A talk by Paul Barnes on Scottish type, its historical contribution and ongoing influence on the world, to mark the release of Spectator.
Can a typeface ever represent a country, or is this just something that graphic designers imagine? Does Helvetica really say Switzerland? Does Antique Olive look French? Is Baskerville the face of England? And when it comes to Scotland, what would that be?
From the eighteenth century through to the twentieth century, Scotland was one of the dominant nations typographically, through its foundries, printers and publishers. The influence was not just south of the border, but across the world; especially in North America, where the term Scotch represented a particular style of serif letter that people still refer to.
Paul Barnes has explored this through a series of typefaces, including the newly released Spectator, that draw on historical models whilst modernising them for contemporary use. In his talk he will explore the research and process in making the typefaces and where they fit in the Scottish canon.
[Tickets for this event are free. Register to reserve your spot.]