Typo London 2011

This year, London had the great privilege of hosting Typo, usually held in Berlin, a yearly event that invites the industry's most inspiring designers to share their wisdom of type in a series of fantastic lectures. Held for three days last week at UCL's Logan Hall, I was such a lucky girl to acquire a guest pass to the event and get my own seat on the brilliance. And if that wasn't enough, I had the great opportunity to help out at the ISTD stand, meeting and talking to many other inspired designers/ students.


[Highlights]


London Typographica
I've thought I didn't want an iPhone, I wouldn't go over to the dark side, I want a phone to ring and text and that is all. And none of those Apps have ever tempted me, until I went to the London Typographica.


Antony Harrington introduced his fantastic idea of an app that will record a live archive of London's amazing typography, update images to a live map, and evolve. London is full of amazing type. London Typographica aims to share those type treasures we each find every day, whether it be a piece of graffiti admired on the walk to work, a road sign, or a beautiful shop sign. Big or small, amazing or quirky, it's up to us to record and make it known. And what more, it's live!! Typography in the city constantly changes, and London Typograhica records it!


Install the app - take your photo - It's uploaded to the map - TaDa!!!


I can't wait for the launch and to get my very own iPhone!!


Big Shout for Lincoln
I was amazed to discover that many of the guest speakers at typo were familiar faces to me, not only as heros, but as recent guest lecturers at where I studied, The University of Lincoln. It's brilliant and very touching to think that these designers have travelled to the north and generously shared their experiences with the students (and mainly for free), when people are spending £600 on a ticket to this event.

Blackpool's Comedy Carpet

A few weekends ago I visited Blackpool to find that the beach front walkway had been transformed into a mass construction site, not giving second thought that the workers were doing anything other than laying a boring concrete walkway. If I had only looked a little closer, I would have witnessed the construction of this spectacular Comedy Carpet. I could really kick myself for not looking!!

Why not Associates have teamed up with Gordon Young and designed this wonderful piece of typography. Embracing the corny charm of the well known boozy seaside town and at the same time celebrating the history of comedy acts to have performed at Blackpool, the comedy carpet is just hands down fab. It's so nice to see fun and playful design in such a huge scale in such a controversial location. Priceless! There's just the right amount of cheesiness combined with just the right amount of class ( ridiculously 'posh' as Young puts it, the carpet runway being the typical symbol of posh)

I wasn't about to return to Blackpool anytime soon, but now I'm wondering when I can plan my trip to walk the carpet!