RESEARCH
Exhibition Fotonale Brugge 2019 - Feest!
During my visit to Bruges I also went to an exhibition of photos taken during festivals. It was very interesting seeing how each photographer interpreted the brief of the "festive" subject focusing on the many different aspects of the theme. Some of them decided to focus more on the joyful side, maybe approaching it with a bit of humour. Some decided to focus on details, accentuating different points of view of a festival, which also mean, in some cases, not only representing the happy side of it.
RESEARCH - Eric Gill
Eric Gill was a sculptor, typeface designer and printmaker active during the first tears of the 20th century.
He created many famous typefaces like the Gill Sans or the Perpetua, which are still normally used today.
He designed the Gill Sans on the basis of a sans-serif lettering originally designed for the London Underground and it was used across al British Railways:
British Railway sign at Lowestoft railway station in Gill Sans
He often treated religious subjects and found inspiration in the medieval art. He came out with his own way of modernising miniatures, including in them his personal style and typefaces:
Medieval miniatures
- The Creation
- The Crucifixion
- On the Tiles
- Death be not Proud
His prints are very cartoonish looking and I was really impressed with the "Death be not Proud" one as I find it very contemporary.
He also created many sculptures and bas-reliefs. He also engraved 9 bas-reliefs that represent the stations to the cross for the Westminster Cathedral:
Stations of the Cross - Westminster Cathedral
Which reminded me of the bas-reliefs you can find in medieval cities in Italy:
Fontana Maggiore, Perugia (1275 - 1278)
Besides making lots of works related to religious subjects he also produced many erotic pieces, which are quite contradictory if we include them in range of his generic pieces.
- Earth Receiving
- Vote for Women
RESEARCH
I have also spent a day in Bruxelles and took some pictures of the signs that I found interesting:
I really like this typeface, it is very original and extravagant. Its geometric forms remind me of Kandinskij's abstract paintings. And I think that a nice way to further develop the typeface could be to animate it.
- "Composition 8"
- "Intersecting lines"
I think that the broken piece in this sign makes it even more interesting. It gives character to the typeface, bringing it to life, as it seems that the A is trying to hold on with all its strengths to not fall on the ground, or worst, on somebody's head.
This sign is by far one of my favourites as I love the 3D effect that it has given by this extreme angle of the letters. The typeface seems popped out of a comic and the O mirroring the other O is a very nice detail added to the sign.
RESEARCH - Jonathan Barnbrook
Jonathan Barnbrook is one of the UK's most active graphic designers. He created many different fonts and he's always very provocative in naming them, few examples could be Manson, Bastard, Nixon...
Example of three typefaces: Bastard, Mason and Nixon
His typefaces are very original, experimental and he knows how to use them in order to accentuate their forms. The layouts that he creates are often tricky to read, never boring and very innovative.
His style is very bold, unique and visually extremely stimulating. He often uses elements of bitter irony in his pieces, usually connecting it to social commentaries on consumerism and politics.
He also uses graphic design as a mean to make strong statements about hot topics delivering important messages to spread awareness among the public.
He also designed the cover of the last album of David Bowie, "Black Star" and I was really impressed with the use he made of the star, developing it into an actual typeface by taking it apart and joining some pieces together to create the letters.
RESEARCH - Experiment
Beer museum in Bruges
During the Christmas break I went to Bruges and in the beer museum of the city I found this label that reminded me of my Guilty Pleasures project's outcome. I used it as a reference for a little experiment. I wanted to make something that people could have fun with while drinking in group. Then I remembered a picture a girl who I am friend with posted on social media:
And I thought that taking photos like that, with a cup, a hand or some other object in front of your face, was something that young people do quite often. So I came out with the idea of putting cartoonish noses and mouths on drinks, so someone can place them in front of their face to create a visual illusion and have fun with friends while taking pictures of it.
Outcome of the experiment
RESEARCH
Duvel pub in Bruges
I have my own collection of beer caps back in Italy and I've always wanted to make something out of it, but I have never came to a real decision. I thought this way of using them, recreating the first letter of the brand in large scale, was quite nice and original.
RESEARCH - Margaret Calvert
Margaret Calvert worked to design the signage of Gatwick Airport, the Rail Alphabet typography for the British Rail company and the road sign system of the UK.
Typography and signage of Gatwick Airport
She corrected the old typefaces used at that time, which varied from one panel to another, and developed a new and clearer one which was recognisable and readable at high-speed. This typography is very similar to the Gill Sans and that now is used as standard font for every road sign all over the country.
The "Transport" font
She also designed a whole system with different bodies and colours for each group of road signs. And among the most famous signages she created there's the "men at work" one, to which she recently added the female version, making the "women at work" sign.
Women at work
Road signs have always inspired artists and over the years many versions of them have been done. Among the artists that were inspired by them there's also Jonathan Barnbrook:
50th Anniversary of the British Road Sign
He used road signs to spread awareness on the use that we make of the car and how it influences our lives.