I think the word Pixar invokes excitement and awe from most people who hear it so needless to say I was excited to hear Dr. Michael B. Johnson of Pixar talking today at TYPO London. And boy, was he given an introduction by Erik Spiekermann.
Antony Harrington took on a tough challenge. In an hour, he set himself the goal of presenting the highlights of a typographic history of London, alongside the semi-launch of a new initiative: London Typographica.
removed a painting from Eriks wall during the shooting of Helvetica. Trouble ensued.
Gary Hustwitt loves Graphic Designer. So much so that he decided to make a film about it. Despite never picking up a camera before ‘Helvetica’ marked his directorial debut, and his fascination with typography was brought to life. 4 years and another film, ‘Objectified’ later, Hustwitt treated the TYPO Audience to a sneak peak of his new offering, ‘Urbanized’, and they weren’t disappointed. As with his previous offerings the succinct title nods towards the subject matter, cities and buildings, though instead of form it focusses on the people that live within cities, and the strong sense of community spirit that takes shape in many forms.
As you all know, Dagobah was the planet where Luke Skywalker met the old Jedi master Yoda, he of the strange speech pattern.
TYPO London 2011 was kicked off with a visually engaging talk by Dale Herigstad, the Emmy award winning Founder of Schematic (now merged to become Possible Worldwide).
In May, Eva-Lotta Lamm was invited by TYPO Berlin to capture talks in a visual way. Her atmospheric as well as conscise drawings were received so well that we invited her to TYPO London too.
Though well known within the industry principally as Founder and Creative Director of the award winning studio Browns, ‘Here and now’ offered an insight into the workings of Jonathan Ellery the artist.
Tony Brook is a self-confessed obsessive, with a single focus for his graphic desires: the remarkable Wim Crouwel.
My first day at TYPO London was quite an experience. Entering the lobby at Logan Hall felt like stepping back in time a few months. The professional and efficient welcome and wonderful organisation amounted to the great atmosphere the sister conference TYPO Berlin is so famous for. Seeing all the familiar faces made it feel as a deja vu, but a fresh and exciting one. Nonetheless it immediately struck me that this London edition has its own distinct identity, its own quirky personality.
Michael Bierut began his talk in a similar way to how Tony Brooks ended his: innocent and humorous. He started his presentation in Ohio Cleveland, where he grew up. Some early pictures of family and sketches in his school books lead to some first drawings of words and – essentially – his start into typography and graphic design. Encounters with publications such as Armin Hofmann’s Graphic Design Manual and Milton Glaser’s Graphic Design inspired Bierut to continue a career and life in graphic design.
