MetaFilter posts tagged with typography and history

The Times They Are a-Changin'

zarq — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:24:49 -0800

In 1962, fifty years ago this month, striking union printers shut down four New York City newspapers in resistance to computerized, automated technologies that were being introduced in newsrooms across the country. Five other area papers shut down voluntarily. The strike lasted 114 days and sounded the death knell for four newspapers. For a brief period, New York was a laboratory that demonstrated what can happen when newspapers vanish. Today, new technology is again shaking American newspapers as the Internet drains away more and more advertising revenue. Is this The Long Good Bye? Additional Reading The New York City strike was bookended by lengthy, expensive strikes in other cities, including a 117-day Minneapolis strike in 1962, a 129-day Cleveland strike of 1962-1963, and a 134-day Detroit strike in 1964. Slate / 2009: Life After Newspapers: Learning from the 1962-63 New York newspaper strike Canadian Journal of Communication / 2006: "Labor's Monkey Wrench": Newsweekly Coverage of the 1962-63 New York Newspaper Strike New York Times archive / 1992: Seeds of a Newspaper Struggle. "The root of Mortimer B. Zuckerman's current problems in trying to take over The Daily News go back to a 114-day newspaper strike that began 30 years ago this morning." Wikipedia on the strike. Washington Post obituary / 2006: Bert Powers; Typographers Union President Led Months-Long Strike." "The bow-tie-sporting Mr. Powers, once described by a New York Times labor reporter as "honest, clean, democratic -- and impossible," was elected president of the New York Typographical Union No. 6 in 1961."

Timeless Message

Miko — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:39:04 -0800

The story behind the iconic poster Keep Calm and Carry On rediscovered in 1991 at Barter Books, has been covered here before, but not in this lovely short video. And not with the new iPhone app.

Few Examples of Lisp Code Typography

skynxnex — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:09:09 -0800

Few Examples of Lisp Code Typography. From 1953 to 2012. (Via Lambda the Ultimate.)

The Final Alphabet

netbros — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:06:07 -0800

Arkitypo — Using the 26 letters of the alphabet as the starting point, the curators selected a specific typeface that began with each respective letter to develop a 3d alphabet of alphabets. After thoroughly researching the history of each letter, they set out to represent each individual character graphically with elements of its history serving as the foundation. Arkitypo: letter rotations on Vimeo.

Typographic Inspiration

netbros — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:36:27 -0800

Beautiful Type is a patchwork of photos and illustrations having a relationship with typography. AisleOne is focused on graphic design, typography, grid systems, minimalism and modernism. iABC is a collection of beautiful letters. Inspiration Bit has a nice archive of articles about web typography. Nicetype is about fonts, logos, posters and software. Twenty-Six Types celebrates the beautiful letters. Typenuts is type-themed iPhone and desktop wallpapers. Typoretum is about typography, letterpress and printing history. Enjoy.

Times New Starling

ocherdraco — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:32:14 -0800

The unexpected (possible) history of the world's most famous typeface. Mike Parker, former head of typographic development at Morgenthaler Linotype, has challenged the standard history of Times New Roman. The typeface, Parker claims, wasn't designed by "the great persuader" Stanley Morison and Victor Lardent of Monotype in 1931, but rather thirteen years earlier by an American, William Starling Burgess, an airplane and yacht designer, published poet, and naval architect who married five times and whose daughter, also named Starling Burgess, described him as “a bird of paradise in a family of English sparrows.” By the time of that statement, she no longer shared his name, but had become the celebrated children's author Tasha Tudor. (via)

Behind The Typeface Presents: Cooper Black.

youhas — Fri, 26 Jul 2002 02:54:36 -0800

Behind The Typeface Presents: Cooper Black. The gripping saga of one typeface's trials and tribulations, following its path from the dizzying heights of stardom to the brink of self-destruction and back again. (Flash 5, approx. 3MB.)