The only time a TYPO speech began with “Hello you motherfuckers! You bunch of wankers! You ‘ve got small penises and fat arses!” was at TYPO 2008, “Image”

Thus having tested how polite the translaters were, Barnbrook  guided us through the pulsating universe of his type designs, his faces ranging from Apocalypso to Tourette, altogether 109 specimen. He stressed that although his fonts tend to display abstract letter shapes, they are highly representational of our social and political surroundings. We learned that calling a font after a serial killer can be bad for one’s image and why it is that drawing typefaces is crucial to characterize the epoch in which one lives.

Jonathan Barnbrook

Graphic Designer (London)

Jonathan Barnbrook is one of the most well-known graphic designers in Britain. Since 1990 he has chosen to work with a mixture of cultural institutions, activist groups and charities as well as completing a steady stream of personal posters. He is also know for his collaborations with Adbusters, Damien Hirst, his work for David Bowie and his ubiquitous fonts designs released through Emigre and his company Virusfonts. His contribution to graphic design was recognised by a major exhibition at the Design Museum, London in 2007.

Speaker page

Do we need agitated fonts in unstable times? Attend TYPO London 2011 and find out!

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