The History of Typography and Its Journey Through Art - Widewalls

The History of Typography and its
Journey Through Art
April 30, 2017
Smirna K
As one of the first and fundamental forms of communication, writing

and typography trace their roots even back to the Upper Paleolithic
times when cave paintings used symbols as a form of language.
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However,
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Sumerians around you3,500
may also do As
B.C. so by following
each the instructions
civilization here.
advanced, so their
need for communication became more complex. From Egyptian
hieroglyphics with symbols and ideograms to Ancient Greeks who
used the alphabet created by Phoenicians, taken over by Romans
afterwards. The Romans have also styled the Uppercase Alphabet,
which we still use today.
Going over The Middle Ages which popularized illustrated

manuscripts and calligraphy, focusing on the hand-written texts, we
come to the most important point in the history of modern
typography as we know it today – the invention of the moveable
printing press in the 15th century, by Johannes Gutenberg. After this
moment everything changed, books could be published and
distributed on a large-scale, meaning that education could become
more spread, the news could be created and read, as well as
advertisements using the initial serif and sans serif typefaces. But
how has writing evolved since then, how did typography become
more than just a decorative element and turned into not just an
important form of art, but also a language itself in our contemporary
society?[1]
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Louvre - Egyptian Hyerogliphs
Early Modernist Typography – The Bauhaus

Fonts
One of the last Bauhaus students, Herbert Bayer has definitely left a
huge mark on not just typography, but also other forms of visual arts
and architecture. He used and adopted the principles of reductive
Minimalism to develop his famous Sans-serif type titled Universal,
and it was one of the keys to defining the entire Bauhaus aesthetic.
The aesthetics of the Bauhaus has influenced many important
artists, among them Jan Tschichold, the man who created visual
experiences on a subconscious level for all the book lovers, who
could now see art in books even while only observing letters. After
seeing
like to change a Bauhaus
your preferences youexhibition
may also do in 1924,
so by he adopted
following the here.
the instructions composition,
structure and geometry of the Bauhaus, leaving behind his passion
for black letters and scripts and adopting new rules. His most
important work was Die Neue Typographie – The New Typography ,
published in 1928, as a masterpiece of the modern typography and
graphic design. This book standardized typographic practices with a
set of rules. This reflected a move towards a more universal and
modern communication style.[2]
Bauhaus - New Typography
A Birth of Technology Tools and Pop Art
Withtothe
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prospered from additional ways of creating new items and
commercials, but also allowed artists to refer to and play with these
new creations. The most important move which made a revolution in
typography during the early 1950s was when Varityper and
Photon each introduced a reasonably priced, standalone typesetting
system. This also meant that both the producers of goods and artists
can have more access to the production of typography. Pop Art
emphasized the kitschy elements of popular culture and created art
as a protest against the elitist culture and seriousness which
surrounded it. Artists like Andy Warhol completely replicated both
the forms of consumerist products, as well as the fonts used for
their commercials. Roy Lichtenstein, on the other hand, integrated a
simple, comic book text font as a part of his famous large-scale
paintings. Known as one of the most important pioneers of
contemporary Typographic art influenced by Pop art, British artist
Mike Edwards created and creates Word Paintings or Text Portraits in
which each letter becomes rendered in a separate color. When the
image is viewed from distance, the letters merge together and create
a photographic quality of the work.
Be sure to check out works by Andy Warhol on

our marketplace!
Mike Edwards - Bowie Handwritten Songs
Typography as a Messenger of Peace in the

1960s Design
As the 1960s were times of radical social changes, with the beginning
of the peace movement and the psychedelic era, with it came new
fonts and designs which were created to support the innovative
ideas flourishing at those times. One of the most important designers
of psychedelic posters was Wes Wilson, who heavily influenced
typography by inventing a new font around 1966, which became
synonymous with the era. It was the psychedelic font which made
the letters become more dynamic and look like they are melting
away from the prints. Typography was used as a way of spreading
ideas
like to change your about theyouongoing
preferences social
may also do changes,
so by following the protests
instructions and
here. ways of
adopting a new lifestyle. One of the key designers who also played an
important role with his color experiments was Victor Moscoso,
who used the concept of vibrating colors on his typographic posters,
created by taking colors from the opposite end of the color wheel,
with equal value and intensity.
Left: Wes Wilson - The Byrds, Moby Grape Poster / Right: Wes Wilson - Muddy Waters Blues Band Poster
Between Tradition and Software Development

in the 1970s and 80s
Concerning the technology of the 1970s, it included the invention of

third-generation
We use cookies typesetters
to ensure that we which
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experience stored
our website. If you font
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data. Through the early ’80s, these machines were the most
important producers in the printing and publishing industry. The
bubbly, futuristic, colorful letters on album and book covers during
these times remain an important inspirational point for artists even
today, who try to copy the genuine retro fonts like Baskerville OF,
Bubble Gum, or Futura. But even though many artists and designers
of the time found inspiration in the software development, others
tried to renew traditional forms and to find different ways of applying
them. In 1989, the true master of traditional typography and
printmaking, and a multidisciplinary artist, Alan Kitching, established
The Typography Workshop, a studio that uses traditional techniques
of letterpress printing but also combines them with obsolete
technologies and seeks new ways to apply them. The result becomes
magical and can be seen through his innovative, colorful works which
use wood and metal, but show how even these traditional materials
can be inspiring.
Alan Kitching - A Life in Letterpress
Contemporary Typography Design
As always, contemporary artists have been redefining and

transcending traditional practices and procedures of typewriting with
the help of technology and multimedia design tools. The
contemporary typography works, in the spirit of postmodernism,
include and combine everything from Neo-Pop, contemporary
calligraphy, filmmaking, installation art, sculpture and street art.
Some of the notable artists working with this style today is
definitely Craig Redman, who uses his iPhone, camera, laptop and
Photoshop to create simple cynical messages presented in an
optimistic, simple, form-reducing manner. Like many other artists
working with typography, his work doesn't stop with clients but he
also enjoys creating messages of his own. Starting as a graffiti artist
who fell in love with calligraphy, Luca Barcellona combines ancient
tradition with contemporary design and creates live calligraphy
exhibitions. His works question the possibility of words becoming a
graphic interpretation of the text, and the most important piece in
this series was his graphic reinterpretation of a story by Franz Kafka.
On the other hand, even traditional alphabets like Hangul get

reinterpreted in contemporary typography of Ahn Sang-Soo who
transformed this ancient alphabet into an artform of its own. Rus
Khasanov is another important contemporary artist who uses items
like laptop screens and soy sauce to create his typefaces. A prolific
graphic artist known for creating typographic installations which
move
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projects which include implanting type into sperm's DNA, doing
Typo-plastic surgeries to modify our body using type, and makes
creatures out of Hebrew and Latin type.[4]
Le : Ahn Sang-Soo - Reinterpretation of traditional Korean Hangul, 2002 / Right: Rus Khasanov - Sunlight Typography
Contemporary Calligraphy and Typography in

Street Art
Since its very beginnings, the fonts used in graffiti made up the
essential quality of this art form, used to create an important style
distinction between different artists and groups. For an example, the
famous pioneer of New York street art, Cope2 became world-known
for his recognizable bubbly font tags. More recently, the German
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Bronco the bestinternationally
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known If for
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consistent
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humor that criticizes and questions the pop-culture and politics, but
also our everyday life experiences. Another socially engaged
typography street artist known for his humor is the famous Max
Rippon, or RIPO, who creates clever and highly stylized works which
put words into visual landscapes and images into words, exploring
the impact of textual communication through language, forms, and
symbols.
The French street artist L'ATLAS comments on the displacement of

people through his famous rigid forms and lines which take
calligraphy as an inspiration for even creating large-scale installations
in cities, which show that borders between people but also art forms
only exist within our minds. The British artist Dean Zeus Colman
creates fusions between graffiti, typography, sculpture and fine art in
his 3D works, which explore the life of letters outside of their usual
boundaries set by street walls. Finally, Retna is an artist who went so
far away in street art innovations within typography that he
completely invented his own distinctive, constructed script which he
now uses as part of all artworks he produces. Typography definitely
was and continues being a tool for transforming and reviving graffiti
and street art styles and practices.
L'Atlas - Be what You Are
The Power of Lettering
The evolution of typography seems to be bringing it back to its own

roots; just like in the times of cave paintings, when it was all about
having the symbols within the spaces you inhabit, it seems to be
going out to the streets again, occupying walls and delivering
messages. Contemporary artists are at the same time developing
new techniques with the help of sophisticated technology, but are
also looking back into the past for inspiration, all the way to the
ancient civilizations from which they take early symbols and refill
them with new meanings. Typography is inevitably not just a part of
theyour
like to change visual imagery,
preferences youbut
may is a do
also language for itself,
so by following an art form
the instructions here. for itself,
which shows perfectly the dichotomy between the meaning and the
expressive form of any language.
Editors’ Tip: Type: A Visual History of

Typefaces & Graphic Styles
This compact yet comprehensive book

offers a thorough overview of typeface
design from 1628 to the mid-20th
century. Derived from a distinguished
Dutch collection, a series of exquisitely
designed catalogs trace the evolution of the printed letter via
specimens in roman, italic, bold, semi-bold, narrow, and broad fonts.
Borders, ornaments, initial letters, and decorations are also included,
along with lithographic examples, letters by sign writers, inscription
carvers, and calligraphers. The first part of the book covers pre-20th
century typeface, with texts by editor Cees de Jong and collector Jan
Tholenaar. The second part covers the period from 1900 to the mid-
20th century, and contains a historical outline by Alston W. Purvis.
References:
David Diringer, The Book Before Printing: Ancient, Medieval and

Oriental (Lettering, Calligraphy, Typography), Dover Publications; New
York, 2011
Cees W. De Jong, Type: A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles ,
TASCHEN, 2007
Sarah
We use cookies Skrilloff,
to ensure A give
that we Brief
youHistory of Typography
the best experience , Ashworth
on our website. Creative
If you continue without x
[March 28, 2017]
Featured image: Retna - Bottom Line is Red, Rus Khasanov - Typography for
Fortune Detail, Rus Khasanov - Typography for Fortune Detail, Jan Tschichold -
Design Is History, Mike Edwards - Word Portrait of Edie Segwick, Oded Ezer -
Contemporary Hebrew Typography, Max Rippon - Domestic Violence 2014. All
images used for illustrative purposes only.
Follow These Artists

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F O L LO W
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The History of Typography and its

Journey Through Art

April 30, 2017

As one of the ﬁrst and fundamental forms of communication, writing

Going over The Middle Ages which popularized illustrated

Early Modernist Typography – The Bauhaus

modern communication style.[2]

Bauhaus - New Typography

A Birth of Technology Tools and Pop Art

Be sure to check out works by Andy Warhol on

Typography as a Messenger of Peace in the

Between Tradition and Software Development

Concerning the technology of the 1970s, it included the invention of

Contemporary Typography Design

As always, contemporary artists have been redeﬁning and

On the other hand, even traditional alphabets like Hangul get

creatures out of Hebrew and Latin type.[4]

Contemporary Calligraphy and Typography in

The French street artist L'ATLAS comments on the displacement of

The Power of Lettering

The evolution of typography seems to be bringing it back to its own

Editors’ Tip: Type: A Visual History of

This compact yet comprehensive book

David Diringer, The Book Before Printing: Ancient, Medieval and

Contemporary Hebrew Typography, Max Rippon - Domestic Violence 2014. All

images used for illustrative purposes only.

Follow These Artists

Maddox Gallery Los Angeles

Maddox Gallery Gstaad

Making Waves: The Art Of Cinematic Sound

Read Other Interesting Stories

Surveying the Use of Gold in Art

Artist(s) in Focus, Top Lists, Art History | Balasz Takac

Exhibition Announcements | Elena Martinique

Widewalls For Investors

© 2013-2020 Widewalls | Modern & Contemporary Art Resource

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