Urban Communication Public TYPE
Samuel J. willger
Urban Communication Public TYPE
Samuel J. willger
CONTENT
01
02
03
Graffiti
Ghost Type
Vernacular
Public Typography
04 GRAFFITI
Introduction ///////// Urban Communication The extent of the urban street for local pedestrians is generally the pavement, the road, and the first floor of the builds. Off the main street, graffiti, fly posters, stickers, ghost typography, and small vernacular shop fascias are an integral part of urban living and working. Much of this typographic material will have been done by amateurs, some by vandals, and some by designers, including professional sign makers.
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GRAFFITI Public Typography
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“An image speaks a universal language, to any person of any age or ethnicity. Today’s new graffiti is more focused on the world surround- ing it and more alive than classical graffiti.”
— Olivier Stak
History
///////// from the past to the present.
Graffiti is the name for images or letter-
In modern times, paint, particularly
ing scratched, scrawled, painted or marked
spray paint, and marker pens have become
in any manner on property. Graffiti is any
the most commonly used graffiti materials.
type of public markings that may appear in
In most countries, marking or painting prop-
the forms of simple written words to elabo-
erty without the property owner’s consent
rate wall paintings. Graffiti has existed since
is considered defacement and vandalism,
ancient times, with examples dating back to
which is a punishable crime.
Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.
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Location: Kansas City, Kansas
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10 Location: Crossroads
“Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place.”
—Banksy
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runs the gamut. There’s a whole language and complicated hierarchy of graffiti out there that most people simply walk by every day without noticing.
There are identifiable styles or types of graffiti. From the simple, quickly-done tags to the elaborate and often breathtaking full-wall pieces, graffiti
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Tagging
/// the simplest type of graffiti
Consisting of the writer’s street name in one color. Tags are basically
the graffiti writer’s signature; if they’re associated with a crew, they
might also contain the crew’s name or initials. Tags can be seen ev-
erywhere and are done in spray paint, markers or pens. If a tag is put
“Today’s new graffiti movement is more up over another writer’s tag or piece, it’s extremely disrespectful.
focused on the world surrounding it and more alive than classical graffiti.”
—Olivier Stak
STYLE
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14 STYLE
Throw up
/// not made with stomach contents
A throw-up is a little more complicated than a tag, usually having two or three colors, but not nearly as elaborate as a piece. A throwup is something that can be done quickly and repeatedly, while still identifying the writer. They’re usually done in bubble letters, often in one color with a differently-colored outline. When a graffiti writer goes out bombing, they’re usually either putting up tags or throwups all over their area.
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Stickers ///////// some say the lazy graffiti Stickers are a quick and easy way to throw up a tag quickly. Graffiti writers used to use the
“Hi, My Name Is” name tag stickers, but these days it’s also common to see them on the free address labels you can get from the Post Office. It’s just as likely to see elaborate, professionallooking printed stickers with a message or image plastered all over. Graffiti artists like stickers because they can take their time on the art
and create a new narrative within the environment.
New artists, ideas and tactics displace faded images
in private, then quickly slap them up wherever.
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Do you believe that graffiti is an act of artistic expression or vandalism? 54% Expression 46% Vandalism
18 STYLE
STENCIL
/// thrown up in a matter of minutes
A quick and effective way to put up somewhat-complicated pieces very quickly. By holding the stencil against the wall and spraying, you can get a much more detailed picture than you would be able to with just a spray can. Even if you use two or three layers to make a more colorful and intricate picture, stencil graffiti can be thrown up in a matter of minutes. This is the type of graffiti that was made popular by the likes of Blek le Rat and Banksy and has now taken hold with graffiti writers everywhere. Banksy’s street art combines irreverent dark humor with graffiti done in a distinctive stenciling technique.
Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.
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Wildstyle Wildstyle is a particular style of writing that was developed and popularized by graffiti artists. It’s a complicated and extremely stylized form of writing that, to the untrained eye, is not easy to read. Wildstyle writing features arrows, spikes, curves and other elements that non-graffiti artists may have a hard time understanding. Wildstyle pieces are often 3D and considered to be one of the most complicated forms of graffiti.
It has also been common practice to incorporate 3D elements into the pieces, and
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even transform the whole letter structure into three dimensions, to add to the depth of visual perception of the work.
STYLE
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22 STYLE
piece
///////// short for masterpiece
A piece is a graffiti painting, much more complex than a tag and having at least three colors. Pieces are hard to do illegally because of the time and effort involved, so a good piece will gain a lot of respect for that particular graffiti artist. As graffiti has gotten more respect as a legitimate art form, a lot of pieces have been commissioned – or at least the artists given permission to put them up.
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Heaven
///////// hard to reach locations
A heaven is a piece that’s put up in a very hard-to-reach location, often near or on the tops of tall buildings or on freeway signs. Because they’re so dangerous and difficult to reach, graffiti artists who manage to get a piece up in such a spot will usually gain some added respect from their peers. Beneath the surface of vandalism are layers of typefaces each competing for their own space and proof of importance. Graffiti can also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti can be difficult to locate, as it is mostly removed by the local authority. We are bombarded by images all day, everywhere, and street artists have become skillful in demanding attention in the cluttered urban landscape.
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STYLE
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26 STYLE
Blockbuster A blockbuster is used to cover maximum area in a minimal amount of time. Often consisting of large block letters, the blockbuster can be accomplished with paint rollers and two or three colors of paint. Usually a blockbuster is put up to cover up other work or block other writers from putting anything up on the same area.
A blockbuster receives the greatest respect due to the amount of time and risk the artist takes.
GHOST SIGNS
“Should they be preserved in their state of “ar- rested decay,” showing them as historic elements
Public Typography
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that have weathered along with the buildings? Or restore them, with proper original colors, but so they are legible, striking art works contribut ing to the modern streetscape?”
— Richard Gibson
Ghost Ghost SIGNS SIGNS
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GHOST/////// TYPOGRAPHY The term refers to faded old wall signs, survivors from the days when business names and product ads were skillfully painted directly onto bricks and mortar – often lingering on in unreachable places, or revealed by building works.
GHOST SIGNS
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32 GHOST SIGNS
History
///////// From the past to the present.
Using walls as a canvas for signs has a long history dating back at least as far as the ancient Egyptians. The preserved ruins at Pompeii have painted lettering that can still be seen today. While it is difficult to accurately date many of the ghost signs they are broadly placed in the later years of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. From the 1950s onwards the economics of production swung in favor of mass printed posters and billboards. It is quite unusual to find hand painted signs produced after this time although some examples do exist.
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One vanishing art that can still be studied in the interstices of the assault of global retail is ghost typography. All over the world, there are cities and towns that retain their rich traditions of hand painted signage. Unfortunately, the fate of these typographic havens is being threatened by the uniformity of corporate advertising, which ignores and subverts local history and tradition.
The amount of skill and time put into each sign is evident by their longevity. Can you imagine a printed poster or billboard lasting as long as these hand painted signs?
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GHOST SIGNS
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Creating letters by hand allows graphic artists to integrate imagery and text, making design and illustration into fluidly integrated practices. Lettering can emulate existing typefaces or derive from the artist’s own drawing or writing style. Designers create lettering by hand and with software, often combining diverse techniques.
GHOST SIGNS
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For hundreds of years, artisans and signmakers have designed and fabricated architectural and advertising signage grounded in the local visual culture of the cities and regions in which they were produced. As retail has become more and more global in reach, the visual environments in many world cities have become indistinguishably uniform. As a result, the craft of signmaking and design has been all but erased.
Do you think ghost type should be restored or left in its vintage state? 58% Restore 42% Left Vintage
GHOST SIGNS
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Vernacular Public Typography
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“Many signs have survived until today but many more have been lost due to weathering, being painted over or their host building being destroyed.”
— Sam Roberts
Vernacular
42 Vernacular
History
///////// From the past to the present.
Vernacular is the everyday language spoken by a group of people that includes slang and regional phrasing. It is the language of the street, no matter where that street is. To a certain extent, the textures of vernacular can be communicated in text through the use of typography. Type has personality and from the typographic choices made, text can be instilled with the personality of the typeface, whether conservative, authoritarian, or rebellious.
Technological developments such as personal computers and the software packages that operate on them have democratised font development, reducing the barriers - particularly time - that previously restricted development to a handful of professional typographers. A designer can now produce type quickly for a specific job within or outside of traditional typographical confines, while he or she juggles other pieces of work. Technological development means that type no longer has to be formal or developed by dedicated typographers.
Vernacular type - a cultural art form that is being swept away by corporate advertising, which ignores local history and tradition.
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Local Flare
/// around the city
Handwriting is more individual, it adds a personal touch, free expression, less limitations, it is only obvious that these signs did not have to abide to restrictions. The need to differentiate has resulted in shop-owners for example making their signs as personal as possible. A calligraphic style is found in many applications, to reinforce the personal touch of the shop.
Do you think vernacular is considered quality typography? 62% Yes 38% No
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Vernacular
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46 Vernacular
Vernacular typography is an important form of urban communication, significant not only for its aesthetic appeal, but because of its ethnographic importance as a marker of regional identity, its way of creating and preserving a sense of place, and its role as a symbol of local culture and history. The accelerating pace of the loss of these vital cultural symbols makes it critical to move beyond documentation alone, and to emphasize the preservation and active encouragement of this dying craft.
48 Vernacular
}
Future
///////// Global preservation project
Vernacular Typography is a project that identifies, documents, and preserves elements of the visual environment that are increasingly endangered by the homogenizing influences of globalization. There are even projects that individuals can donate online.
50 Vernacular
CONCLUSION ///// Typography is an essential communication and design element that has evolved over several centuries, and continues to evolve as tastes continually change and technological development makes it easier to develop new typefaces. Type plays a fundamental role in the communication process as much through the shapes and styling of the letterforms as the actual words that they form. This book attempts the outline the characteristics of graffiti, ghost, and vernacular typography within the city landscape.
People view vernacular typography all the time yet very few know it just means type written in the native language of a place.
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Samuel J. Willger Public Type | Typography III Patrick Dooley
Cameras Canon Powershot S5 IS Canon Powershot SD1100 IS
Typefaces Interstate
Outage
Memphis
Ranger
A Love Of Thunder
References Lettering on buildings by Nicolete Gray Signs: lettering the environment by Phil Baines & Catherine Dixon Graffiti world: street art from five continents by Nicholas Ganz