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Its the pen

An overview of the design process of Yport; the grotesque typeface with calligraphic expression.

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Moka Express from the designer Alfonso Bialetti, 1933, Foto Herbert Goetsch

The Shapes and its Feel

Type can transport more than its written content, objects as well.

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Studio Simdo

Studio Simdo is black and white photography studio located on Seochon village in Seoul. The designer Jaehoon Choi organised the brand identity with a variable typographic grid system using Messina Sans and Optical illustration from “Cyclopædia: or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Science” by Ephraim Chambers from 1728. The logotype designed with repetitive form of its name “Studio Simdo”.

The typographic system is applied on different types of printed matter with the clamp shape as section dividing and a numeric system from the Gray-scale value tabel which is used frequently in black and white photography. The original hand-drawn optical illustration from ‘Cyclopædia’ are applied as symbolising the principles of lens and camera. Spatial Design and Photography by Giseok Kim.

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Space

Type; a Design Space

Summary of the design process from 2017 until 2020 of Spezia and Spezia Serif

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Exhibition Digital Type Hype

Technical and cultural developments shape the form of fonts and how they are used. How will we deal with and work with typography in the future? The “Digital Type Hype” exhibition offers an inventory and orientation.

Luzi Type has contributed with its variable font Spezia. The exposition is in the School of Design Bern and Biel (Sfgbb) and open until 04th of April 2020.

Exhibition curated and designed by Juliane Wolski (Atelier Pol), exhibition poster by Marc Zenhäusern (Atelier Pol). Exhibition construction by the Sfgbb exhibition team.

Find more information at www.sfgb‑b.ch.

Every Size it’s Design

Back in 2015, the book ”Letters of Credit” was recommended to me. An astonishing overview of type design by Walter Tracy from 1986. It gave me great new insides, especially the chapter regarding proportions.

In it Tracy explains how in metal type each font size had its own design. The idea followed me since.

Smaller sizes had larger lowercase which makes counterforms more open therefore better readable. Details are added and contrasts increases as the font gets larger. This gives headline a more pronounced voice and makes fonts usable in scrolling text. A part of the quality seen in letterpress books is due to this concept.

I was delighted to see in 2017 the introduction of variable fonts. It gives the designer again a convenient access to individual designs for each sizes. I am currently finalising Spezia Serif, a typeface with 3 Axes; weight, width and optical size.

The past and future

Typography is a progressing matter. The evolution of typefaces is made with constant small steps. Each generation of designers and engineers contributes to this long dialogue over shapes and the relation between them. 

The past is part of the future, since reading and writing are based on conventions. Some of these conventions are more elementary; the uppercase T is two lines, one horizontal the other vertical which are centred. Other conventions are more flexible and open new possibilities.

The type design is based on the underlying technology. For example, a font who was designed for letterpress has to be translated into a digital font. It is not possible to just transfer it from one technique to another.

An important source are old specimen books from the 19th century. These publications were made by the font publishers for print shops to decide which fonts to order and to use in their work. Over the years I have collected a small compilation of these books and some interesting printed matter; here are some of my favorites.

Fonts outside

Its quit common to have a habit of collecting as a designer. I have a great passion for evening outdoor typography; from signs to walls from paint to vinyl.

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