I found a stall at Cambridge craft markets selling letter press typefaces and images. I bought one letter to use as a stamp; I chose the stamp on the right as I liked its art nouveau aesthetic. I plan to incorporate decorative type into my essay question perhaps focusing on particular designers or simply in opposition to modernist typography.
I don’t enjoy the modern style of typography nor the concept of form follows function. I accept that Jan Tschichold was a pioneer who revolutionized typography. I also believe that the introduction of set paper sizes, and the concept of layout for legibility are all ground-breaking elements to emerge from modernist typography. However I dislike modernist typography’s simplistic and formulated aesthetic, and I especially dislike the limited colour palette. I feel the modernist style is so absorbed in all its invented rules that it leaves no room for real creativity, just a mathematical format on which to consult with every design.
I think I will look into more of Wolfgang Weingart’s work also as he is the other extreme having no rules and no concern for legibility.
