Signs: Lettering in the Environment

Abstract

'Signs: Lettering in the Environment' is the first serious attempt for 20 years to both document and look at the issues surrounding lettering in public places. It takes forward the ideas of Nicolete Gray, Alan Bartram, Jock Kinneir and James Mosley who all published seminal books or articles in this field. Changes in printing technology allow our book the advantages of appearing in full colour throughout and being more copiously illustrated. At a time when formal teaching about lettering is minimal, Signs makes a significant contribution to an ongoing understanding of the discipline. Further the book demonstrates, through critical evaluation of material shown, the pragmatic benefits of such understanding with content sampled to explain how and why lettering projects are successful or not. Part historical narrative and part contemporary record, the book identifies, documents and discusses the variety of lettering found in public places. Material is thematically grouped and contextually explored within two main sections focussing, in turn, on the functions of ‘signing’ and ‘naming’, each section introduced by an essay. I drafted the ‘Signing’ essay, parts of which were based on previously published research. However, all draft texts were subsequently and extensively overwritten by each of us. Text and image are closely related in a design by us, which purposefully retains the format of the original images. Key to the book’s genesis have been our individual photographic collections which first dovetailed in the mid 90s (>500 of the book’s 586 images are ours). Collaborative presentations, teaching, articles for the design press and a website. Additional photography then undertaken specifically for Signs and subsequently has allowed us to refine existing methods and develop a model for rigour in recording for use by others.

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