yatrakshar | major project report

MA Graphic Design |London College of Communication, 2012

Major Project Report

Manosij Sarkar

MA Graphic DesignLondon College of Communication, 2012

| Major Project Report Manosij Sarkar


Major Project Report

Manosij SarkarMA Graphic Design

Tutor: Paul McNeilLondon College of Communication, 2012

Yatrakshar means a set of letters for the journey.It is derived from the Hindi words, “Yatra” and “Akshar”.

Yatra means journey and akshar is letter.


Contents

Abstract Research Question

Aim & Objective

Introduction

Context Transport system as a brand

Transport system in India

Comparing with London and other cities

Going back to the basic problems

Methodology Typology

Findings through typology Reforming the objective

Looking at existing Stencil typefaces

Comparing the use of stencil letterforms in transportation in India and other places

Executing the research into the project

Planning the outcome:

Practical experiments Experiment 1

Experiment 2

Outcome: Selecting Transport Developing the prototype:

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Execution & Guidelines Technical Guidelines

The visual Language

Graphical Identity on the platform

Yatrakshar - the name:

Conclusion

Bibliography

Image links

Acknowledgement

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Abstract

The project is initiated to find a definite solution to standardize the random, vernacular and multilingual typography that are used in transport system in Maharashtra (a state in western India). Along with the usability under various local conditions, which also suits the image and culture of the place and its people.

Research Question

How typography can help in standardization of a random, vernacular and multilingual transport system

Aims & objective

Understanding the use of typography in complex situations of multilingual environment. Also understanding different techniques to overcome different issues in typography that occurs in the chaotic environments of India

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I started my course of Major Project with two of my favourite study areas that is typography and language. Being an Indian I have grown up in the society of strong diversity in culture and language. Understanding and using multiple languages in everyday life is something really common. The use of multiple languages & scripts and their relation to culture always attracted me. After coming to London I wanted to find and relate the use of multiple languages in UK and other parts.

Introduction

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| Major Project Report Manosij Sarkar04


Keeping multilingual typography as my basic study area I started my researches. One of the evident use and play of language script and culture are the international brands. I observed the way an international brand changes its different aspect based on the culture, language, taste of its perspective consumer.

As I was focusing on multilingual typography I started observing the changes that occur on the wordmark of international brands when they travel to different parts of the world.

In this context along with studying the relation of typography with culture and language I also started studying the process of branding and strategy. It became quite evident that the more one works on international design projects the more realizes how complex the global-local issue is. For designers it highlights the fundamental importance of knowing the product’s status, its marketplace and its consumers.

To bring my research into a more focused area, I tried to concentrate on the international brands that come to India. India being a country with 17 official languages and six major religions, it makes it quite unique from cultural aspect if we compare it to the western nations. Even within India, there are too many cultural differences when we move from one part to another. This kind of intense cultural and language diversity creates a lot of problem for international brands to market in India.

I started to move forward with the research question:

How can vernacular typography be incorporated into word marks and official brand typefaces of global brands to communicate directly to a specific Indian audience?

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...increasingly, people are demanding that they are communicated with in their own languages, and that includes logos and wordmarks. Developing markets such as India and China have become important areas of business for many large companies, and they now need to advertise themselves in the local language. Wordmarks can be especially tricky; often they are transliterated, meaning that they are phonetically translated. The way that this is achieved leaves a lot of room for interpretation in the process. The visual challenge is then to transfer the expression of a Latin wordmark into more exotic script systems.

-www.daltonmaag.com

Nokia Pure Devanagari

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After doing further research in this area, I started looking further into typography in other aspects of branding; especially I started to look transport system as a brand. I was getting more interested into it because of the use of multiple languages in sign system in Indian transport, which is a really good area to look for.

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Context

Transport system as a brand

If we go deeper into transportation system we can see typography plays the most important role. Transportation system is widely based on conveying information and for that selecting the proper typeface becomes very critical. Every information has its own values and specific importance. Consequently, typography being used for transport goes through vigorous tests. In this complex situation using multilingual typography becomes even more complicated.

“Traffic signs are a brand like Armani suits. A sign for the M4 is the first thing visitors see when they leave Heathrow.”

-Margaret Calvert

Transportation system as a service can work as a big brand. Now a day it’s not necessary for the transport system to be owned by privet sectors to get properly branded. Even the public transport systems are equally branded and marketed in major parts of the world.

Just like any other brand, transport system also holds equal brand value and specific guidelines. And in these criteria again typography becomes a very noticeable subject. Typography is used in a very standardized way which replicates the brand and its image.

When the typography of a transport system is dealing with multiple languages and scripts, using the proper guidelines becomes very critical.

One of the best examples where a particular typeface playes the role of a brand in transportation is the Jonstaon typeface used in transport for London. It has become an image of London

“Nearly a century after they were first seen by Londoners, the series of type designs known generically, as ‘Johnston Sans’, remains one of the key elements in what has become one of Britain’s most extensive corporate identity projects, encompassing everything from signs to route maps, timetables and posters.”

-Justin Howes (Author of the book “Johnston’s Underground type”)

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Transport system in India: A walkthrough

A quick drive through the streets and stations can give the complete image of the whole scenario of Indian transport system in the context of typography.

In India one can find a complete different language when he travels around 200 km. Sometimes it becomes difficult in the terms of communication when one has to deal with too many languages together. In communication design and signage system in India it is always a huge challenge for the designer. In different service designs the language factor becomes a big issue. I started looking around for the transportation services in India. India being a big country, there are different transportation system available in different parts. And they are run by different government bodies or private sectors. To be specific in my basic research I started looking up into particular geographical areas. I took Maharashtra (a state in western side of India) in the beginning.

Apart from the Airport (Mumbai Airport) and Metro rail (Underground train), all major public transport systems like Local Train (Over ground train), City Buses, State Buses, etc. are all government run. These transportation system being spread all over the state, the language being used in the service becomes very vernacular. It is always seen that any information on the bus or train is written in 2-3 different languages. Even the road signs, bus stops, station name etc. are also written in mostly 3 different languages, English (international language), Hindi (national language) and any other regional language. Again because a major part of the transport goes to the rural areas, many times it becomes difficult to just follow one guideline throughout the state what is being followed in the bigger cities. In the rural areas the major means of transport are the state busses and these areas are connected to bigger cities by trains. If we focus on the typography that is used in these areas, we can find these to be extremely random.

The two major aspect that comes to my mind in terms of typography is the use of multiple languages in a single place and the randomness in the usage of typefaces and also the technique which is been used.

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Unbranded transport services

Branded transport services

Metro(Underground)

Airport

Buses Local train(overground)

Informationon the bus

Informationon the train

Platformsignage

Othersignage

Bus stopsignage

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Comparing with London and other cities

If we look at multilingual typography in transportation system in other cities than in India, London becomes the first choice. Being culturally diverse London also have really nice examples of bilingual and multilingual typography in transportation. Numerous places have their road signs written in different languages along with English.The basic reason for having such options is the society (target audience if we consider the transportation system as a brand). Places like China town and Southall have a large number of people living whose first language is not English. So in those areas bilingual signage becomes really helpful.

If we see from the branding prospect: again London becomes one of the most ideal examples. Transport for London is one of the most recognized transport brands in the world. Distribution of the typefaces in numerous different information in a proper standardized way becomes the highlight of the system. Standardization is one of the fundamentals of a brand and also it also communicates with commuters easily.

Clockwise from left top: Signs at Southall Church, China town, Bricklane and Southall overground station

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“…London is made of 32 different boroughs and lots of local groups...It’s a complex setup of local government and business. And the problem that the original study highlighted was that most way finding systems are put in the ground by one of these groups, often by themselves, And that really from the point of view of the person walking around, the visitor or the commuter, it does not necessarily fit together.”

-Tim Fendley, Creative Dir. Meta Design London. (Co-designer of information and navigational system in Central London)

Typefaces like Johnston’s Underground, Transport etc. have a really strong flavour connection to the culture and society.

Apart from London, other big cities like New York, Paris, Amsterdam etc. also have their unique transport typefaces in different parts which reflect their unique flavor.

The Helvetica used in New York Subways has created its own identity of the place.

Lars Müller, a Norwegian designer who wrote a book about the font, has called Helvetica “the perfume of the city.

TFL signs

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New York subways signsCloclwise from top-left 2, 3 & 4

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Another similar story with the Metron typeface which was specially designed for the transport in Czechoslovakia in 1970s but later by 1985 it was replaced by Helvetica. Purposefully Metron is not the most ideal one to be used as a transit typeface but it worked a lot better as an identity or image of the nation. Now different initiatives are been taken to bring it back as a typeface for Prague Underground.

The typographer Walter Tracy once said that

A transport typeface for a particular place works a lot more than just serving the purpose as a font in the context of cultural attachment to the environment and people; just like brands do.

“it could be argued that though the genesis of a type is interesting it has nothing to do with its visual quality and functional efficiency…”

Facing page, Clockwise from top left: 7, 8 & 9. Examples of signages in Tokyo and Beijing

5(left) & 6 Metron typeface.

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MA Graphic Design |London College of Communication, 2012 17


Apart US and European countries, a lot of other Asian countries also use distinctive bilingual typography. Among them Japan , Korea and China are quite popular as English is not their first language and also the script of their respective language is also different. Bilingual signage system hence becomes a necessity.

Going back to the basic problems

When I started looking back to the earlier studies that I did in the beginning on Indian context, I could see the lack of proper typographical use even more. So I started classifying the problems in transportation system related to typography through various research methods.

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Methodology

Typologising the typography in transportation system in Maharashtra.

Through the typology I could understand a distinctive pattern in the typography. It was quite visible that the typography was changing with the change in the geographical areas in terms of techniques used and also the language.

That is; if we start from the bigger metropolitan cities and move towards the outskirts and then to the rural areas we can see that the techniques/technologies such has printed signs, backlit boards, retroreflectors, dot matrix etc. are quite common along with hand painted signs. Randomness in the use of the technique is a big issue. When we move from the bigger city towards the outskirts then the rural area, the use of these technologies decreases; typography becomes more hand rendered and more vernacular.

From the language prospective, the use of multiple languages is always constant, but the use of English and Hindi (national language) is more in the bigger cities than

the rural areas as more people from outer states live there. The regional language becomes more effective in towns and rural areas. Bus services sometimes use signs only in regional language.

Apart from extensive randomness in the typeface and the technology used, another thing is quite prominent in the typology is the legibility of the signs and information.

When working with typography in transport system, legibility becomes the most important factor. In that scenario hand painted signs, although may look decorative in some occasion, doesn’t serve the purpose of being legible. And on top of that randomness in colour, size, typeface and multiple languages make it even worst.

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Parking board Bus stop signs Way-finding signs Bus route sign

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Station name plates School ahead Crossing Station name plate ‘Best’ bus logo

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Way finding signs being painted on Mumbai street.

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Findings through typology

After going through the typology, the design issues that were evident in terms of typography were:

The lack of standardization the major reason behind this is, the whole transport system being divided into numerous sub divisions. Some are government and some are private, and some serious lack of coordination between them. And also the lack of design awareness at a certain level of the governing bodies which make the condition even worst.

Some standardized guidelines are available for some particular areas of transport system but the guidelines are not communicative enough and doesn’t cover all points such as the use of any particular typeface or anything about typography hasn’t been mentioned anywhere. It looked more like a thesis done by a student about what to do and what not to do only in theory. Image about Brand guidelines on Indian roads

Multiple number of languagesI won’t say it is a problem but something that a designing team always has to struggle with. The diversity in language and culture becomes critical when it comes to typography. The more is the number of language the more scripts come into play.

TechnologyThe presence of different technologies are very much limited to the bigger cities. Hand painted signs are widely used in rural areas and in some parts of cities as well. Lack of funds in different sectors of the go jverning body and also negligence which comes from lack of design awareness in transportation typography.

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10. Digital version of DIN stencil typeface 11. Zinc stencils of DIN 1451 typeface in 1930.

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Reforming the objective

I started finding definite solutions so that a common standardized system can be designed.

I realized that the places which use the hand painted signs, it would be more helpful if something that uses similar process and does not require much expensive technique is developed. I looked through different technology that are been used in India and came across different stenciled typefaces. Although they were very crudely done and were least legible, I felt if it can be designed and executed in a proper way, can be very effective.

Understanding that stencil can be a good way out, I started studying it in different contexts like legibility, usability and also the techniques of using it.

Looking at existing Stencil typefaces

Nowadays stencil is used as a very raw and bold way, mostly in shipping, army, heavy industry, construction; hence they generally have a rough look. Apart from these areas

the use of stencil in other industries has decreased since the time it was first evolved due to the advancement of numerous technologies and printing methods.There are a lot of new creatively designed stenciled typefaces but they are designed for digital purposes and not suitable physical stencil making. Among transport typefaces, DIN which is used in road signs in Germany has a separate stenciled version, but similarly that is also widely used for digital purposes and is not so suitable for physical stencil.

“it is possible to identify a group of factors that contribute most to the forms of stencil letters produced over the past several centuries. While the factors might well apply to any prefabricated letter, in the context of stencil letters they are certainly apt. First, design is signally important. Design, however, does not refer only to the stencil letter’s final visible form, but to underlying models, guides, antecedents and conventions, and to strategies of designing that draw on them. Next are the materials from which the stencil is made and the tools and working methods employed in its manufacture. These are essential to the realization of the stencil letter,aiding the intentions of design or presenting obstacles that encourage certain forms and not others. And

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It is also quite visible through Eric Kindle’s report on stencils that usability of the stencil becomes as important as designing it.

Comparing the use of stencil letterforms in Transportation in India and other places

Stencil has been used in transport system in both the places (India and London & other parts of Europe), but if we try to compare the two scenarios, a very distinctive difference can be found. In Indian transport system, stencils are used in a lot of places like putting small information inside busses and trains. The main reason is putting up separate panels or plates in these places

sometimes become too expensive for the service providers, so an easier and cheaper option is generally chosen. Also these things instead of being done at the manufacturing factory by professional people, they are mostly done at the bus stations by some local sign painters who generally do not have enough technical knowledge. I feel using a roughly designed stencil in a very small size makes it really difficult to be read in these places. Also because of using improper techniques the impression becomes smudged up making it even worst.

On the other hand, Stenciled typography is not much in use in transport system in London or Europe. The very few places where these are used are mostly the big road signs which are painted on the road or on platforms. These being really big in size do not possess the problem of being smudged up and getting into an illegible condition. The techniques that are used are more sophisticated which results into a very crisp output.

once the stencil letter is designed and made as a stencil, the vagaries of skill and purpose in its handling and application further add to the letter’s final form by rendering it accurately or altering it willfully or ineptly.”

-Eric Kindle

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Cloclwise from left top: 12,13, 14, 15, & 16

Left column images are the stencils that are used in London using different techniques,

On right side column there are examples of stencil typeface from Indian Railways.

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Executing the research into the project

Realizing stencil could be a definite result; I started structuring the whole solution in two different parts, starting with developing a prototype of a multilingual typeface that suits the solution and also be an identity for the place like many other typefaces around the world has become.

And then in the second part proposing a well-designed guideline and implementing the earlier developed typeface. Also defining the techniques of using it when the typeface is used as a physical stencil instead of a digital font.

Through the typology I could identify that the whole system is being controlled by different governing body, I tried to be a little more specific in selecting the area, so I looked into the Bus, Railways and city wayfinding signs, and excluded the Highway signage system. The ones I chose are the areas which do need a good legible transport typeface but does not need to have a high-speed readability typeface which highway signage system require.

Planning the outcome:

On course of developing a prototype of a stenciled typeface, I decide to work further on an existing font. The main reason behind it is the typefaces that are used around the world for transport systems goes through extensive road tests and legibility experiments. I wanted to use these huge amounts of secondary resources and work into developing new ideas for the execution in this short period of time; instead of creating another typeface from the scratch.

I was interested in making a prototype of a multilingual typeface in a stencil form . My aim was to make the stencil very easy to use and also make it as legible as possible. Legibility becomes the most critical issue when working on the typeface for transport system and stenciled letters generally are less legible than non-stenciled. So the challenge in keeping a balance between the usability and legibility is a major aspect of the project. The prototype of the stencil can later be developed into a digital font by a type designer.

On the basis of these Secondary resources I started researching further on the use and techniques of stencil and also the different ways I can reduce the complexities of using multiple number of language in the same information.

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Practical experiments

Secondary Rearch

While researching on stencil, projects like “Tabletto Stencil” which is a set of different shapes that can be used to write different scripts and shapes influenced me very much. Another experimental stenciled typeface project named “Type Attack”. This is a stencil of six shapes and can be used to write all the 26 letters of Latin script.

Although it doesn’t server the purpose of being legible enough to be used in transport system, but it can be looked as a step to simplifying the cross-lingual complexities in type design.

Clockwise from top left: 17, 18 & 19

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Experiment 1

On similar path I tried to simplify it one step ahead by experimenting with six basic shapes and combining them in different ways to produce Latin in upper and lower case along with Devanagari script.


Experiment 2

Another experiment I did was on multilingual typeface design. There are numerous complicated situations which come when we design a Devanagari version of a Latin typeface because of the huge number of Devanagari alphabet and also the complex characteristics of Devanagari letter forms. The situation becomes even more complex when we are working on a Latin typeface which is itself complicated.

I came across these theories while researching on brands and their multilingual wordmarks. But later while working on transport typography, I felt it more important to experience it by practical experiments because I was also working on similar context for the outcome; that is multilingual typography and developing Devanagari typeface on the basis of a Latin type to make them look in a family.

So I decided to pick a more complicated Latin typeface so that I get more scope to experiment and gain knowledge. I selected the London 2012 typeface as it quite a unique example of display typeface and

obviously one of the most viewed in last one year. It has a very rough but simplified geometric shape which became a challenge while creating working on some of the loopy letterforms and it became hard to create with the same style. Another challenge was the tilted top horizontal bar. (In Devanagari, it’s not tilted but straight) The individual characters were looking nice, balanced and were going quite well with its Latin version but at the time of forming a sentence the letterforms were not looking evenly balanced. It was mainly because of the tilted horizontal top bar.

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I realized while working on cross lingual/cultural scripts, studying the script and its cultural aspect is very important. When a multilingual typeface is developed, the balance between the typeface’s visual appearance and their relation to the individual culture should be maintained. I feel a really good multilingual typography always retains its individual cultural context and also visually appears to be in a family with the other fellow script.

Amélie (type designer who worked with Dalton Maag while creating Vodafone wordmark in Devanagari and Kannada) on Devanagari and Kannada and how knowing Devanagari personally made her feel it more easy than Kannada :

“…the Devanagari and Kannada writing systems are both from the Indian sub-continent, but they differ greatly in their look. The creation of the Marathi and Hindi Vodafone wordmarks was less challenging than creating the Kannada one, because of my previous study of the Devanagari script. The lack of Kannada references was a significant obstacle in the Kannada workflow, along with my unfamiliarity with the script. Having spent time researching both scripts, we needed to create a wordmark that was true to the writing system, yet recognizable as a branding element.”

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Outcome: Selecting Transport

As there is no Devanagari typeface designed specifically for transport system, I started with Latin typefaces and decided to select a Devanagari typeface on the basis of that. I started looking into major typefaces that are used around the world in transport. Although I was not designing the highway and road signs, I wanted to take a transport typeface which is used in road sign as these typefaces are created through several road tests and legibility experiments. I started classifying the different typefaces that are been used in major cities in the world.

I also tried doing several indoor tests of blurring and over glowing effect on a few different typefaces.

Transport orBased on transport

UK | TransportItaly | Alfabeto Normale

Spain | Carreta ConventionalPortugal | Transport

Denmark | Dansk VejtavleskriftGreece | Transport

FHWAalso known as Highway Gothic

CanadaAustralia

New ZealandBrazil

Mexico

DIN 1451

Germany

Hangil

SouthKorea

Zhong Hei ti

China

Austria

Austria

L1 and L2

France

Clearviewand FHWA

USA

ANWB-Uu

Netherlands

Tratex

Sweden

Tablicadrogowa

Poland

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Developing the prototype:

I selected the typeface “transport” that is used in UK for the road sign. This typeface was created between 1957 and 1963 by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert as part of their work as designers for the Department of Transport’s Anderson and Worboys committees. The main reason to pick Transport as the basic typeface is this is the most used typeface in transport system* and also been developed further into other typefaces for transport system in many countries.

The Devanagari typeface has been developed on “Shree Dev 0715”. As I have mentioned earlier, there is no specific typeface for transport system in Devanagari; Shree Dev 0715 was more close to the transport visually. It was developed further to make it more legible. I made minor changes on both the typefaces to make it look visually be in a same family of the typeface and also be legible. I opened up the counters of the Latin typeface even more and also enhanced the small details on the letterform. Similar changes were made on the Devanagari typeface as well.

I followed the basic structure of the existing multilingual typeface “Kohinoor” designed by Indian Type Foundry, which is one of the very few multilingual typefaces officially in use. Although it is not designed for Transport system and does not go through the different Legibility tests to be used in this context, but it visually appears to be similar as a san serif typeface, so I followed the guidelines set by it for the structural relation between the Latin and Devanagari typeface.

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Tratex

FHWA-E(M)

Clearview

Transport

Alfabeto Normale

DIN 1451

ANWB-Uu

Drogowskaz

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I started working on the stencil and arranged the bridges broadly based on the hand movement of the hand written Devanagari script. Later I placed them evenly on the letterform on the basis of usability; that is using it more on the places where the bridges can hold the counters firmly while being used under different condition. . It matches with the flow of the letter form and also gives a different flavor to it. Similar process was then followed on the Latin alphabets also.

Then I started testing this stenciled typeface by forming different words, and also by making physical stencils. This resulted in some more changes in the Latin typeface. After completing the development of a whole set of prototype of a stenciled typeface, I began working on the execution of it and various useable guidelines under Indian context.

21(top) & 22Letter anatomy guidelines on Kohinoor

typeface by Indian Type Foundry.

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EXECUTION & GUIDELINES

Technical Guidelines:

On the technical part, when the typeface will be used as a physical stencil instead of a digital form, using a spray is the most preferred option but as the stencil is supposed to be used in rural areas as well where arranging sprays becomes difficult and expensive, a simple sponge roller can be used which is widely available in India and also really cheap (it costs almost same as a flat brush which is mostly used in India). Flat brush makes the ink to go under the bridges of the stencil and make it look smudged.

While working on the guidelines, I divided the transport system in three different sectors in context of using the typeface, Railways- Bus and Wayfinding.

Top: Stencil impression by using a flat brush

Bottom: By using sponge roller

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The visual Language:

I wanted to go with a strong overall visual language throughout the whole transport system which will go well with the vibrant and the chaotic cities of Maharashtra and specially Mumbai. Although I divided them in different sectors, but they should look in a same family.

Shape:

I have used a chiseled shape graphic form throughout the transport system as it goes well with the stenciled typeface (which has a bold look and less delicate) and also adopts the feel of the ancient iconic coins/seal of Chatrapati Shivaji (Maratha Emperor)and the architecture of those eras. This connects to the culture and belief of Maharashtra strongly

Colour:

Saffron and the warm shades of red becomes one of the most prominent colours in Indian context, especially Maharashtra. These shades being involved in almost everything starting from culture, art, belief, celebration, food, spices etc. beco mes as an icon.

I have chosen a deeper shade (Indian red) so that the text (in White / Chrome) becomes more prominent and readable. A lighter saffron or chrome accompanies the main colour to make it more vibrant.

Coins/seal of Chatrapati Shivaji and forts from that era.

Indian colours proposed for the transportation system

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Graphical Identity on the platform: In Railways, a major change that I realized should be done is the graphical form that is used with the station names on the platform, this looks identical to London Underground symbol. It’s been used since the Railways were started in India during the British rule. It has not been changed after the Indian independence. Although it does not work as a symbol of the Indian Railways but only a graphical form used on the platform, I felt making a fresh graphic is necessary in the standardization and which goes with the overall visual language.

The detailed technical specification/measurements on the guidelines and the usage have been mentioned in the Project Outcome Book.

Existing Indian Railways’ station nameplate on the platform.

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Yatrakshar - the name:

I have decided to use the name Yatrakshar for the typeface and my project. Yatrakshar is derived from the Hindi words, Yatra and Akshar. Yatra means journey and akshar is letter. It depicts the meaning as the set of alphabets for the journey (transport). It also resembles the journey of the typeface in my project from the development to the execution.

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I feel the outcome is a step towards the suggested research question and the aims & objective.

Having a very vernacular and random system of transportation it always becomes difficult in proposing something which is completely standard and balancing with the practical usability in the existing scenario. The project is about trying to enhancing the existing situation and work towards standardization and developing it as a brand.

The prototype can be used by the type designers and can be developed into a set of fonts which can be used digitally. I would also like to work in a more detailed way on the use of multiple languages and its relation with the geography. The use of pictograms always helps in reducing the barrier of language. Due to lack of time I could not focus much on that context but I would obviously like to work on it further.

Conclusion

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Lawler, B.The origin of the Stencil fontLawler, B. (2012) The origin of the Stencil font. thelawlers.com, [blog] July 1, 2012 , Available at: http://thelawlers.com/Blognosticator/?p=749.

Nübel, V.Type Attack!Nübel, V. (2012) Type Attack!. www.viktornuebel.com, [blog] Available at: http://www.viktornuebel.com/type-design/type-attack/.

McClatchey, .The road sign as design classicMcClatchey, . (2011) The road sign as design classic. BBC News Magazine, Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15990443.

designboommilton glaserdesignboom (2004) milton glaser. designboom, [blog] Available at: http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/glaser.html.

26plus-zeichen.deTruus Truant26plus-zeichen.de (2012) Truus Truant. [online] Available at: http://26plus-zeichen.de/fonts/heinrich_truus_truant/ .

Optimo.chOptimo Type Foundry Typefaces - CargoOptimo.ch (1998) Optimo Type Foundry Typefaces - Cargo. [online] Available at: http://www.optimo.ch/typefaces_Cargo_Regular.html.

26plus-zeichen.desamble 0.726plus-zeichen.de (2011) 26+ » ready to samble 0.7. [online] Available at: http://26plus-zeichen.de/en/ready-to-samble-0-7/.

Youworkforthem.comTeco Sans Stencil by GaslightYouworkforthem.com (2012) Teco Sans Stencil by Gaslight. [online] Available at: http://www.youworkforthem.com/product.php?sku=T3125.

Typonine.comBalkan Sans | Latin + Cyrillic scriptTyponine.com (2012) Balkan Sans | Font Library | Typonine. [online] Available at: http://www.typonine.com/fonts/font-library/balkan-sans/.

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Image links

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/typeoff/2500943709/

http://rjtoursonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Subway-Sign-NY.jpg

http://ny.racked.com/uploads/2008_4_billyssigns.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/SubwaySigns.jpg

http://www.paragraph.com.au/links/tucny1.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lg1fxjsbgH1qg0nxuo1_500.jpg.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/isriya/280283841/

http://tokyoblaa.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/oedo_sen.jpg

http://www.worldaccent.com/images/page_decoration/Chinese_English_Street_signs_in_Beijing.jpg

http://luc.devroye.org/myfonts-DIN/Parachute-PFDinStencil-2011-10-12.gif

http://upscaletypography.com/?p=2303

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http://www.coreyholms.com/portfolio/86/ne10.gif

http://luc.devroye.org/MahendraPatel--NID-2004-Small.jpg.

http://purpler.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/hindi-stencil1.jpg?w=510

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/481182754_becd6fcc70.jpg

http://lisastown.com/inspirationwall/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/pictoGP-420x279.jpg

http://www.viktornuebel.com/type-design/type-attack/

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7eu8fVFLk1rauyxno2_1280.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7eu8fVFLk1rauyxno1_500.jpg

BY Ralf Herrmann: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ralf_herrmann/3365680692/

& 22 www.indiantypefoundry.com

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MA Graphic Design |London College of Communication, 2012 47

Special thanks to my tutor Paul McNeil for all the guidance and feedback throughout the course.

I would really like to thank my parents back in India for supporting me and encouraging me throughout the course. To my friends Sanjana and Solly for all the cooperation and help, and specially my cousin Arnab for helping me with the photographs.

Acknowledgement


University of the Arts London

2012

yatrakshar | major project report

Documents

course of major project

use of typography

multilingual typography

abstractthe project

indian i

brand transport system

language script

evident use