Projects_TG74_Header.jpg

Typographic Nº74 (ISTD)

ProjectsBook DesignResearchSocial HistoryTypographyWriting

design Letterbox  writer Stephen Banham publisher International Society of Typographic Designers

The 74th Journal of the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) questions the relationship between typefaces and nations. Can a typeface accurately personify a population as diverse and multicultural as the nation state? Is there a limitation to the population size that a typeface can meaningfully represent? The essay inside this issue can be read here.

Researched and written by Stephen Banham, the text is significantly expanded from a keynote address at the 2024 ATypI Conference. Typographic 74 is wrapped in a poster featuring a quote from Hannes von Döhren in his typeface Berlin Sans.

The journal displays many typefaces claiming to represent entire nations, including Norway Sans and Sweden Sans.
Big Shoulders by XO Type (2019), a typeface representing the municipal City of Chicago.
Berlin Sans (2020), hdv Fonts.
The wrapping poster of Typographic 74 featuring a quotation from German type designer Hannes von Döhren.