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Finally got around to posting these up on the geo map wall!

Had a lot of fun having a little walk around Falmouth and looking at type like i've never looked at it before! The things i saw which I had walked over so many times or glanced past and not even noticed. Taking these photo's has led me to research so much of Falmouth's history too! It's been pretty interesting doing this! Here's a link to my blog with my final 5 :)
https://ellabrett.wixsite.com/mysite/copy-of-gde720-history-and-futures

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Got carried away with the photos…

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Week 1 Reflection

There's a lot to photograph in Shrewsbury and the selection above shows that. Even that has been edited down from a larger-still selection and that's without visiting two more sites around which I know would give more excellent examples, the Flaxmill Maltings building in particular.

I've found there to be a key point in the town's history in terms of its architecture, most of the details photographed where architectural features or faults. There was a good and gradual mix of styles from Mediaeval timber frames, Tudor mansions, Georgian townhouses and Victorian warehouses right until the 1960's when these old, dilapidated piles started to get torn down. There was two sides to the town council; those for progress and those for heritage. Luckily, as we see it now, the ones for heritage came out slightly on top and a lot of important buildings have been saved.

A lot of those saved buildings didn't get restored to immaculate condition which leaves us with nice genuine detail of wear and tear from everyday use, knackered signs, scratched panelling and crumbling detail.

Now, as the town centre grows slowly outwards the run down buildings on the outskirts are being fixed up sympathetically, trying to keep as much of the old detail as can be, there are a lot of details both old and new to try and find. Along with dozens of Extinction Rebellion stickers.

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There's a lot to photograph in Shrewsbury and the selection above shows that. Even that has been edited down from a larger-still selection and that's without visiting two more sites around which I know would give more excellent examples, the Flaxmill Maltings building in particular.

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I had a lot of fun researching into all the different typefaces in Canterbury.

I tried to select a variety that reflected both Canterbury's historical roots and it's vibrant modern culture. Link below

Link to blog post for lecture and webinar reflections: https://lucysmagraphicdesignblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/brief-1-complex-simplicity-lectures-and-webinars-week-1/

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So many images, so little time! I've narrowed all photos into collages/categories, then broke them down into my top 5. Off to add Toronto to the geo map!

https://jazzstew.wordpress.com/2020/01/27/history-revealed/

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Added a few more examples to the blog post today and managed to get it down to my final five! :)

This example is painted onto a bench in Solihull (just down the road from where I live, in between Redditch and Birmingham) - The Core is a building which houses the library, a theatre, a heritage centre, and is generally a community space for Solihull.

https://alicemarlow.home.blog/2020/01/29/week-1-history-revealed/

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I thought I posted this already! Whoops!

Here is my blog link :)

https://rachelwise240483.wordpress.com/2020/01/27/workshop-challenge-week-one/

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A 10 mile walk and 400 photos to narrow down to 5… Tricky.

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https://sashamitchelll.wordpress.com/2020/02/07/type-design-and-how-typography-can-define-a-location-1-2/

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And here's the slide of my recent design/research

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And here's the slide of my recent design/research

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Some of the work is on my website, some is on my Instagram, and some doesn't exist anywhere online.

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Apologies for the slides not loading. Here's the Mill sign I mentioned.

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Penryns Top 5 as detailed on the geomap and also on my blog.

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My larger collection representing letterform & typeface in Penryn.

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My larger collection representing letterform & typeface in Penryn.

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A presentation of all of the images, the 'long list' if you will. One the blog.

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Messages set in stone, noting the entry to the Penryn coastal path

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Text here has been used as public announcement in a most hard to see place. The harbour master is basically using it as a way of laying down a proof of notice. It is placed only just above the tide mark and is representative of a really human story. What happened to the boat? Who could own such a big vessel and just abandon it? And how well can a laminated sheet of A4 last!!

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My most recent find yesterday from the lettering trail in Penryn: The stencilled Mooring Post markings from the river bank. I find a blocky stencil quite satisfying, and these are so utilitarian looking. I also quite like how the P R letters are all far more weathered on each post because of their more seaward orientation. I have yet to figure out what the PRUA stands for, and I use a tracing to help get a realistic sense of proportion, but this is a type use and style that I love, and I do like finding something I love! I expect this example will feature heavily in the next phase of this project for me.

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In lieu of posting images here, a link to a blog that reads more like a stream of consciousness perhaps.

http://schokotrunk.com/2020/01/30/week-1-my-type-of-city/

And then 5 specific ones on the GeoType Wall

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As I was looking through the ideas wall, I noticed photos from different places around the world. I will be posting my photos from Toronto, Canada, but I have thousands of photos from Albania. We've spent lots of time there (that's where my husband is from) and a lot of the older stores have this type. Newer stores adapt their type to the type of stores, example is a kids store is bubble letters, sports stores are block straight sans serif type lettering, but most of the businesses are family owned, small "ma & pa" shops that are passed down through families and they tend to not do a lot of updates. The attached photo is definitely a standard typeface in Shköder, Albania. I can't find out about the history because there really isn't much info out there on the web, and if there is, it's not english. Google translate isn't great at it either. A lot of handmade signs, or no signs at all. Enjoy!

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Last module I think I may have repeated a little too much of the resources on my blog so am going to work on that this module... starting with this post which is some thoughts that occurred to me after looking at the resources this week.

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I’ve edited down to four so far, but haven’t made a final decision on which example will take up that last spot! Here’s a link to my blog post for this week that shows a few more of the examples I’ve collected 😊

I’m going away with work this evening and won’t be back until Friday so unfortunately I won’t be able to make the first webinar of this module ☹ gutted but hoping it will be recorded so that I can catch up at the weekend! Look forward to meeting everyone soon!

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This week we have been tasked with exploring and collecting examples of typographic language used in our town, city or surrounding area.
Step 1: Explore, collect
Photograph a broad selection of typography and lettering examples (minimum 10) that illustrate what you believe define the identity of your hometown, nearest city or surrounding area. We want you to research and collect a broad range of examples taken from historical and contemporary reference points.
I started off the challenge this week with a trip to a local museum - Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings. Avoncroft is an open-air museum of rescued buildings, and home to thousands of objects which reflect life and work in the Midlands. This felt like the right starting point for understanding the identity of my hometown, and exploring examples of typography that define this.

I found some fascinating objects and examples, though I struggled to understand how some of these connected to my hometown. I spent some time researching these bottles, for example, and although I didn't find much of a connection between these and where I live, I did discover this blog with a page dedicated to ghost signs of Parkinsons of Burnley (the green bottle at the back right). Following on from the lecture this week, which featured a TED Talk from Matt Cohen all about ghost signs, it was exciting to find a mini connection to this so early on in the challenge, although it's a shame the examples on the blog aren't local enough for me to go and see in person.

One thing that was fun during my visit, was figuring out which of these were original letterforms, and which had been reconstructed or recreated at a later date. The tollhouse pictured above, for example, which was built in Little Malvern in 1822. The tollboard is a reconstruction based on examples of other tollhouses from around the same time. The reconstruction took place in 1985, and I'd hoped to find some old photographs of the tollhouse to compare the new sign to but so far I'm struggling to find anything!

A few more examples from my visit to Avoncroft Museum:

Although I moved to Redditch a couple of years ago, I grew up just down the road in Wolverhampton. Walking round the museum I saw more and more connections to the Black Country, and our industrial history of chain making. The sign for Jones & Lloyd Ltd, for example, is from one of the largest chain works in Cradley, which was established in 1837 and traded for almost 150 years. Jones & Lloyd had many sites around Cradley, manufacturing items such as chains, wrought iron nails and anchors.

I feel a really strong connection to the Black Country, and have always been proud to call myself a yam yam! So this week it's been fun to explore slightly further afield too and include the Black Country in my research. We have a very unique dialect in the Black Country and this is an area I have tried to focus on when exploring examples of typography around the local area.

The Black Country Flag

The Black Country Living Museum felt like another good place to connect with the history of my area, and although I can't take credit for the below photo ( check out their official Instagram - @bclivingmuseum), it's a great example of the unique language of the Black Country!

I also felt that I couldn't ignore the connection between these places and Peaky Blinders, and how local design/typography has changed as a result of the TV show, with so many places capitalising on the connection and replicating the style of the show. Set in Birmingham, and parts filmed at the Black Country Living Museum, Peaky Blinders feels like a link between the old and the new. Popping up all around Birmingham and the Black Country (and further afield) are Peaky Blinders themed escape rooms and bars, and this craze has had a positive impact on many local businesses. Black Country brewery Sadler's Ales even produces Peaky Blinders-themed ales, gin, whiskey and rum, and in 2018 won a distribution deal to Romania.

Closer to home

I wanted to make sure I also explored close to home, recognising that although I grew up in the Black Country, this isn't strictly my local area anymore. So I took a few walks around where I live, and around where I work, and here are some of the photographs I took:

Step 2: Analyse
Your collection should be edited down to five examples you think best reflect the identity of your location. Analyse how effective the examples of type design communicate place and the identity of that area, and write a short (one hundred word) description for each letterform. Please consider its material make up, role, use and application, with regard to its location eg a weathered sign over a disused shop, which would suggest the changing fortunes of the high street, or the industrial letterforms in a new bar, which suggest gentrification.
It was really difficult to edit these down to just five examples, but these are the ones I've chosen:
John Bonham Tribute

One of my favourite finds this week - a tribute to John Bonham, best known as the drummer from Led Zeppelin, who I this week discovered was born in Redditch! On 31 May 2018, on what would have been his 70th birthday, this bronze statue was unveiled in the town centre. It was created by sculptor Mark Richards, and weighs over 5000 lbs.

I just love the texture/layers to it - not sure how well this comes across on the photo but there's something about this added depth that made me stop and study it, it feels like it has so much more character than had the writing been across one flat surface.

A couple more photos to show the rest of the sculpture:

WOSP

I spotted this sticker down a little side street in the town centre, and had to Google a translation. I then learnt that this is a sticker for the Great Orchestra Of Christmas Charity, a huge charity that was founded in Poland over 25 years ago but now has a global following.

I wanted to include this example in my final five as the town's Polish community is an important part of our identity. Music is of course a big part of the annual event, and I love that even here in Redditch the bands perform in both English and Polish.

There was also something interesting about analysing the text without understanding the words/context - when I first saw the sticker I didn't know what it meant, but the words felt happy and inviting. I like that there's no translation on the sticker, too - I was curious enough to find out what it meant, and it feels more authentic to its Polish roots by not adding an English translation.
STREETLIFE

During Module 1 I spent some time exploring the history of Redditch town centre, and learnt that the town is very much divided by those who grew up in 'Old Redditch' and those who only remember 'New Redditch'. There is a lot of resentment from the generation who grew up in Redditch before the town centre was redeveloped, and who feel that the town has never been the same since.

During one of my walks this week, I stumbled across this on one of the plantpots in town. At the time I didn't know what it meant but I just really liked the fact that it was stencilled/cut-out, rather than just printed on. It was only when I looked into it later on that I discovered that Streetlife are a company who design and make benches, tree grilles, bollards etc. This felt significant given what I now know about Redditch and its history, as I was now able to identify exactly which parts of the open spaces in the town centre were part of 'New Redditch'. That's why I feel that this example is important to include as part of our identity - whether all the residents like it or not, this literally represents the physical parts of 'New Redditch' and our current town centre, which is our hub.
Little Malvern Tollhouse

Although this is reconstructed, there is something about it and the way it connects us to the past that made me want to include it in my final five examples. I'd love to be able to compare it to the original too, but even standalone, it's an important part of our identity and looking back at the way we used to live.

There's a few things I like about this - the uniqueness of the g's and the fact that it looks like somebody different drew these (especially noticeable in the wird 'waggon' towards the top!), and the shape of the zeros and the numbers in general.

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This week we have been tasked with exploring and collecting examples of typographic language used in our town, city or surrounding area. Step 1: Explore, collect Photograph a broad selection of typography and lettering examples (minimum 10) that illustrate what you believe define the identity of your hometown, nearest city or surrounding area.

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One of my favourite finds this week – a tribute to John Bonham, best known as the drummer from Led Zeppelin, who I this week discovered was born in Redditch! On 31 May 2018, on what would have been his 70th birthday, this statue was unveiled in the town centre. I just happened to walk past it whilst out for a walk today, I’ve never noticed it before.

I just love the texture/layers to it – not sure how well this comes across on the photo but there’s something about this added depth that made me stop and study it, it feels like it has so much more character than had the writing been across one flat surface.

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It looks at some typographic different perspectives from within the city including the typographic markers of dissent and economic stagnation.

You can read it here

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I really enjoyed this weeks' task but was unsure how to bring all the examples together. Anyway, here's my blog post attempting to do just that!

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In my first blog post I've explored some of Southampton's rich typographic history.

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In my first blog post I've explored some of Southampton's rich typographic history.

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Feel free to have a read and let me know what you think :)

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A start on this week's projects. I have tried to draw out interesting categories of similarities between images.

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Richard suggested an older version of this book as a good reference. I couldn't find the original but this might be of interest?

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An education book re-design of a previous typography publication ** I do not own any of the rights to the content inside of this piece, it i... See More

An education book re-design of a previous typography publication ** I do not own any of the rights to the content inside of this piece, it i... See More

Connecting content to people.

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An education book re-design of a previous typography publication ** I do not own any of the rights to the content inside of this piece, it is primarily for design purposes only.

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I collected some street type samples when away in Argentina. This was a favourite. I like the combination of wire lettering, set away from the wall,  and the block type underneath (can't remember if it's a shadow, as it looks too wide for the short distance....)

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This is a repeated post from the other wall, sorry if you've seen it on both.

This is the Canute Castle Hotel in Southampton, I’ve been researching it a little bit as it caught my eye for two reasons whilst I was out on Saturday.

The first thing that I noticed was the unusual, decorative typography that adorns the building’s façade but the other thing that I found interesting was the name of the hotel itself. I’d always considered the naming of a new development after some piece of local history as a modern invention - A way to provide a kind of faux provenance to, say, a new set of waterfront apartments.

But the Canute does the same thing! It’s named after a historic event in the local area, helpfully inscribed on a plaque underneath one of the windows. It reads ‘Near this spot AD 1028 Canute reproved his courtiers’. The architect / owner of this building was pulling the same marketing ploy as modern developers back in 1850!

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This place closed down back in 2018 (and there was some serious local rage about it, petitions etc) but the saddest thing for me is the fact that it’s just sat there abandoned ever since. It’s right round the corner from where I live so I drive past it most days and often wonder whether it will ever re-open or become something else.

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Berlin: Leading to the fantastic Neurotitan Zine and Print shop.

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Berlin: Leading to the fantastic Neurotitan Zine and Print shop.

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Recently with the trend of more rundown areas being turned into ‘artistic communities’ there’s been a lot of commissioned street art in Newcastle which is lovely to look at but kind of lacks the emotion of this scribbled comment – I think the fact that it is has been written on a fading Bill Posting Prohibited’ sign gives the comment a further air of defiance

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I like how the layering of different elements obscures the authoritative messaging on this sign.

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I've found a treasure trove of discoradant typographic elements. Different ideologies and ideas expressed through sticker art near where I live.

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Penryn Treasures, 23 Higher Market St, Penryn TR10 8EF

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Penryn Treasures, 23 Higher Market St, Penryn TR10 8EF

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Branding consistency is of no importance in this town, nor is the quality of one's chalk board.

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To me this is a most hideous set of signage, but it has been lovingly hand painted by someone!

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Q: How can Type define the identity of a place??

Musing thus far: This morning I went down to the happening metropolis of Penryn, Cornwall, where I live. It is a one street town, with a declining population of just under 7000. It is an old 'has been' town currently over shadowed by the cooler, more 'hispter' Falmouth. As I walked the street and photographed the signage I noticed how many of them were hand drawn, and actually quite individual (not attractive, but at least individual). When I first read the brief, like some of you mentioned in other chats over the weekend, how much uniformity there are on our worlds street now thanks to the ol' globalisation and what not. But alas, Penryn, left behind in the last century has avoided ANY invasion of high street brand names; Starbucks would just not fit here! Thus the sign documentation proved really fun!! I shall share them now. :)

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I decided to pick quite a specific area near me that I've always found really interesting. I've started going down a bit of a rabbit hole looking into an industrial landscape in a post-industrial city...

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The Brief

Complex Simplicity is the first assignment in the History and Futures module, which will run for four consecutive weeks. This initiative considers how to tell a story relating to a specific aspect of practice and cultural or global difference, with initial research projects being selected to support your personal interests.
The Complex Simplicity brief is split into two subsections, each lasting for two weeks, that question the role graphic design plays in society. For the first section you will document typography in your local area and utilise your research to create unique letterforms that define a sense of place. In the second outcome you will analyse the effectiveness of data visualisation, which will help you create an appropriate piece of visual communication that reflects a personal viewpoint about science, culture or environment.

By the end of this week you should be able to:

Discover and analyse a selection of typefaces you think appraise the social, political and historical context of your location.

Research a broad selection of typefaces in your area using appropriate research methodologies, such as photography, sketchbook entries and notes about location.

Analyse the typography collected from your area to evaluate your research findings into varying type classification, styles and identity.

Define and distil your selection of type observations to an edit of five contemporary and historical examples you think best inform your investigation into the identity of your location.

Deliver a short written analysis to contextualise and communicate your research into the impact typography has on your location, so it is clearly understood by a non-specialist audience.

The Eley Industrial Estate

Living in London means I'm spoilt when it comes to choosing a location to investigate this week. During module 1 I spent one week looking at the remnants of a tiny high street near my house, and another week in the City of London. I wanted to try something different for this brief, so I decided to go and investigate a nearby industrial estate. Industrial estates always fascinate me - they tend to be so scruffy and unloved, but full of interesting texture and unexpected juxtapositions.

A quick look into the history of the area showed me that the Eley Industrial Estate has existed in some form since 1894, due to it's close proximity to the river. The Eley Brothers manufactured ammunition here and transported it to the river Lee via a tramway. 'Ermine Street' also runs through here - a Roman road that runs from London to Lincoln.

The area is a strange one - like most industrial estates it is designed to be accessed in a vehicle, so I had to get a bus that dropped me off on a little traffic island in the middle of the North Circular. My walk was full of false starts, as lots of roads ended in gates I couldn't pass through.

In 'Edgelands' Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts talk about post-industry in industrial areas. "Walk around the edge lands of Wolverhampton and you see a landscape struggling to shape itself to a world of virtual industry... Most of what you see here is rubbish, or the business of rubbish. [They are] recycling, or waste management, or breaker's yards."

From what I could see, this holds true here - the huge incinerator in the middle was the most obvious example but there were also lots filled with rusty car parts and bundles of used cardboard.

There were also several 'cash and carry'/wholesale food retailers and a couple of places where they seemed to be butchering meat. The estate feels very dilapidated - the buildings are intact but lots of the signage is faded/damaged. Often it has been 'repaired' by hand - someone has used a sharpie or some black paint to replace missing characters.

There were a few things that stood out to me about the typography and lettering here.

Lots of it was temporary or semi-permanent in nature - stickers, flyers, banners etc. Most of these businesses don't expect to be here for very long. "...Commercial buildings change hands so often that the architectural naming of property has become redundant."

Despite this being a private estate with a singular owner (I think...) there was very little attempt at consistent messaging, or any kind of identity.

Almost everything was (intended to be) incredibly functional. I photographed a lot of EU regulation 'warning' and 'no entry' signs. However, the dilapidated nature of the area meant that these began to take on a unique character. Barely-functional industrial signs feel like an apt metaphor for the area.

There were lots of cardboard boxes around - stacked up outside wholesalers, or abandoned on the ground.

I found a few places where the lettering had gone, but the traces of it remained. Either clean areas where letters had been scrubbed off/painted over, or where lettering had prevented someone from cleaning behind it, and left behind a kind of shadow.

The only permanent lettering I found was embedded in the ground. And after looking into Stanton PLC, I realised that these iron covers were manufactured a few miles away from my hometown in the midlands, in ironworks which closed in 2007.

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GDE720: Week 1, History revealed - Interpreting typographic vernacular (globalisation)

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The Brief Complex Simplicity is the first assignment in the History and Futures module, which will run for four consecutive weeks. This initiative considers how to tell a story relating to a specific aspect of practice and cultural or global difference, with initial research projects being selected to support your personal interests.The Complex Simplicity brief is split into two subsections, each lasting for two weeks, that question the role graphic design plays in society.

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I walk past this most days and whilst I know it's a boundary stone and clearly historic I never really thought too much about it. Turns out it is a actually a Grade II listed building dating from the late 18th Century. Anything behind the three castles was classed as being in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Given that it's sandstone and been outside so long, the text is still pretty clear

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I just liked how weathered this one is, made me wonder how long it had been there :)

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Helvetica: Produced and Directed by Gary Hustwit

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Helvetica: Produced and Directed by Gary Hustwit

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I'm assuming you all know of this... in case not, its worth viewing.
https://www.hustwit.com/helvetica

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Here is another video on the history of Futura.

I have only just found this channel and am yet to look for more videos but these are really interesting! Not sure how much they will help the rest of you though. :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaX_PwxSh5M

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The font that escaped the Nazis and landed on the moon

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I found this really interesting video when looking into cultural transmission in design.

Really interesting :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI4shGV1EsM

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How one typeface took over movie posters

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Hi! I've also been posting in the other group

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Hi! I've also been posting in the other group

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but here's another example I spotted at the weekend. I think this might have said 'Burton' at one point but haven't been able to find any record of the business yet. it's a shame they had to replace some bricks otherwise the sign would have still been in one piece

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Something old: A little piece of my own analysis as part of a practice-based research exercise.

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Something old: A little piece of my own analysis as part of a practice-based research exercise.

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A Typo-poetic Landscape
Like the relationships between periods of Architecture and infrastructure, our typographic landscape is equally as mixed in social and cultural sign systems. A hotchpotch of period styles, materials and production and construction methods all coexisting, from the materiality of the mechanical age, to the ultra technical contemporary processes.

Kempton and Dant both acknowledge the role of Graffiti as a visual poetry for the modern day, perhaps representing the zeitgeist of our current condition. An idiosyncratic language that has universally understood codes and symbols that transcend one geographic location or native tongue and has perhaps more practitioners and than any other ‘authoritative’ contribution.

I would hypothesize that this notion of Graffiti as contemporary visual poetry be extended to also include the diversification of signs of the authority and those of social and cultural belonging. This hypothesis is anchored by materiality and how material erosion creates an amplification of meaning. Other interesting findings that reinforce the hypothesis is the shared use of production methods and its material effect.

The example shown of the ivy covered electrical box, demonstrates a number of interesting representations. There is a shared use of materiality in the production of the message, this creates a dichotomy between the authority and the counter-culture. This could also be extended to the dichotomy between the freedom of the free-hand execution verses the controlled frame of the authorities stencil. While not necessarily connected to this study there is also an interesting dichotomy created between nature and the man made. Nature does not obey the man made sign.

The language of typography sets the boundaries of the environment. The urban typographic landscape is made from sign systems and the materiality of type that imbues areas as having different purposes. The consumer palace, as Dant identifies the notion of the ‘mini-strip’, the neon backlit signage and codes of material consumption glow like jewels and precious metals. Surrounded by an array of information signage, often dated and sometimes contradicting, all demonstrating the opposing value of that of the shinny consumer world.

Dant also identifies the materiality of the ‘Cairn’. Like the analogy of a mound of stones the social typography that marks geography is required to mediate the environment, marks the place, not a shinny welcome sign like the plastic consumer world but the weathered roadside signage that shows material erosion. Rusting machined metal characters and broken serifs are equal to weathered, torn and ripped vinyl san serifs.

Beyond the outer regions of the information sign systems we find the margins of the urban landscape, often the margins of humanity. Away from most prying eyes we find the worst of material erosion and examples of type. This form of type is not Graffiti, marked to be seen for its aesthetic value, like a bold giant letter created by Ben Enie, but marked to identify. Marked not through skill and learned approaches but marked by the untrained hand – the universal tag – beyond legibility of words the tag is pure idiosyncratic by form and by materiality that identifies itself within the parameters of its cultural setting.

Dant, T. (1999) Material Culture in the Social World. Open University Press. Buckingham
Kempton, K. (2005) Visual Poetry: A Brief History of Ancestral Roots and Modern Traditions.

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It seems like you can only choose one media option per post you make. Basically you can EITHER have an image OR a map location but not both. Advice on this Richard? I've uploaded mine with just images for now but happy to update with a map location too once I have more information on how to actually do that without smashing my laptop and having a cry.

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Hey folks, just realised I've been posting in the wrong group.

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Hey folks, just realised I've been posting in the wrong group.

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What a wally eh? Anyway, hi! Nice to meet all you new faces, I look forward to working with you and chatting during our upcoming webinars :)

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I think Paula Scher visited Bracknell...

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I think Paula Scher visited Bracknell...

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Following the regeneration of the town centre, we now have a HUGE fancy looking map of Bracknell and the surrounding areas.

The first thing I thought of was Paula Scher's maps - very similar idea!

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Over the weekend I visited Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings which is just down the road from where I live. Avoncroft is an open-air museum of rescued buildings, and home to thousands of objects which reflect life and work in the Midlands. It seemed like a great starting point for this challenge 😊

This is one of the examples I photographed – the sign on the tollhouse, which was built in Little Malvern in 1822. The tollboard is a reconstruction based on examples of other tollhouses from around the same time. The reconstruction took place in 1985, I’d love to find some old photographs of the tollhouse to compare the sign to but I’m struggling to find anything!

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Another example I've found this week, which will feature in the workshop challenge as well is the old post office in my town centre.

For ages it's been located here and they had a gorgeous stone surround for the entrance, however due to the regeneration of the town centre in 2017 they had to be relocated. However the holder for the sign and the stone surround with the words 'post office' is still there as no one has replaced them just yet.

Maybe no one wants to because it's been a post office for so long!

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So I've been out this past weekend already trying to look for typography in my area, and I was looking specifically for ghost signs.

I think the concept of 'ghost signs' is really interesting and I didn't know they actually had a name until now. Unfortunately we don't have any that I can find where I am, but we do have some interesting artwork in our underpasses that have been around for a long time and are constantly mended over time as it's part of the town's history.

This is one of my five examples for the task this week. :)

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Hello fellow group B-ers! :)

Hope everyone is enjoying the content so far, I'm loving the typographical start! I found the reading material about signs really interesting and have been exploring on the blog so far.

Here are the links if you fancy seeing what my thoughts are on it.

Informatory, Regulatory and Road Signs

Naming Places and Defining Spaces

Also a brief touch upon the Edward Fella materials.
Letters on America

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Hi Group B,
For a little more inspiration, this is a great little archive of 'found' typography.

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I appreciate this one is quiet, while we deal with the tech issues....

Consider how you are observing your local areas, how you are documenting and what you are beginning to analyse or understand. Whilst typography is the lens through which we are asking you to see the built environment – ask yourself what histories are revealed, what socio-political issues are raised, what wider cultural questions are asked through your acts of observation.

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Planetizen - Urban Planning News, Jobs, and Education

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Today, the participation of diverse voices in city decision-making processes is critical to successful urban change. By diverse, I mean not just professionals, politicians, and pundits, but everyday people who live and work in city spaces. But before we can participate, we need to hone the power of personal observation. This innately human power was once modeled by the Parisian flâneur, and later voiced by Jane Jacobs in her simple plea from The Death and Life of Great American Cities: to "look closely at real cities...and think closely about what you see."

After much research, many interviews, and sifting through countless professional exposures (as an in-the-trenches land use lawyer) and photographs, I have concluded that better cities will emerge if city-dwellers really learn to see and understand their urban environment and how human experience intersects with the built world. Like the people and places depicted in the photographs provided here, we all have stories to tell about where we live, or the places we visit that leave us wanting more when we return home. When crafting policy and regulations, and when making related political decisions, we need to do a better job of finding a role for this human experience.

In the changing city of today, during these divisive political times, I am often asked how this tradition of "looking around" (what I now call "seeing the better city" in my new book) can make a difference. Reporters, audience members, friends, and colleagues wonder how compiling visual, "urban diaries" (composed of photographs that capture what we like and dislike, what is working, and what is not) might change our cities for the better.

In short, how can urban diaries influence effective city planning and development outcomes?

My answer, first of all, is that using the time-honored words of designer George Nelson, "to see is to think." Observing and thinking more visually can enhance our ability to understand and contrast differing points of view about the cities we want and better equip us to intelligently discuss-rather than provide a visceral response to-inevitable changes in the urban landscape. In other words, we should strive for a "vocabulary of looking" as the foundation for participation in civic discussion.

For example, I repeatedly notice many assumptions buried in public debate in my hometown of Seattle about how the city should redevelop. Newcomers and long-time residents, as well as different generations, offer varying perspectives and often disagree. Discussions, both online and in city-convened meetings, frequently focus on the nature of single-family versus multi-family or mixed-use neighborhoods. While participatory websites and facilitators may use maps and visual examples, the process has not yet fully embraced bottom-up, visual submittals as part of consideration and fine-tuning of policies, projects, and plans.

At the same time, it is possible for an inquisitive individual, design or real estate professional, or elected official to take a hard look at ongoing change and then attempt to influence policy based on what they see. From fine grained observation of cultural attributes of a neighborhood (requiring in-street gathering places rather than imposition of traditional street and sidewalk standards) to preservation of émigré fishing practices amid waterfront redevelopment, visual narrative can empower often unnoticed vernacular settings. Seeing seldom-noticed elements of cityscapes important to indigenous populations might enhance a sense of belonging and avoid alienation.

Amid our increasing capacity to photograph with smartphones (over and above conventional cameras), one of the most simple and empowering things we can do is to record and communicate our observations and impressions of where we live, work, and travel each day. These urban diaries can occur on multiple levels-from introductory, "how to see" exercises, all the way to incorporation of citizen-based photography into city planning processes and development project input.

In short, I believe that urban diaries are one key to a more inclusive and empowering approach as our cities change around us. A camera and smartphone are great tools for development of this exploration and vocabulary. We can focus on common urban themes, such as street corners, plazas, parks, and other shared spaces, and evaluate what appeals to each of us, and what does not.

In Seeing the Better City, I suggest how cities might honor constructive visual input submitted by more than just architects and provide my own examples-with words and photographs-as sample urban diary toolboxes for how to evaluate, narrate, and summarize city character and urban change over time. Recently, in an interview by Seattle journalist Mónica Guzmán, I encouraged her readers to create, share, and annotate urban diary examples, highlighting three main caveats from the book-to critique nostalgic reactions, be wary of conditioned responses to certain urban scenes, and to understand the power of the many juxtapositions, overlaps and overlays readily seen in a changing city.

Urban diary topics are as varied as the inspiration that we find in cities. The urban diary interprets the intersection of the public and private realms, the boundaries of the built and natural environments, the relationships between land uses and transportation, and issues of adaptive reuse and public safety.

Five concluding suggestions gleaned from Seeing the Better City summarize how to start thinking more visually in urban settings, and help read, frame, and connect with urban surroundings:

Choose the diary tool and type. Will you photograph, write in a journal, sketch, record audio, tweet, or do a combination of each? Pick a medium that best fits your diary's purpose, whether your aim is to explore, document, or advocate for change.

Plan your path. Decide whether to follow a prescribed path or wander. Where will you start and end? Will you walk, bike, use public transit, or drive? Use maps (paper or digital) to gain perspective and define initial goals.

Select what you will focus on. Examples include the role of transportation, nature, color, the overlap of public and private space, height and scale of buildings, street features, spontaneous expression (e.g., graffiti), and feelings of safety or discomfort.

Use the book's LENS (Look, Explore, Narrate, and Summarize) Method. Here are some easy examples: summarize the walk from your home to a chosen destination in one to two paragraphs, videotape a walk, bike trip, or other focused activity along a street, or use continuous shutter or "burst" mode to photograph street life that you observe from a passing car, bus, streetcar, or tram.

Finalize conclusions and use. Assemble and present photographs and other diary media in a way that will inspire and show what is possible and what might be adaptable to your city or neighborhood. Most importantly, address human character and opportunity, no matter how the diary will be used.

My overarching goal is to find ways to improve civic discussion about what people see in their urbanized surroundings, and to help enable expression of diverse points of view-in a safe middle ground between NIMBY ("not in my backyard") and YIMBY ("yes in my backyard"). Ultimately, I will be happy if city dwellers learn-with the help of many available resources-how to note carefully their emotional responses to the changes they observe, and premise understanding of urban issues on thoughtful inquiry, rather than snap-judgments, or only the pundit's words.

Adapted (with imagery) from Seeing the Better City and related articles that first appeared in myurbanist. The book is available now from Island Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookseller. The above images from the book were composed by the author in Paris and Seattle. ©2009-2017 Charles R. Wolfe.

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Seeing the Better City, Making a Better Place

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Today, the participation of diverse voices in city decision-making processes is critical to successful urban change. By diverse, I mean not just professionals, politicians, and pundits, but everyday people who live and work in city spaces. But before we can participate, we need to hone the power of personal observation.

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Hi Group B,
I look forward to supporting you through History and Futures.

Thank you, Stuart, for posting the first weeks hook question.  I look forward to seeing your responses over the week. Here's a quick one to get you thinking. Its a beautiful capital R set into a tile floor. This was photographed in Collioure, France. Note the beautiful shape of the tail and the proportion. It is interesting how the stroke width is determined by the tile dimensions.

Look forward to seeing you all for our first weeks Webinar.

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I'll email group names on Monday morning (when the module officially launches) but you can dip in out of each Ideas Wall, if you want...

Here's the hook question:
How can typography help define the identity of a location?

And the challenge for this week is:
EXPLORE:
Photograph a broad selection of typography and lettering examples (minimum 10) that illustrate what you believe define the identity of your hometown, nearest city or surrounding area. We want you to research and collect a broad range of examples taken from historical and contemporary reference points.

Your collection should be edited down to five examples you think best reflect the identity of your location.

Note down the exact location to include street name, city/town and area postcode, as we want you to log your examples on the GeoType Wall.

The aim of this challenge is for us to curate and examine vernacular letterforms. Please work hard to collate diverse examples, such as hand drawn, printed, weathered, worn, industrial and pristine. We want to see you looking from all perspectives and not just street level.

ANALYSE:
Analyse how effective the examples of type design communicate place and the identity of that area, and write a short (one hundred word) description for each letterform. Please consider its material make up, role, use and application, with regard to its location eg a weathered sign over a disused shop, which would suggest the changing fortunes of the high street, or the industrial letterforms in a new bar, which suggest gentrification.

This is quite a fun one, to get you started. Enjoy.