Typography for the People: Hand-Painted Signs from Around the World Plus 15 Free Fonts

by Daniel Bellon

Street + Art = InspirationDesigners Daniel and Klaus Bellon have been photographing street signage around the world for more than 17 years. This book celebrates their love of typography, and highlights the beauty of type in its truest form; not as a profession but as a necessity of everyday life.The images captured here are at times humorous, unexpected and even charming. But for those who understand the rules that are being broken, these explorations of type design are refreshing and inspiring.Even though graphic designers often think of themselves as the keepers of letterforms and typography, they do not own them.Typography belongs to everyone.Typography belongs to the people.Includes a royalty-free CD with 15 original fonts inspired by signs in the book.Type images were collected from countries around the world, including the United States, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Belize, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Genres: Design, Ebooks, Art

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[John Palacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un contenido interesante y digamos que, de algún modo fresco; los autores no estaban buscando recopilar “genialidades del diseño encontradas en la calle”, sino más bien una colección inocente y criolla (por cierto, hay material de Colombia).

"The truth is, no one owns the alphabet. It’s the original open-source software. Anyone is free to pick it up and put it to use."

[Vjekoslav · Rating 2 out of 5]

nemam pojma zašto sam ovo pročitao ...

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently reading another book called "Just My Type: A Book About Fonts" which got me interested in reading this one. The book compares homemade signs to folk art, containing a freedom and beauty not found in printed signs. It contains photos of signs from many countries and cultures. I know I will look at this sort of sign a little differently since reading the book. Many of these signs have a sophistication to them, there is a rhythm to the lettering and color. Embellishments show planning and a desire to go beyond merely communicating an idea. This is an interesting read if you are interested in graphic arts and want to explore written communication beyond typography.

[Zombie Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beauty and art of hand-lettered signs, featuring examples from around the world. One of the things you begin to realize is that (most of) these signs get the job done: they convey necessary information to a given audience. "Bathroom this way" "no smoking" "for good bbq eat here"-- there's a beauty in expressing this information in a hand-done way, without the consultation of "experts" who are trained in the rules and aesthetics of formal design.

[Yee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes, creativity without binding to any principles or rules may achieved an unexpected outcome. This book shows the creativity of random people around the world who doesn't have any design background with the main focus - to attract their customers' attention.