A presentation held at the University of Iceland in spring 2015, regarding the more or less untouched topic of the anthropology of typography. Layout by me. The presentation eventually led to writing of a paper concerning the topic. Edited for web.

1. Towards an
Anthropology of
Typography
Akseli Huhtanen

2. What is typography?!
OXFORD DICTIONARY: !
The art or procedure of arranging type or
processing data and printing from it.
G. NOORDZIJ: !
Typography is writing with prefabricated
letters.

3. Which brand / organization?!

4. Which brand / organization?!

5. Which brand / organization?!

6. Which brand / organization?!

7. Which brand / organization?!

8. 3 famous typefaces!
TRIVIA: !
— A typeface: all sizes, weights and cases,
includes several fonts
— A font: a single case, such as Caslon
italics 48 pt.
— Concepts of typeface and font mixed
more or less.

9. Caslon Caslon
— Caslon: A serif (antiqua) typeface used
commonly in book layouts
— Example: Body text of this presentation, any
book
— Its italic font regarded very beautiful by experts,
some of my friends find it ugly
— From 1722

10. Helvetica Helvetica!
— A famous sans serif typeface used for instruction
purposes
— Example: Subway signs or airports, headlines in
this presentation
— Created 1957
— Gary Hustwit’s 2007 documentary Helvetica

11. Comic Sans Comic Sans
— A sans serif display typeface
— Created by Microsoft in 1994
— Examples: Birthday invitations, “funny” posters,
memos, books, everything.
— Much criticized, become infamous

12. ”Typography is the efficient means to an essentially
utilitarian and only accidentally aesthetic end.”
STANLEY MORRISON

13. ”The medium is the message.”
MARSHALL MACLUHAN

14. First approach: production!
— Visible or invisible typography?
— How is it produced?
— Who produces it?
— How do the typographers identify themselves?
— ”Field work” among typographers at Reykjavík
Letterpress.

15. Second approach: reception!
— Are we aware of it?
— Do we like or dislike it?
— Do we participate in the practice of typography?
— Is it something aesthetically valuable?
— Does it matter to us?

16. What do you think?!
— Do you have agency regarding typography?
— Do the forms of letters matter to you?
— Are there typefaces that always signify certain
feature?