Tag Archives: Typography

‘Only superficial people do not judge by appearances’: type, design and the spirit of the age #2

Posted on 6 March 2013 by Propagandum

What do commercial or designed things tell us about the age we live in? And how do they do this? Writers and artists have brilliantly created a reality distortion field where we expect them to give us the benefit of … Continue reading →

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‘Only superficial people do not judge by appearances’: type, design and the spirit of the age #1

Posted on 27 February 2013 by Propagandum

Wandering round Hereford Cathedral last week during a welcome few days away from Propagandum Towers, I found a display case of fine ancient books. They weren’t hidden in any way, but it wasn’t obvious what these books do for the … Continue reading →

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The pleasures of fine lettercutting in stone

Posted on 11 September 2012 by Propagandum

Here’s a lovely thing I was very lucky to be given a few weeks ago. I hope anyone with an interest in words, writing and lettering will enjoy it here too. What is it? It’s a Clipsham limestone square pillar with … Continue reading →

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The pleasure of fine typography

Posted on 11 May 2012 by Propagandum

I came across this today: an exhibition piece showing off the calligraphic qualities of Robert Slimbach’s OpenType Brioso. Rhythm, order and freedom; sense, too, because the layout adds to the meaning of the words. Stanley Morison (1889–1967) was a type designer and … Continue reading →

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16 things about white space

Posted on 3 April 2012 by Propagandum

1. White space is the name typesetters, typographers and type designers – artists of the black – give to a presence where we might expect an absence. We can, if we choose, see a shape where the mark has not been … Continue reading →

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The 12 books of Christmas

Posted on 13 January 2012 by Propagandum

After the Cambridge festival of nine digital devices and arguments, and after some splendid bouts of Balderdash with various combinations of my extended family, the reality principle casts its sober light once more on Propagandum Towers. This follows, of course, the … Continue reading →

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‘A page of good prose remains invincible’ 2

Posted on 8 December 2011 by Propagandum

Craig Raine’s title poem ‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’ (Oxford University Press, 1979, p. 1) is an attempt at ‘making strange’ the old-known so it becomes the new-known. We look at the world through the eyes of an alien. If … Continue reading →

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The power of words #2: strange and beautiful words

Posted on 14 September 2011 by Propagandum

The first of this pair of blogs looked at words of power; this one, Gerard Manley Hopkins-style, discusses words ‘counter, spare, original, strange’. One of my favourite words is egg. What’s good about it? It’s short. And odd. I like … Continue reading →

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