Recently came across this old Guardian feature I used to follow with great interest from a few years ago – Classics of Everyday Design by Jonathan Glancey. It is a series that is well worth checking out.
Glancey’s Classics of Everyday Design included the Paperclip, the Swiss Army Knife, the Biro, the Tungsten Bulb, Lego and many more…
I always try to take photos of nice architectural features like the one below which I saw in JFK airport New York. This effective design allows light in through the roof, while also adding a visually pleasing aspect to the building, especially the order/pattern of the circular roof windows. Its a nice simple design feature.
I remember taking this photograph thinking the illustration in The Sak advertisement was quite nice only to discover when looking closely at the photograph afterward, the old adverts on the buildings were for Handbags and Bags, which was quite funny as The Sak is primarily a Handbag brand. On reflection I really like the fonts used in the old advertisements on the side of the building – they look quite strong even today.
The previous post about Valencia train station signage got me thinking about the 28th Street subway station New York. It too had cool old mosaic signage which was nicely complemented by the modern signage below in Helvetica. Mosaic designs really seem to produce interesting and charming typography.
28th Street Subway Station mosaic sign
The mosaic signage on the other side of the tracks
28th Street Subway Station modern sign in helvetica
During a recent trip to Spain I had the pleasure of passing through Valencia train station. The train station may not be the biggest train station in the world but it is definitely one of the most charming stations I have ever traveled through. The impressive mosaic tiles and detailed typography in some of the signage really helped me kill time as I waited to board the train.
A wood craved ticket sales counter with mosaic tiles
Impressive mosaics on the walls around the customer service office
Cool typography craved into the wood spelling out 'Norte'
Another example of nice typography in mosaic, 'Pleasant Journey'
The detail within the clock face is impressive but the mosaic designs that frame it are even more impressive. Check out the mosaic ceiling top right also.
