Typography

Moderno wallpaper, from Austria

Here’s a link to a cool collection of typographic wallpapers designed by Arno Kathollnig/Typoatelier. Including a fun ((t+y+p+o)-o)+e= version (pictured above) featuring my very own Jeanne Moderno fonts.

Tags: cool finds, design, design history, typography by steve
2 comments . . .

The originals

I miss these icons. Susan Kare developed them – and the standard city-named fonts – for the original Apple Macintosh in the early 1980s.

I particularly like the alert message guy in the right corner – a playful bitmapped take that has a similar feel as Oskar Schlemmer’s 1921 bauhaus icon.

My grungy Alta California font was inspired by Kare’s original San Francisco font; which, unfortunately hasn’t been available on a Macintosh for many years. I have a great respect for her ability to convey so many many different letters within a small 72 dpi black and white space. Unfortunately – thru gratuitous use – San Francisco did sort of become the Comic Sans of its day. Sort of.

Check out Kare’s online store for some fantastic tees and notecards. Rad digital art from a simpler era. An era that didn’t need gradients and drop shadows in order to dazzle.

And drop by the Japan-based Vintage Mac Museum to see some of Kare’s original icons in action.

Tags: cool finds, design, design history, fonts, typography by steve
3 comments . . .

Lite-Brite blackletter

Lite-Bright typography created by Brooklyn-based GrandArmy

More detail here.

Vintage Lite-Brite commercial

Found via Type Theory

Tags: cool finds, design, typography by steve
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Type Daily launches

If you’re one who thinks there just aren’t enough font resources worth blogging about, Johno of I Love Typography begs to differ.

His newest endeavor – the Type Daily news aggregator – will embed you in a universe of lettering arts. A one-stop-source for typography, fonts and lettering; just about all the major resources are there.

Pop by and fill that typographic need you know you have.

Tags: cool finds, design, fonts, typography by steve
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Justin’s playground

Justin Lovato’s work is a mix of surreal landscapes, feudalism and playful typography (with some great interpretations of Baskerville in several of his pieces). He is the cover story in the July 10th issue of SubMerge and has a show going on right now at the Upper Playground location in Sacramento.

The Art of Justin Lovato
Runs thru September 12th, 2009
at Upper Playground 2524 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95816 [map]

meet the artist
Closing reception is 7 – 11 p.m. on Second Saturday, September 12th, 2009.

For more about Justin, visit his website here.

Tags: art, cool finds, thoughts, typography by steve
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Movie poster typography

Neville Brody’s New Deal fonts in use, custom designed for Public Enemies

Yves Peters over at The FontFeed gives their monthly roundup of movie poster typography.

Tags: cool finds, design, fonts, typography by steve
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New life for dead type

‘These pieces of typography are all unique design objects, why should they be demolished?’ – Aleksi Hautamäki, Character

In Finland, the Character company is salvaging dismantled signage and repurposing the individual letters. Find out more here.

Found via Yatzer

Tags: cool finds, design, typography by steve
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Akzidenz Grotesk and industry

Köln-based graphic designer Tobias Battenberg projects Akzidenz Grotesk (the forerunner of Helvetica) onto industrial surfaces.

Found via Flores en el Atico

Tags: cool finds, design, fonts, photography, typography by steve
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Building

Building design by Giulio Cittato
From Basic Typography: Design With Letters (1974) by Ruedi Ruegg

In order for the Swiss International Style to actually work, it needs a sense of drama. Imagine how interesting our industrial zones could have been with this sort of design thinking.

Tags: cool finds, design, design history, typography by steve
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Even more type . . .

Via design*sponge

Words and Eggs has posted a bunch of cool type images, linking to some really cool design blogs. (Yes, I’ve been in quite the type mood this week – with a little bit more on the way)