Firstly, either one of two things happened when you read that title.
Scenario A (Designer):
You immediately thought of your favorite typeface and were already working out your reasons why it’s better than anything else the world has ever seen. I’m sure the usual suspects crept in there for some of you!
Scenario B (Non-Designer):
A few well-known typefaces went through your mind. I have no doubt that a few design ‘classics’ were conjured up. Dare I say it, Times Roman, Arial, Souvenir or even Comic Sans?
But you may be surprised to hear that I’m not going to suggest anything like Din, Frutiger or even Helvetica. No, it’s none of these. It is in fact, ‘Transport’. The name kind of gives the location of where you might find it away. Okay, so maybe its not ‘successful’ in the same sense that Helvetica is successful but it’s a brilliant example of the of good type at work.
It’s not a particularly aesthetically pleasing typeface nor is it very ‘designery’ (like the word I just made up?) but it does showcase the purpose behind good design of type quite nicely.
Before its introduction, road signs in the UK employed the use of the capitals-only Lleweyn-Smith alphabet that was introduced in 1933. In an effort to improve the legibility, clarity and consistency of road signs in 1957, the Ministry of Transport appointed Jock Kinneir and his assistant Margaret Calver to develop a new typeface. They answered with ‘Transport’ which comes in two weights, medium or heavy.
The MOT gave Jock and Margaret a set of challenges – design a clear, universal font that’s transferable and legible. The basic characteristics of the font help it deliver. Why have I selected Transport? Because it’s a great showcase of an effective typeface that delivers. A real ‘does what it says on the tin’ job. What’s more, it’s British. Hooray!
Infact, the success of Transport has taken it around the world. Its used in Hong Kong, Iceland, Greece, Portugal and Denmark. It was even reworked for Arabic script. Bet you didn’t know that.
And it’s still going strong to this day.
Author Peter
Date 10.02.12
Time 14.50
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