Upload
robert-sewell
View
219
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
A short book on different travel typefaces.
Citation preview
0DQ\�RI�XV�ORYH�WKH�IHHOLQJ�RI� WUDYHOOLQJ� VRPHZKHUH�QHZ�� ,WßV� UHIUHVKLQJ�� :H�EHFRPH� DFFXVWRPHG� WR� RXU�VXUURXQGLQJV� LQ� �HYHU\GD\� OLIH�WXQLQJ�RXW�DOO�WKH�XQQHFHVVDU\�YLVXDO� LQIRUPDWLRQ�� 7UDYHOOLQJ�WR�D�QHZ�SODFH�VWLPXODWHV�\RXU�H\HV�DQG�WKLV��LQ�WXUQ��LQFUHDVHV�\RXU�EUDLQ�DFWLYLW\�����6R�ZK\�GR�IRUHLJQ�SODFHV�IHHO�VR����IRUHLJQ"��7KLV� ERRN� LV� P\� DWWHPSW� WR�GLYXOJH�WKH�ÞFRUSRUDWHß�EUDQGLQJ�RI�FHUWDLQ�FRXQWULHV�DQG�GHFLSKHU�WKH�DWPRVSKHUH�FUHDWHG�
7KH� QH[W� IHZ� SDJHV� LQFOXGH�WKH� FKRVHQ� W\SHIDFHV� IRU�URDG� VLJQDJH�� DQG� DORQJVLGH��WKH� VSHFLILF� W\SHIDFH� IRU� WKH�FRXQWULHV� FDSLWDO� XQGHUJURXQG�QHWZRUN��7KLV�JLYHV�\RX��D��FKDQFH�WR�FRPSDUH�VRPH�RI�WKH�PRVW�SUROLILF�W\SHIDFHV�RI�WKH�FRXQWU\�DQG�H[DPLQH�KRZ�LW�PDNHV�XV��DV�RXWVLGHUV��IHHO��<RX�PLJKW�DOVR�EH�ZRQGHULQJ�ZK\�RQ�HDUWK�,�ZRXOG�FKRRVH�WR�GHVLJQ�WKH�ILUVW�WZR�SDJHV�OLNH�WKLV��:HOO�\RXßOO�MXVW�KDYH�WR�ZDLW�XQWLO�WKH�HQG�RI�WKH�ERRN�WR�ILQG�RXW���
Deutschland
A well designed typeface that manages
to be very clear, yet still has a hint of
personality. It may be Germanically
clinical but it makes you feel like you’re
travelling into a well organised country.
Based on Frutiger and co designed by
Speikermann. All the letter forms are
very similar to one another which adds
uniformity and professionalism but lacks
interest and historicism.
Guten Tag liebliche leser und willkommen in
Deutschland. This is the birthplace of DIN, one
of the most used typefaces on roads throughout
Europe. The name is an acronym for the ‘Deutsches
Institut für Normung’, an institute in charge of
standardisation throughout Germany. The specific
strand of DIN we see today is called DIN 1451
Mittelschrift and is not only used in the road signage
throughout Germany, but also number plates in other
European countries. The typeface was influenced by
a typeface used on the German train network and
was eventually constructed using a grid system.
This made sure all the widths remained consistent
and precise. Interestingly DIN was scrapped in East
Germany in favour of Gill Sans in the 70’s only to be
scrapped again in the late 90’s, presumably when
Russia released it’s grip on Germany. There are
only 2 variations of DIN used in the German Signage
system; DIN 1451 Engschrift and Mittelschrift.
Engschrift is the back-up typeface and is only used
when there isn’t enough space for Mittelschrift.
France
Look at the R, isn’t it fantastic! Almost
as if someones lifted it straight from
Futura and the Art Deco movement.
I still think it’s one of the worst faces,
though it does hold a lot of character.
France Metro
How dull. Paris has successfully removed
all traces of character from their metro
typeface Parisine. The metro is still famous
for the old floral signs posts but this almost
naturalises the appeal .
Bonjour étranger!
We’re in France now,
home to the quick spoken
language of love... and
complicated signage.
Caractères is a typeface
specifically designed for
France and it comes in
three variants: L1, black
letters on white; L2, white
letters on blue and L4,
lowercase italics. What
it really boils down to is
bold, medium and italic.
The main differences
between French and
other European signage
is the use of CAPITALS.
L1 and L2 are caps only,
which means every
lowercase letter must be
set in italics. Caractères
is very similar to the
Frutiger typeface and is
rumoured to be based on
it. Surprisingly there isn’t
much information about
when and who designed
this typeface. What I
can’t get over is what
the designers must have
been thinking. I mean,
you spend all this time
making a typeface that’s
easy to read and then you
mess it all up again with
a mass of complicated
signs (example right).
Compare this to the blue
motorway signs and it
becomes immediately
apparent that someone
wasn’t thinking.
America
FHWA definitely feels American.
Maybe it’s the huge kerning that sepa-
rates each letter from one another.
This gives it a sense of space and
vastness, just like the US. The cut off
letter forms (e & a) don’t flow well.
Subway
Helvetica matches a New York lifestyle
perfectly especially with those thick
letter forms that reflect an American
assertiveness. It’s predecessor;
Standard is very closely related and
adds more historic depth to Helvetica.
You have arrived in America, the land of the free and where the typefaces have
never heard of a diet. Shields are very 1950’s. In theory it’s quite a clever way
to communicate the type of road and which road it is, but us Brits developed
a good system for that: A roads, B roads and Motorways. The typeface used
across the majority of the US is called FHWA, named after the Federal Highway
Administration. America has recently changed it’s typeface to Clearview, a much
easier typeface to read from a distance. The main
change is the X-height (size of letters like a,c,e) which
makes the word much more recognisable. FHWA
might be known as Highway Gothic and is still used in
Canada, Mexico, Australia, Spain, Turkey, Brazil, Chile
and New Zealand probably because it was free.
England
Transport is one of the most curvy
typefaces in this book. It’s im-
mediately recognisable and although
it’s a fairly new sans-serif typeface
it reflects Britons history whilst
remaining friendly and approachable.
Underground
Johnston sans is a very unique type-
face and exudes a sense of historic
importance. Every time I travel in the
tube it feels like I’m travelling back in
time, Johnston is arguably one of the
most pretty faces too.
W onderful to be back home again. These signs just feel so... British. The
typeface used is called, very aptly, Transport and was designed between
1957 and 1963 on behalf of the British transport authority. There are 2 variations:
Medium and Heavy. Technically there are two more; the stretched type we see
on the roads. However the majority of this is hand painted so the typefaces were
never really used as such. The font has a surprisingly large x-height, especially if
you compare the cross bar in the Capital
A and the bottom of the Bowl in the R
and B. Transport was created due to the
advent of the motorways and came into
effect in the late 60’s. The typeface is
also used in Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Greece, and Portugal, and in much
of the Middle East.
Nederland
Look at those angles! There are 4
different slants in the word below, which
makes it surprising that the typeface
feels at all coherent. The typeface feels
the more modern than the others and
really reflects the country as a whole.
At last, something different! This is the
first rounded sans-serif typeface in this
book and isn’t it just wonderful. It says
I am here; I am friendly and I am willing
to help whilst still retaining its authority.
The arrows are very
stubby in comparison to
other European signage
and the stroke (white
line) is also very thick
and rounded.
Welkom in Nederland. ANWB-Uu is the typeface of Holland, and I’m sensing a
little De Ja Vu. It’s a typeface based on FHWA from the USA, and if you look at
the ascenders t, k , l and d you can see the distinctive angled top. However there are
many differences that may not be noticeable. The counter size is larger which gives
each letter more breathing space. There is less kerning (space between letters)
which allows the word to feel as one, rather than a few separate letters. The x-height
is higher (smaller letters are taller) which improves legibility, and means the letters
are taller and leaner rather than wider. All these points combine to make the Dutch
typeface much more legible and has created a bespoke feeling about the typeface.
,Wßßßßß�KDV�EHHQ�DQ�LQWHUHVWLQJ�MRXUQH\�ORRNLQJ�DW� VRPH� YHU\� XQLTXH� W\SHIDFHV� DQG�LWßV�DOVR�YHU\�RGG�WR�WKLQN�KRZ�PXFK�D�W\SHIDFH�FDQ�VKDSH�RXU�RSLQLRQ�RI�ZKHUH�ZH� DUH�� DOPRVW� OLNH� D� VXEFRQVFLRXV�EUDQGLQJ��:KDW� LV� REYLRXV� WKRXJK� LV�WKDW�WKH�LQIOXHQFH�RI�WKH�W\SHIDFHV�DUH�VRPHKZKDW� OLPLWHG�� :KDW� ,� KDYHQßßW�WDNHQ�LQWR�DFFRXQW�LV�WKH�RYHUDOO�ORRN�DQG��RUJDQLVDWLRQ�RI�WKH�LQIRUPDWLRQ��7KHUH�DUH�DOVR�PDQ\�RXWGDWHG�VLJQV�XS�DQG�GRZQ�WKH�FRXQWU\�WKDW�XVH�W\SHIDFHV�RI�ROG�DQG�LW�LV�WKHVH�WKDW�WUXO\�UHYHDO�D�JOLPSVH� LQWR�WKH�SDVW��$W� WKH�VWDUW�,�ZDQWHG�WR�VHH�ZKDW�ZRXOG�KDSSHQ�ZKHQ�\RX�WDNH�D�IRQW��+HOYHWLFD��WKDW�LV�GHVLJQHG�IRU�FODULW\��DQG�PDNH�LW�YHU\�GLIILFXOW�WR�UHDG��6R�WKDQN�\RX�IRU�EHLQJ�SDUW�RI�P\�H[SHULPHQW���