'...

You remember the Desk Top Publishing 'revolution'... "We're ALL designers now."
What I love about this even more than the spelling errors is the slightly apologetic use of the word 'than'. Apparently it was important to get the word IMPORTANT right too!

Off to The Land Of Gutenberg

Over the next few days I'll be visiting this man's homeland. Johannes Gutenberg was the remarkable inventor of printing from moveable type in Germany c1439. Hope some of that typographic magic dust rubs off during my visit.

Reading matter(s)

This book is next on my list. No doubt it will be the first of many as I embark on an interesting typographic journey over the next couple of years.

Type Talks

A neat movie currently doing the rounds on YouTube and Facebook, showing (for me) the power of written words and the ability of type and letters to convey powerful messages and imagery.

Today I have been mostly... teaching

My second week teaching BTech graphics students at TyneMet college. Typography was the order of the day and they seemed surprised that they were expected to input, discuss and question instead of just sit and draw stuff and talk to each other. Yes.... we're heading for early June says I, and your Final Major Project (I discover this is referred to as FMP) looms large and you have to work at stuff in order to get anywhere with it. Last week I slipped in a quote from Henry Ford - no, not the one about any colour as long as its black - but 'Whether you think you can or you can't you're absolutely right' Not sure if they quite 'got' it but time will tell. Today I was talking to them about type designers and sent them on their way with the name of a designer to go and 'discover'. No doubt Google will bear the brunt of their research, but I suppose that's better than nothing. One element of the teaching was about Johannes Gutenberg and his invention of printing from moveable type. As I reflected afterwards it was learning about the man some forty four years ago which partly inspired me to head down the typographic route. That, and my inspirational lecturer Les Baillie, who seemed to interject every lecture with "you've got to eat, sleep and drink it laddie!" How right he was.