Travel Through Type
入口 Entry Entrée
A collection of signage typefaces used in stations around the globe
Berlin
Milan
Edinburgh
Vancouver
New York
Tokyo
Emily Carr University of Art + Design COMD-204 Robin Mitchell Cranfield
Publication © 2020 ECUAD
Designed & Edited by Airi Nishioka
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher.
Printed in Canada
Typeface Hiragino Sans by JIYUKUBO Ltd. Helvetica by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann Futura by Paul Renner Parisine by Jean François Porchez FF Meta by Erik Spiekermann Tannenberg by Erich Meyer
All rights reserved.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Airi Nishioka, editor Travel Through Type / Airi Nishioka COMD204 - Project1 Type Safari. ISBN 975-1-696359-81-7 1. Student project. 2. Illustration and Communication Design - Classroom. Emily Carr University of Art + Design, host instituion. V. Travel Through Type. N8236.P35B83 2015 704.9’4933827282 C2013-903923-6
Berlin Nordbahnof Berlin · Germany
Tannenberg ¡ Bold Fraktur Blackletter Vertical axis Sans-serif Vertical, horizontal, and angled strokes Stroke modulation “eâ€? Mimics blackletter writing during the time
Designed by Erich Meyer no serif
and developed during the
thinner diagonal stroke
B e a
vertical stress
late 1920s-1930s. From around 1935 to 1941, Tannenberg was used on station signs by Deutsche Reichsbahn. The typeface can still be seen at the Berlin Nordbahnof station.
Milano Centrale Station Milan ¡ Italy
flat apex
straight stems overlap circles
Aa
Futu
ra B
old
Vertical axis No stroke modulation Sans-serif Small x-height Geometric shapes
single story
sharp apex
Futura ∙ Bold Geometric Designed by Paul Renner and released in 1927. The typeface was created as a contribution to the New Frankfurt project.
Fut u
ra M
edi
um
Futura is also used in the Toronto Subway.
Hailmarket Railway Station Edinburgh ¡ Scotland
Calvert Slab serif
a
Designed by Margaret Calvert in 1980 for Monotype.
double story
vertically cut spur
The typeface was developed from letters that Calvert created for the Tyne and Wear Metro. square tittle
Exit thick horziontal serif
slightly thinner stroke for crossbar
Vertical axis Unbracketed serif Low stroke modulation Thick and bold design Generous x-height
Burrard Station Vancouver ¡ Canada
ga ear
FF Meta ¡ Medium Humanist Designed by Erik Spiekermann and released in 1991. FF Meta was intended to be a space-saving typeface that would be legible when printed in various sizes in public.
horizontal cut
double story
spur
open loop
Line Vertical axis Sans-serif Low stroke modulation Double story a and g Small x-height
Street Station New York City · America
Helvetica ‧ Bold Neo-grotesque
square tittle
Times
Designed by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann in 1957. Helvetica is the official standard in the New York City transit system today. Vertical axis Sans-serif Low stroke modulation Generous x-height
horizontal cut
Aa Gg flat apex
single story
double story
large counter
angled spur
Nihombashi Station Tokyo · Japan
no handwritten quality
町
slightly thicker end strokes
town
Hiragino Sans ・ W5 ヒラギノ角ゴシック体 Designed by JIYUKUBO Ltd. in 1995. It is a design concept for Japanese, Chinese, and European characters. The typeface is also one of the built-in fonts in macOS and iOS.
fluid joints
single story
Ag sharp end strokes
Vertical axis Sans-serif Generous x-height Low stroke modulation · slight modulation towards endstrokes
Research credits
Image credits
P2
screen-hiragino.com
P1
antoniotajuelo.com/en/tokyo-metro
P4
newlyswissed.com/helvetica-worlds-most-popular-font/
P3
tunnelingonline.com/ny-mta-begin-subway-system-modernization/
P6
moma.org/collection/works/139324
P5
dennistt.net/2014/01/05/new-signage-skytrain-stations/
P8
typewolf.com/site-of-the-day/fonts/calvert
P7
thetrams.co.uk/tyneandwear/pictures/002963
P10 sessions.edu/notes-on-design/type-in-history-futura/
P9
travelfied.net/helpful-italy-travel-tips-part-2/
P12 sitepoint.com/the-blackletter-typeface-a-long-and-colored-history/
P11 berlintypography.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/the-many-faces-of-the-s1/