The earliest instances of man communicating through signs and symbols over 6,000 years ago, from the ancient Egyptian hyeroglyps to various written scripts and pictorial languages have greatly contributed to shaping and understanding the world and the visual landscape that surrounded them. Nowadays, just like back then 4,000 B.C., written languages (ex. signs and symbols) carry a great deal of information and have multi-layered interpretations each defining its own typographic style and semiotics such as Tags, Grafitti, Civic signs, City icons, Coats of Arms.
I have investigated more closely the current typographic remnants, traces in the Elephant & Castle area and based my collection around it. These oldish residues of type as well as the afore-mentioned recent ones have merged with the current urban vernicular as the built environment offers the “creative� eye a rich source of signs and symbols that can be used to communicate urbanish themes. Moreover, urban decay creates a platform for designers and non-designers alike to recreate the ambient space providing new meaning through self-expression in spite of appropriateness. Newly generated themes such as worn flyposters, scribbles, tags, signs are
epitomized and are widely explored by designers bearing the patina and age on concrete and tarmac. Urban typography is prevalent in the cityscape, thus, has become camouflaged to the unsuspecting strollers and gives me another reason to capture the essence of its existence. Urban scripts also serve the purpose of someone communicating information, recording events, describing political and religious affairs and as a result, in my opinion, becoming more and more the organic residues of modern “hyeroglyps�. In the same way, occurences such as this will inevitably create an interactive relationship or dialogue between the buildings and the inhabitants of a city.
Consequently, every cultural phenomenon can be studied as a form of communication with deep anthropological dimensions. To mention a few, tags and graffiti have shifted in recent years from the walls and alleys of cities to art galleries such as Banksy. These subjectively descriptive styles of communication have become intrinsic to the urban landscape and, in my view, have greatly contributed to the adornment of the plainness of cities. They have also merged with and become part of the urban vernacular giving the aforementioned extra quality or edge to the design of streets and environments. We are all continuously in flux of this historical infinity, evolving and emerging
all the time inviting us all to take part in the evolution of pictorial languages. As to the evolution of visual languages, they possess the innate power to evolve from time to time as we humans of the 21 century evolve and progress through technological innovation and invention. We, humans, appropriate technology and their advancement to create new means of communication, hence, in maybe 100 years time our symbolic and pictographic representation will have been taken over by a new visual vocabulary. Only after the exploration of somewhat theoretical questions such as “what is a designer” or “ Are all designers flaneurs” has my approach to finding the subject been informed.
In my “100 objects” collection I endeavor to delineate a particular visual urban language through images and composition. This collection will also be “dedicated” to the documentation and study of signs, word fragments, and typography created with utilitarian intent in urban environments. This can be on the locations itself, but also in alleys and train yards as such. Searching for containers, abandoned goods wagons, derelict buildings and other forgotten and unwanted artefacts. In addition, the photographs I have taken may show how the context of type can change by weather, wit, accident, bad taste or bad spelling. I have made no attempts to alter any meaning or circumstance as those interventions would
have had a major impact on the nature of the collection. However, written notes and annotations will help me cope with the questions formulating in my head about some of the findings. To summarize,apart from being an educational exercise, the idea of recording and debating about the importance of urban typography will not only help my personal development in the subject matter, but will also aid me find further subjects and contexts of design to explore and investigate in the future.
Designed by Roland Koves (BA) Graphic Product Innovation Printed at London College of Communication Š 2010 All photos and text in this brochure are copyrighted material and all rights are reserved.