Typography

Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.

Type is beautiful.  Typography is how we communicate non-verbally. Type can communicate without saying a word.  Just one big fancy serifed letter or one big sturdy sans-serifed letter can inform the viewer before the story begins.

It is also the lesson that garners the most groans in a high school design class.  Why?  Good question.  But it may have something to do with software and exposure to font selection before they truly understand the power that each character possesses.  The slow art of choosing just the right style for the perfect mood. 

The students cannot seem to understand the fact that typography should reflect, or support, the message and not the typist's (or typesetter's) personal choice.  Breaking students from poor font selection is much harder than you would think. But we teachers of design continue our efforts.  Maybe one day the world will be filled with beautifully constructed messages and information graphics.

The above video is a wonderful tribute to letterpress and type.

While I didn't major in printmaking or letterpress at college, I did attend school at the same time as Kevin Bradley of Yee-Haw Industries.  (I didn't have classes with Kevin, but was in the printmaking lab a lot at the same time. I was on the opposite end of the studio creating handmade paper and books)  This is our very own homegrown letterpress art studio with a national (and maybe even international) client list. Kevin and his partner, Julie Belcher, are keeping the beauty of hand-pulled type alive and thriving.  Check out their site and their Etsy shop.  If you're in Knoxville, be sure to stop by their downtown studio.

 

from Yee-Haw Industries

If you want to learn more about typography there are a great many sites out there.  I Love Typography offers lots of articles and other links to feed your appe-type (sorry couldn't resist). We Love Typography has a host of many contributors.

The following video is from the Vancouver Film School.  It is a nice lesson on typography.

Kinetic type.  Take a look at this video of kinetic type. 

Conan O'Brien Kinetic Typography from Jacob Gilbreath on Vimeo.

Well, that's it for typography today.  There is lots of information out there.  Explore it.  Embrace the beauty of letter-forms.   I will be teaching typography in the upcoming weeks to my classes.   Hopefully, I will inspire them to make good decisions - type-wise at least.