Craig.

What kind of idiot gets an Elvis tattoo?

So I've been out taking more snaps of pub blackboards, there's some really beautiful typography in some of them. And wandering around, it's become apparent that there are a lot of pubs closing down, both in Watford and in Leeds. Shame. Anyway yeah, I think it's a real skill to be able to produce this kind of type without the aid of a mac, and again, on a large scale.

Not quite the same standard, but still...

Some of this type really has a very quirky, retro and altogether English feel to it. It seems to project an image of an England that doesn't exist anymore, it strikes me as odd because some of it has a very innocent and upbeat feel to it, yet the places I found them in are the complete opposite. I asked a barman in the 'Angel' where else I could get the wheat beer I was drinking, he told me, then quickly followed that up with 'but don't go in there, you'll get stabbed...' - because I'm a southerner. Fair enough I suppose...

But yeah. With the advent of the Gastropub and the decline of 'The Red Lion', the feel of English pubs is starting to become uniform. And not uniform in the way that you can tell what kind of a pub it is by looking at it, but uniform as in there are no significant, or un-manufactured quirks about the place at all. I lament the loss.

Sunday, 13 September 2009 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

You're All Going Home In A Crispy Ambulance

I decided it'd be worth my while going back to Leeds market to look at the type on show, so along I went, and found that some stallholders were more willing than others when it came to me photographing their signs. Some of the images came out a bit on the shakey side, partly because my hands seem to be as still as Tom Hanks' in Saving Private Ryan, but also because the stallholders were convinced I was carrying out surveillance on behalf of some sort of anti-market terrorist group. I can assure you, I wasn't.

Particularly liked this one.

Then I found this guy who was more than happy with me taking pictures of his grocery signage. Took full advantage.

Maybe I'll use 'Inaction Script' to do some signage of my own. Hmm...

Wednesday, 9 September 2009 | posted in | 1 comments [ More ]

Made With Girders

Found some more handwriting examples as I was perusing wares at Leeds market, I think although the type used on pub blackboards and shop signs is usually more interesting, it's worth keeping a log of all the handmade type I come across. Some great deals too...

Thursday, 3 September 2009 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

Jobs For The Boys

Found these examples of handwriting while I was out and about. At least I know a promising career in mental health nursing awaits if Graphic Design doesn't work out.

Wednesday, 2 September 2009 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

An Alcohol Fuelled Brainwave

Right, I think I've come up with something. I was having a crisp, foaming ale in the pub when it struck me. Pubs are full of hand-drawn type, and not only that, hand drawn type that looks excellent, a lot of it blurs the line between type and image [kronenbourg helps the process.], and I figure it'd be a good idea to collect different examples of hand drawn type. Check it out:

Friday, 21 August 2009 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

Inaction Script

I was filling out a form for an eye test when suddenly it hit me, my handwriting is brilliant. Aesthetically, it's everything you could want from a hand. But would it work as a typeface? I didn't know, so I made it. I wanna eventually turn it into a TrueType Font, but right now I don't have the software [and probably, the know-how] to do it. Anyway, here it is, Inaction Script.

Thursday, 13 August 2009 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

Wasps Do The Funniest Things

I was out having a cigarette in the back garden, when I noticed this caterpillar bopping along, I took a couple of photos because the markings on it looked slick, reminded me of some sort of reptile. At this point I'm starting to get concerned because I don't know what to pour my research efforts into. I haven't found anything that's either particularly interesting or realistic in terms of research. This all seemed so easy when I read the brief...