All The Signs Are There
Chronicle Books sent me a book by Laurence King Publishing on the art of signs. Not just any signs, but street signs, road signs, and building signs. This book covers the art of typography associated with the signs we all see everyday - but maybe not really appreciate.
The signs covered in the book, Signs: Lettering in the Environment, by Phil Baines and Catherine Dixon, are international in flavor and show the best of the best. The images in the book are clear and wonderful and show, in extended captions, where they're from and contain associated historical facts.
This work is divided into 2 parts - signs in our typical urban environment (street/directional signs) - and signs in public spaces relating to a sense of place (building/monument signs). It's fun to compare the signs from different places in the world that basically explain the same thing, but are totally different. The typefaces used are of interest too.
Signs is an interesting book and chock-full of great and, well, informational, images. Maybe you could use this book as a prep guide for your next trip abroad - just so you know where you're going.
It's a great addition to your typography book collection and comes out in October 2008 at a price of around $20.00. That's a good sign.
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