Characters
Subtitle: cultural stories revealed through typography
By: Stephen Banham ; foreword by Rick Poynor
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Australia; Published in association with the State Library of Victoria
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Port Melbourne, Vic
Language: eng
Number of pages: 271
ISBN-13: 9780500500262
Subjects: Signs and signboards; Graphic design (Typography); Public art; Billboards; Visual communication; Pictorial works
Description: Type and signage surround us. They are part of our daily lives and the history of whichever city we happen to live in. Whether old or new, each sign has a story to tell. In "Characters", Stephen Banham has meticulously researched the signage and typography of a city to present an exuberant collection of quirky, poignant and often funny stories. They range from how a callout to mend a burnt fuse on a neon sign led to the discovery of over 100 musical instruments hidden away in a train station tower for 50 years to the sign that had to be removed for eliciting illegal gambling. From architecture and advertising to cultural history and much more, "Characters" is a book that will appeal to historians, designers and typophiles alike. Featuring a treasure trove of long overlooked examples, Banham reveals how typography is a rich form of cultural expression, redefining the way we look at our surroundings one letter at a time. You will never walk down the street in the same way again.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Learning to spell; title: Who we are, letter by letter; title: Looking inwards; title: A public scandal; title: The 110 metre finger of protest; title: Aqua profonda; title: Civic; title: The forgotten glittering prize; title: Lighting the beacons; title: Fire branding; title: P for post, T for telephones; title: The white city; title: The king of Carlton; title: The glowing park; title: Poolside; title: The caged kangaroo; title: Pasta sans; title: Spaghetti type; title: Cheers to the three glasses; title: Frozen in type; title: The changing lights at the changing lights; title: Speed reading; title: Simple Sam; title: At the intersection of typography and topography; title: Spinning a tale of signage; title: Beacon of the west; title: All lit up and nowhere to go; title: Written by the hand of a giant; title: Get shirty; title: 6.38; title: Little Audrey; title: The "other" girl; title: Neon girl trio; title: Naked, young and Jackson; title: She's cravin' me; title: Art or billboard?; title: What's the time? : it's a "B" past an "M"; title: Typotecture; title: The big steal; title: A is for apartment, B is for butchering; title: Peeling the onion; title: A funny thing happened; title: The concealed modernist; title: Split identities; title: Matching identities; title: Our magic times; title: A new type of sporting identity; title: The many lives of "Mazda cat"; title: (Faux)nts of fancy; title: The 27th letter of the alphabet; title: Absence; title: Heritage not so bold; title: Logo constellation; title: Finders keepers; title: The many lives of Astoria.