The Métropolitain – Paris’ rapid transit metro system – has 245 different stations within 34 square miles of Paris, many of them exhibiting unique interiors that set them apart from the rest. I had the opportunity to witness this firsthand on a recent trip to Paris several weeks ago.
Abbesses – Its chipped tiled type contrasts well with these round yellow chairs that could have been pulled straight from a Herman Miller catalog.
Concorde – A 100+ year old stop with a grid of letters spelling out the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a fundamental document of the French Revolution (wall of type=revolutionary idea).
The Métro signs at each entrance also differed from each other at different stops. These variations were not nearly as widespread, however, and their usage seemed random and non-specific to location. I did some research to find out why.
This is one of the 83 original surviving art nouveau entrances and is seen as an iconic symbol of Paris. It was designed by Hector Guimard in 1900 and its style caused much surprise and controversy. This is the primary stop we used on our trip (Abbesses) and it’s also one of the three remaining entrances with a more elaborate glass canopy.
This simpler version, a metal balustrade accompanying a “Métro” sign crowned by a spherical lamp, could be found in early stations around 1910.
This one has a similar type treatment to the previous, but is simplified even more with its stronger sans serif lettering placed onto a stone wall.
Signposts with just an “M” have become the norm since the 1970′s to present.
To see more pictures from the trip, check out my Flickr feed.
“A poster, unlike a painting, is not and is not meant to be, a work easily distinguished by its manner—a unique specimen conceived to satisfy the demanding tastes of a single more or less enlightened art lover. It is meant to be a mass-produced object existing in thousands of copies like a fountain pen or automobile. Like them, it is designed to answer certain strictly material needs. It must have a commercial function.”
-AM. Cassandre, translated by Michael Taylor
AM Cassandre, "Dubonnet" - 1932
In a few days I will be traveling to Paris for a vacation and I wanted to familiarize myself with the history of French design, but I found no books or blogs on its history. This is, perhaps, due to France’s overwhelming amount of cultural history in painting, cinema, food, and fashion. Though French design seems to play a smaller role in France’s cultural history when compared to so many other facets of artistic expression, it’s advertising (publicité) and typographic (graphisme) legacies are by no means insignificant to a broad popular culture. (1) Below you will find an assortment of beautiful French posters that represent a rich cultural history of French graphic design.
Toulouse-Lautrec, "La Chaine Simpson" 1890's
Roland Ansieau, "Berger" 1935
Raymond Savignac, "Autorail Paris" 1937
Ramond Savignac, "Cigarettes Collie" 1952
Bernard Villemot, "Orangina" 1953
Whether you’re a writer, designer, illustrator or a grandmother turned pastry chef, you have a toolbox. If you’re a writer, you probably have an arsenal of pens and paper. If you’re a designer, you’ve certainly got a mighty mouse and some x-acto blades, and the illustrator could have anything from paint tubes to charcoal.
In the past three months, I’ve discovered Design*Sponge, a fantastic blog for anyone looking to be inspired to create or recreate your space. Design*Sponge has a recurring post called “ What’s In Your Toolbox?” and it’s a brilliant idea. Not only are these little features wonderful because they show beautiful work, but in a quick snap shot, they reveal process. You can see which artist is completely square and thinks through things all the way, and which ones work intuitively —grabbing the first piece of material at hand and working with what emerges.
These little toolbox portraits are beautiful, friendly and inspiring.
I’ve started throwing in random things into my own office drawer to see what I can reach in and find.
Enjoy these little vignettes. Photos from SCOUT’S HONOR Co. and Design*Sponge.
I recently came across this antique typewriter and was immediately fascinated by its design and pristine condition. It’s a 1966 Olympia DeLuxe SM9 made in Western Germany. After some research, I found out that these Olympias were the top of the line and cost about $175 back in the day. I was surprised to find out that many writers still prefer manual typewriters, and that these archaic machines have become quite collectible. Check out this link for a pretty impressive listing: http://www.mrmartinweb.com/type.htm. I couldn’t wait to try it out — I carefully placed a piece of paper underneath the roller and proceeded to type away. Ahhh, the action, the ease of the keystrokes, the mechanical precision, the sound and the high-pitched “ding” at the end of the line made me smile. Then I proceeded to examine the actual letterforms that appeared on the paper and found them to be a script style — graceful and beautiful with some very interesting characteristics. It was unexpected, since the clunky, mono-spaced slab-serif style is most commonly associated with old typewriters.
A few days later, I was sharing photos of the typewriter with a colleague and had a moment of inspiration. What if I recreated this script typestyle and preserved the history of the SM9 through typography? So I’ve begun this experiment by sketching some of the letterforms (see early sketches and preliminary digital rendering below). I plan to create a complete character set and to build a functional typestyle.
Maybe I’m not going to write a novel anytime soon on the SM9, but it sure has inspired me to create something that I’m passionate about. Which proves that you never know where you might find inspiration.
Digital marketing and communications is all about developing the lure. The view across the street from our office inspired me.
Live Bait
Oil on Canvas
20×20
