Gentle Pure Space

This is the latest installment in a series of my most popular posts by far, in which I showcase some of the best photography that includes nice typography as its subject. I want to say thanks for the interest, it makes the countless hours I spend scouring Flickr for quality typography photography, narrowing it down to the best, and composing the post with my added thoughts seem worthwhile. All credit is due to the actual photographers and designers of the typography they photographed. Be sure to click on the images to go to their respective homes on Flickr if you wish to let the photographer know your appreciation.

Previously: {Vol. 3}, {Vol. 2} and {Vol. 1}

And now, the photos…

As usual, I’m starting off with my favorite of the bunch. This hand painted “A” is obviously poorly rendered, yet somehow I’m still drawn to it. Something about the gimpy looking left leg and the blotchy paint coat is endearing. This “A” isn’t pretty, but it has personality, and it’s boldly doing the best it can to be an “A”.

I thought this photo of a calculated and modern “R” was a nice contrast to the first one. The colors and compositional layouts are similar, yet the styles are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. This “R” is strictly business, yet sleek and stylish. While I like to cheer for the quirky underdog, I still greatly appreciate the beauty of pristine lines and curves on a smooth surface only broken up by soft shadows.

I just couldn’t resist posting this photo of a rainbow colored number 5 piñata. I love how it’s just floating out of it’s normal context in such a bleak environment. It almost feels like it is a still frame from a really old Sesame Street clip.

This photo of what looks like an abandoned French café has beautiful colors and intriguing letter forms. I like how the broken capital “E” looks like a mini “F” that is floating upwards. The overall restrained and lo-fi feel of the photo compliments the graceful decay of the building.

I love the effect of neon tubing inlaid into a tiled wall on this sign for The Coronet. It creates a strange feel that is classy and playful at the same time, and makes you feel like you are looking at an illustration on a vintage magazine cover instead of a photo. The letters themselves are also very interesting in their shapes and their varying lengths.

This photo of the numbers 842 on a wall really pops out at the viewer. The way the wall is so gray and textured combined with the washed out, super white, numbers makes for a very dynamic composition and draws the eyes to the shapes of the numbers instantly.

Another one of my personal favorites is this photo of a back-lit beverage menu in a dark room . I love the mood it creates due to the lighting where only the lighted menu and lamp are visible within the darkness of the place. The font is very cute and perfect for words like “hot chocolate” and “chai”. I also think the softness of the focus goes greatly with such friendly letterforms.

This photo of a building that says 13 and Werkstoffe (materials) really captures the mechanical, and rigid structure of the type design. The colors are different and eye capturing, yet strictly business in nature. The building design seems to form a strict grid for the type to sit in. I love how the photographer stuck with the style of the design and kept the photo composition centered and straight on.

It’s interesting that the word photographed here is “counter” because it can be used as a typographic term for the inside parts of a letter’s shape. I’m not sure if it was the photographer’s intention, but to me it made me think about the negative spaces within the photograph’s composition. It seems like the white wall behind the black shadow shapes makes for a photo full of “counters”, but maybe I’m just being overly nerdy. In any case, it is still a lovely composed shot.

“Things Change” is the title given to this photo, and I think it a great one. This photo is of pristine quality, with great composition, and very high detail in the texture and color. I also love the way the remnants of the old version of the letters are still visible behind the new ones. It seems to tell a short story of some stubby little numbers that were doing the job fine, but then one day got replaced by some new flashy and sleek numbers. Although the new numbers are definitely classier looking, the old ones probably had more character after all the years it took to leave a mark so prominent on the wall. I feel as if they were like senior citizens that were herded into a nursing home so that they wouldn’t get in the way of the new generation’s progress.

That may seem like an over the top feeling to get from a simple set of numbers on a wall, but that is how type affects humans whether they realise it or not. Type is language, and language is life. This is why I love typography.