Typographer Edward Johnston
Going Underground…
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Johnston Journal: NGS Article
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Nobody had such a lasting effect on the revival of contemporary writing as Edward Johnston.
He paved the way for all lettering artists of the twentieth century.
OUR JOHNSTON RESTORED FONTS
Cafe signs cafes signwriting cafes coffee shops cafe signs
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Edward Johnston, CBE (11 February 1872 – 26 November 1944) was a Scottish craftsman who is regarded as the father of modern calligraphy, in the particular form of the broad edged pen as a writing tool.
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He is most famous for designing the sans serif Johnston typeface, used throughout the London Underground system until it was re-designed in the 1980s.
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He also redesigned the famous London Underground roundel symbol (top of page and below) and many wayfinding signs and posters used throughout the transport system – a prolific, and genius lettering artist.
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First call: Mind the Gap!
Branding the London Underground
Frank Pick the first brand design manager, on a mission?
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As head of the London Underground in the 1910s and 1920s and of the newly merged London Transport in the 1930s, FRANK PICK (1878-1941) really became the first design manager.
Pick was a visionary, instrumental in establishing the then, world’s most progressive public transport system and an early exemplar of signage design management.
Essential to the early 20th century signage renaissance and developing a meaningful, overarching identity was the commissioning of Johnston to design the humanist, plain, mission style letter branding of London Underground.
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JOHNSTON’S EARLY DAYS
After studying published copies of manuscripts by architect William Harrison Cowlishaw, and a handbook by Edward F. Strange, Johnston was introduced to Cowlishaw in 1898 and then to William Lethaby, principal of the Central School of Arts and Crafts.
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HISTORY SNIP
William Harrison Cowlishaw (1869–1957) was a British architect of the European Arts and Crafts school and a follower of William Morris.
Lethaby advised Johnston to study manuscripts at the British Museum, which encouraged him to make his letters using a broad edged pen.
Typographer Edward Johnston page.
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JOHNSTON HIGHBURY
NGS OUR REVIVAL FONTS IN SITU TODAY
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Johnston
STUDENT LIFE – LEARNING TYPOGRAPY
Lethaby also engaged Johnston to teach lettering, and he started teaching at the Central School in Southampton Row, London, in September 1899. From 1901 he also taught a class at the Royal College of Art and Camberwell School of Art where many students were inspired by his teachings.
Typographer Edward Johnston (1872-1944) by his teaching and practice almost single-handedly revived the art of formal penmanship which had lain moribund for four centuries.
His major work Writing and Illuminating, and Lettering, first published in 1906 (and continuously ever since), created a new interest in calligraphy and a new school of excellent scribes.
JOHNSTON, NO ORDINARY TYPE…
A DEEPER, REFLECTIVE INSIGHT.
The life he breathed into this ancient craft and its continuing tradition even in today’s hi-tech world.
It can be ascribed to his re-discovery of the influence of time honours tools, materials and methods.
His researches were carried out with the understanding of the artist-craftsman, the scientist and the philosopher.
ARCHEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN DAY TYPE.
Johnston turned to the origin of letters for his inspiration. He based his new LU models on the historical structure of letters found in the precise architecture of Roman architectural heroic inscriptions.
The now mythological, carved Roman Capitals of the Trajan column inscriptions, dating back to 75Bc, in many ways the first-era of serif lettering, acknowledged as the finest example, became his blueprint.
It was from this inscription that Johnson built this alphabet and would never waver its form, in weight and axis.
This three-fold, and in many ways, (characteristically quiet…) game-changing, unifying approach, resulted in a profound insight – he fully grasped the root of formal writing and saw how all of the branches of knowledge and expression, grew from that root.
NGS
SOCIALLY ‘BOUND‘ SIGNALS IN SIGNS
Does this suggest a more powerful a potential role of social and community renewal that relational sign writing has?
We see this as a role based on understanding locations and an intention to improve individual and community quality of life… a reconnection to a healthy socio cultural agenda for lettering since its earliest incarnations.
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