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Tubetype: A font that changed the city of London
In the midst of the First World War began one of the most iconic, enduring and best-loved fonts in the world: Edward Johnston’s type for the London Undergound. Within a few years, Johnston Sans would be visible not only at Elephant & Castle and Golders Green, but at all points where posters were pasted to walls. Edward Johnston’s work adorned every announcement, whether beautiful or grim (“The last northbound train has gone.”)
Johnston was the man who defined London with his type, dominating the capital from the far western reaches of the Metropolitan line in Amersham to easterly Upminster on the District line. (Photo: Luke MacGregor/Reuters)
Just My Type: A short history of the ampersand
Much of what one needs to know about the history and beauty of a font may be found in its ampersand. Done well, an “&” is not so much a character as a creature, an animal from the deep. Or it is a character in the other sense of the word, usually a tirelessly entertaining one, perhaps an uncle with too many magic tricks.
Ikea’s epic Swedish frontroversy
Simon Garfield explores the peculiar history of typefaces in his new book, Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, published by Gotham Books. In the third of five exclusives excerpts, Garfield looks at the controversy that surround IKEA changing fonts from Futura to Verdana.
At the end of August 2009, an unusual thing happened in the world: IKEA changed its typeface. This wasn’t so strange in itself — big companies like to stay looking fresh, and this is often the easiest way to do it — but the odd thing was that people noticed.
Simon Garfield explores the peculiar history of typefaces in his new book, Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, published by Gotham Books. In the second of five exclusives excerpts, Garfield looks at the 15th-century equivalent of Times New Roman:
Johannes Gutenberg didn’t much care about finding a suitable font for each new project, or even changing the course of Western history. What he cared about was making money.
