Letters and Liquor A Typographic History of Cocktails — Matthew Wyne
Channel: TypeCon
Date: 2019-06-24

Recorded during TypeCon2018: Xx in Portland, Oregon

If your cocktail were a typeface, what would it be?

For the past three years I have traveled the world in search of cocktail ephemera to learn how we represented our drinking in typographic form. From the tavern signs of the American colonies to the Pinterest-influenced menus of today’s contemporary Speakeasies, I have compiled an extensive collection of liquor-related lettering that is every bit as bewitching as the potions it advertises.

This exercise was born from my desire to create work for the spirits category that has historical integrity, but it has also given me incredible insight into typographic development because the lens I’ve chosen for my study is so specific.

Join me for a salubrious survey of type as seen from the barrooms and bottles of our 300 year love affair with cocktails. Refreshments, sadly, will be limited to the visual realm.