Type Observation: Developing Your Own Collection

A better understanding of typography begins by observing typography in the world around you — the good and bad, the intriguing and questionable. This kind of observation is not just about typefaces and style, it's also about context and materials. If you don't already, carry a camera with you (or camera phone) to capture interesting type and its context. Bring it to class or email it to me and we'll post it here to discuss.

Highly ledgible sans serif stencil...until dismantled and the letters become abstracted

Parking garage wayfinding type, masked to point you toward the exit

Tile mosaic bar signage

Falling type, formal type, large type juxtaposed

Islamic script carved into wall as surface pattern

Crisp Gill Sans over narrow neon type on a curve

Vegas signage, old and new

White and black with a bit of red: Helvetica

Official type style on all buildings of the University of Salamanca, Spain

Official street signs of Malaga, Spain

Graffiti type in Sevilla, Spain

Inlaid type on gothic cathedral trap door, Spain

Hand-painted advertising, rural Ireland

Fading painted brick advertising, Ft. Point, Boston

Large scale, neon-filled type, Fenway, Boston

Carving in bronze, Spain

Hand-painted restaurant signage, Alabama

Graffiti juxtaposed with bold sans on a curve

Floor-to-ceiling museum signage, varnish and matte, Las Vegas

Hand-painted firehouse sign, rural New Hampshire

Motel signage, roadside between Boston and NYC

Animal tags, rural New Hampshire

Swirling languages, Eastern and Western, World of Coke

Digital wayfinding, streaming vertically, Madrid Airport