Tobias Frere-Jones The experience of a city is diffuse, built more of passing details than of postcard views. Both as cultural indicators and as pervasive features of the environment, letterforms impart a sense of place and identity, like an accent in speech. Related: Stephen Banham wrote a book called Characters (Cultural Stories Revealed Through Typography) which pertains to Melbourne. He’s gone through and catalogued diverse typographic representation throughout the city, from large-scale protest graffiti to the ghostly remains of signs ripped from buildings, and researched the history of each piece in-depth. It’s fascinating. Much more about history/people than design and richly illustrated with photographs, recommended.

Tobias Frere-Jones

The experience of a city is diffuse, built more of passing details than of postcard views. Both as cultural indicators and as pervasive features of the environment, letterforms impart a sense of place and identity, like an accent in speech.

Related: Stephen Banham wrote a book called Characters (Cultural Stories Revealed Through Typography) which pertains to Melbourne. He’s gone through and catalogued diverse typographic representation throughout the city, from large-scale protest graffiti to the ghostly remains of signs ripped from buildings, and researched the history of each piece in-depth. It’s fascinating. Much more about history/people than design and richly illustrated with photographs, recommended.