This is my first entry in my new blog: typography journal. Let me tell you a little bit about this projet, why I'm starting it, and what you can expect.
First of all, let's make sure we understand the term typography. I'm sure you've heard it before, but it's not a common word, and therefore I should define it as best I can. For a start, here's the formal definition from my computer's dictionary:
typography
noun
• the art or process of setting and arranging types and printing from them.
• the style and appearance of printed matter.
While the first part of that definition about setting and arranging type and printing is certainly very important, this journal will be mostly interested in the second part of the definition: the style and appearance of printed matter. In my own words: this will be a journal that will concentrate on how typography is used in the world around us, especially in regards to it's style and appearance.
This journal is a requirement for a digital typography class I'm taking. Just like artists keep sketchbooks for drawing whatever it is that strikes their fancy where-ever they may be, this digital journal will--in a way--serve that same purpose. But unlike a true artist armed with his sketchbook out exploring the world, this blog will be a collection of typography, and none of it will be my own original creation. Instead, I'll be collecting, exploring and critiquing other people's typography.
However, there will be one litte bit of originality and creativity applied to this blog by it's creator: the typography I find will be photographed by me, with my own camera. I hope to have up to 100% of the photography on this site be my own orignal photos, but I do reserve the right to use someone else's photography if I come across an image of a subject I'm not able to photograph on my own.
So am I going to be taking photos of books and magazines and posting them to this blog? No.
Rather, the approach here is going to be a little unique. Rather than exploring the typography of the printed page, I'm going to focus on on the typography of everyday life.
To be more exact: I'm going to be focusing on how type is used on things. And by things I mean everything that is not a printed page or a book cover. Rather, I'll be looking at how typography is used on signs, buildings, cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, appliances, tombstones, monuments, shopping carts, packaging, parking lots, and all else. And I'm not going to necessarily look for amazing, outstanding uses of typography, but rather the mundane, boring uses that we see everyday and don't thing two seconds about: stop signs, traffic signs in general, signs along the highway and on buildings, and that sort of thing. My intention is to make you stop and think about these things, how they are designed, their intended audience, why they are even there to begin with. It is a celebration of the mundane. But I do promise to throw in a few more interesting pieces as well.
My personal goal is to add as many as ten images a week--we'll see if we can maintain that pace for a couple of months.
The format of the posts will be very simple: a title, a photo, and a brief description or critique of the typography sample. Since I don't plan to add any advertising to this site, I hope to make a few cents by selling prints and digital downloads of the images I post. There will be links to the an e-commerce site where those transactions can be completed.
I do hope you find this site interesting. I'll keep the comments section open if you have any feedback.
Thank You.
Ron Z.
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