Lecture Introduction

In this lecture you will:

• Investigate the rich history of typography through its links to language, identity and literature.
• Identify how lettering and type have been used in different locales to define, communicate and signpost the infrastructure of a place.
• Explore how the collection and range of lettering and type are created through artisan and professional producers alike, and how this has impacted on history, industry and culture.
• Investigate the vernacular of a city through its typographic language.
• Examine how successful a city’s identity can be and what impact globalisation has had in celebrating, aiding, removing or deteriorating that identity. This will be done through the case study examples that have been collected by fellow students.

History Revealed: Interpreting Typographic Vernacular

This lecture introduces typography as a way of reading history through everyday environments. Rather than viewing type as decoration or branding alone, it positions letterforms as evidence of social, political and economic conditions. Street signs, transport systems, shopfronts and advertisements are presented as cultural artefacts that reveal how places function, who they are designed for, and how power operates within them. Typography becomes a form of visual memory embedded in the built environment.

A central idea in the lecture is that much of the most influential typography is designed to go unnoticed. Systems such as transport signage or wayfinding rely on consistency, restraint and clarity, allowing users to move through space with confidence. When these systems are successful, they become almost invisible, acting as quiet infrastructure rather than expressive design. This introduces the idea that design can be both highly influential and largely unseen, shaping behaviour without drawing attention to itself.

The lecture also explores how typography changes meaning over time. Early commercial lettering and public signage were often functional, serving to announce a service or location. As cities developed and competition increased, typography became more persuasive and expressive, shifting towards branding and emotional appeal. Weathered shop signs and ghost signs are used as examples of how lettering can outlive its original function, becoming traces of past economies, industries and communities. These remnants highlight what has been lost or replaced, and how urban identity is constantly evolving.

Technological change is presented as another key factor in shaping typographic culture. From hand-painted signs and early printing to industrial stencils and digital type, each shift affects who can produce typography and how long it survives. Digital lettering, while flexible and efficient, is often temporary and easily replaced, raising questions about permanence, memory and loss in contemporary visual culture. This contrast encourages a critical view of progress and modernisation within graphic design.

The lecture emphasises that typography carries emotional as well as functional meaning. Certain typefaces are designed to reassure, guide or calm users, particularly in moments of uncertainty such as navigating unfamiliar cities. This reinforces the idea that graphic design plays a social role, influencing how people feel within spaces as much as how they understand them. Typography therefore becomes a tool of care, authority, and control simultaneously.

Overall, this lecture establishes a framework for understanding typography as a cultural and historical language. It suggests that examining vernacular lettering can reveal under-discussed narratives about place, labour, power and change. This perspective is foundational for the module, encouraging design practice that is critically aware of history while questioning how visual systems might be reinterpreted or redesigned for future contexts.