Footnotes

The editorial of the 4th issue of Footnotes—the periodical bulletin of applied research in type design—reads: “Dear reader, you’re holding D, the fourth issue of Footnotes, the periodical bulletin of applied research in type design. In this field, technology is a defining element, be it a constraint or a liberation. With Telefont, the custom typeface for the last printed Dutch phonebook, Martin Majoor designed for the rough newsprint environment using the Ikarus technology in the heyday of the phone booth. Did you miss flipping through that thick and puffy flexible book? You’ll be able to witness the experience of millions of readers or a bunch of kids, randomly in search of a number to dial anonymously. Back in those days for real, feel that pulp texture, augmented reality you'll see. Some people record 4-track using sampling, others write 2-track while avoiding auto-plagiarism. As he was writing his thesis at the University of Reading on Ikarus, the technology named after a Greek mythology character, Ferdinand Ulrich documented its trajectory here. Not a digest, this thorough chronicle—a glimpse of the past—will help you assess the landscape of current type tools. Proximity networking, Ferdinand talked on the phone with Martin, who shared his experience interning at URW, experimenting with Ikarus to draw his first typeface Serré, bridging theory and practice in the form of a case study.

Has he experienced The Hacienda? The name of Ben Kelly probably rings a bell to him. Trained as an architect, Joost Grootens, a graphic designer specialised in the arrangement of complex content in the form of books, explores type design. You are here, step by step, one problem at a time. In this sixth episode of the One-off series, he shares his polymorphous journey through shapes with Ceremony, a formal nomenclature informed by his studio’s content-mapping practice.

Street credits. Peeling layers of billboards and grasping from the many materialities of large letters, Pierre Pané-Farré listened to the whispering of ghosts to come up with new theories. Through manufacturing processes, another way to look at technology, a tangible, and analog one. On the last page, facing the index, you’ll discover proofs, namely a selection of in-progress type projects by the contributors of the current issue, as well as C and a guest. Extra extra, read all about it! This new issue marks a turning point, as adjustments needed to be made to perpetuate this editorial adventure started in 2016. Wearing many hats—editor, designer, publisher, publicist & distributor—reality struck back with experience for the mastermind. To carry on, reward authors better, maintain editorial freedom without any advertising noise, print locally a bike ride away, I chose to raise the price fairly.

Footnotes

Publisher: La Police
Editing & Design: Mathieu Christe
Release: October 2022
Format: 165 × 235 mm
Volume: 48 inside pp.
Iconography: 102 illustrations b/w
Lithography, Printing & Staple Binding: Geneva, Switzerland
ISSN: 2504-0413
Price: CHF 30.–
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The press check series at the printed © supertiptop.ch
Pictures of posters © Mathieu Christe, La Police