Abstract:

"Our project, Type of Place, sets out to document and archive vernacular typography around the world. Our core research questions are: Is there is such as thing as “typography of place”? Can you determine cultural identity just based on vernacular typography? How can a “type of place” be defined in today’s more globalized cultures? Are system fonts replacing particular, local cultural expressions? Since starting as a workshop at ATypI Reykjavik 2011, additional collections have been orchestrated in Toronto, Canada; Seattle, Washington; Budapest Hungary; Vienna Austria; and Prague in the Czech Republic. We are currently in the next phase of this project, building a mobile app to enable the decentralized collection of vernacular type from every corner of the globe.

Our aim is to develop a global user generated archive of vernacular typography in the 21st century. This presentation will share the progress on this development in a fast Pecha Kucha style presentation. Our goal is to get this free, grant sponsored app out to as many typography professionals, academics, researchers, students and enthusiasts as possible to continue documenting, archiving and comparing typographic form from cultures around the world.