Play Type – The Art of Typography

Play Type – the Art of Typography, is a new show based around ‘observation, orientation and perspective’.

The exhibition sees typographers mess with type in various ways to produce original pieces of art.

All the typographic work on show has been commissioned especially for the exhibition and contributions have been made by the likes of Charles Williams, Andre Beato, Tiago Pinto, Koby Barhad, and Zohar Koren.

Type Face by Tiago Pinto
Type Face by Tiago Pinto

Tiago Pinto believes that ‘every font has a face’ and ‘since they’re different from each other they kind of have their own personality’.

Type Face by Tiago Pinto
Type Face by Tiago Pinto

Pinto’s Type Face project is a very literal interpretation of this idea, to the extent that he sees Futura depicted as ‘a good looking mid-life man’, the Italian Bodini takes on a ‘fashionable moustache’ while Courier New looks a little crestfallen and Comic Sans is ‘not so handsome,’ he says.

Night Elephant by Charles Williams
Night Elephant by Charles Williams

London-based Williams will make two new pieces for the show which the gallery says will be ‘typographic explorations of the clichéd language of work.’

Meaty Bull by Charles Williams
Meaty Bull by Charles Williams

Beato is a Lisbon born London-based typographer who mixes witty illustration and typography, often taking a vector approach.

Babuink by Andre Beato
Babuink by Andre Beato

He’s heavily influenced by the 1980s including the graphics of the time as well as music, film, pop culture and graffiti. 

Play Type runs from 20 February – 4 May at The Book Club 100-106 Leonard Street EC2A 4RH.

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