Eh to Zed? Some contend that up here in the great, far-flung, white-space reaches of our strong-and-free O Canada we have our own true-North beginnings, ligatures and ends. We are a lettered people, but admittedly, attempting a... more
Eh to Zed? Some contend that up here in the great, far-flung, white-space reaches of our strong-and-free O Canada we have our own true-North beginnings, ligatures and ends.
We are a lettered people, but admittedly, attempting a definitive ‘Canadian type issue’ may have been an impossible idea. This journal (at long last) in your hands is a manifest attempt at same, even if it has had to skim past many a type-A typographer between Antigonish and Abbotsford.
Typecasting Canada, Canadians, and their ilk is also no easy thing. In this issue you’ll encounter a variety of Canucks and their types, and you’ll read about others (past and present) who have left their imprint on our typology and communications landscape. Good type has always had to do with the use of space, a rare commodity in much of the crowded world, yet something we have in abundance up here. Arguably, there’s an aesthetic that grows in the vast spaces that separate Canadians (we can claim some of the widest character spacing on the planet) across the breadth of our five time zones.
What you’ll discover in these pages is only the tip of the iceberg, as regards typographis canadensis—a look at Luc Devroye’s extensive website at http://cgm.cs.mcgill.ca/~luc/fonts.html will bring you to a remarkable online collection of information and links—though you’ll be on your own in sorting the bona fide types from the ‘rasterbaters and pixel-jockies,’ as one cynical typophile labels the under-thirtysomething set.
The purpose of this journal is to provide a forum to encourage dialogue, to promote excellence in design and visual communication, and to help record the history and development of graphic design in Canada. To this end, we owe special thanks to this issue’s eloquent, talented (and patient) contributors: Matt Warburton, FGDC in Vancouver for his recollections (and production coordination); Nick Shinn, R.G.D., MGDC in Toronto for his insightful articles and the supply of unique fonts; Val Fullard for her piece on Mambo; maritimer Rod M c Donald for the article and font Cartier Book; Walter Jungkind, FGDC, of Edmonton for his scholarly call for a new alphabet to suit these times; Richard Hunt for his words of wisdom regarding scalability; the various contributors to the call for ‘character spaces;’ our production sponsors, StoraEnso, Blanchette and Pacific Bindery; book designer Zab (E.A. Hobart, MGDC) for the oh-so-apt Big-O cover; and to my Circle colleague Susan McWatt FitzGerald, MGDC for this publication’s design and her review of Canadian Robert Bringhurst’s The Solid Form of Language and The Elements of Typographic Style.
Much of this issue is set in Goodchild and Brown by Nick Shinn, R.G.D., MGDC. Les’ eponymous Usherwood, and Cartier Book by Rod M c Donald also make appearances. Let’s face it, this type was made for you and me….
Robert L. Peters
We are a lettered people, but admittedly, attempting a definitive ‘Canadian type issue’ may have been an impossible idea. This journal (at long last) in your hands is a manifest attempt at same, even if it has had to skim past many a type-A typographer between Antigonish and Abbotsford.
Typecasting Canada, Canadians, and their ilk is also no easy thing. In this issue you’ll encounter a variety of Canucks and their types, and you’ll read about others (past and present) who have left their imprint on our typology and communications landscape. Good type has always had to do with the use of space, a rare commodity in much of the crowded world, yet something we have in abundance up here. Arguably, there’s an aesthetic that grows in the vast spaces that separate Canadians (we can claim some of the widest character spacing on the planet) across the breadth of our five time zones.
What you’ll discover in these pages is only the tip of the iceberg, as regards typographis canadensis—a look at Luc Devroye’s extensive website at http://cgm.cs.mcgill.ca/~luc/fonts.html will bring you to a remarkable online collection of information and links—though you’ll be on your own in sorting the bona fide types from the ‘rasterbaters and pixel-jockies,’ as one cynical typophile labels the under-thirtysomething set.
The purpose of this journal is to provide a forum to encourage dialogue, to promote excellence in design and visual communication, and to help record the history and development of graphic design in Canada. To this end, we owe special thanks to this issue’s eloquent, talented (and patient) contributors: Matt Warburton, FGDC in Vancouver for his recollections (and production coordination); Nick Shinn, R.G.D., MGDC in Toronto for his insightful articles and the supply of unique fonts; Val Fullard for her piece on Mambo; maritimer Rod M c Donald for the article and font Cartier Book; Walter Jungkind, FGDC, of Edmonton for his scholarly call for a new alphabet to suit these times; Richard Hunt for his words of wisdom regarding scalability; the various contributors to the call for ‘character spaces;’ our production sponsors, StoraEnso, Blanchette and Pacific Bindery; book designer Zab (E.A. Hobart, MGDC) for the oh-so-apt Big-O cover; and to my Circle colleague Susan McWatt FitzGerald, MGDC for this publication’s design and her review of Canadian Robert Bringhurst’s The Solid Form of Language and The Elements of Typographic Style.
Much of this issue is set in Goodchild and Brown by Nick Shinn, R.G.D., MGDC. Les’ eponymous Usherwood, and Cartier Book by Rod M c Donald also make appearances. Let’s face it, this type was made for you and me….
Robert L. Peters
Research Interests:
Welcome to the long-awaited seventh issue of the GDC’s Graphic Design Journal. First published in 1993 under co-editors Mary Ann Maruska FGDC and Ulrich Wodicka FGDC, the Journal served as a flagship publication for the GDC through to... more
Welcome to the long-awaited seventh issue of the GDC’s Graphic Design Journal.
First published in 1993 under co-editors Mary Ann Maruska FGDC and Ulrich Wodicka FGDC, the Journal served as a flagship publication for the GDC through to the mid-2000s when changing technology and the impact of the web made a print publication seem like a bit of an achronism. Well, we’re pleased to reintroduce the Journal in both print and digital formats.
Journal 7 consists of two narratives—the first is centred on design that touches all Canadians, be it the iconic maple leaf which adorns our knapsacks or the logo on the side of a commuter train, to the signage at the strip mall where we buy our milk. The second narrative is a series of peer-reviewed research papers that were presented at the PICA 2014 conference in Edmonton. The PICA 2014 conference brought together academics from across North America to discuss and disseminate research interrogating pressing issues in design education. With research presentations, a workshop, PechaKucha talks and a roundtable discussion a broad range of territory was covered.
Journal 7 features six of the presentations that have been further developed and peer-reviewed for publication. These research papers cover a range of subjects that are at the heart of current and future design education. For example, papers explore the need for design education to further interrogate issues of social responsibility and community engagement. Authors also ask questions concerning the possibility and role for design history in regards to design curriculum and the richness of opportunities of research concerning First Nation histories to inform current design practices. Broader questions are also asked concerning how we teach, the possibilities of employing coding within design practice and the interrogation of the needs and requirements of design education to prepare the designers needed for the 21st century.
To further the education theme three Bachelor of Design students from the University of Alberta have created introduction illustrations contextualizing selected papers. Particular thanks and recognition to Karin Jager CGD and Michael Maynard FGDC for their work organizing and reviewing.
We hope that Journal 7 signifies new opportunities for thinking and writing about the power and possibility of design in our lives.
First published in 1993 under co-editors Mary Ann Maruska FGDC and Ulrich Wodicka FGDC, the Journal served as a flagship publication for the GDC through to the mid-2000s when changing technology and the impact of the web made a print publication seem like a bit of an achronism. Well, we’re pleased to reintroduce the Journal in both print and digital formats.
Journal 7 consists of two narratives—the first is centred on design that touches all Canadians, be it the iconic maple leaf which adorns our knapsacks or the logo on the side of a commuter train, to the signage at the strip mall where we buy our milk. The second narrative is a series of peer-reviewed research papers that were presented at the PICA 2014 conference in Edmonton. The PICA 2014 conference brought together academics from across North America to discuss and disseminate research interrogating pressing issues in design education. With research presentations, a workshop, PechaKucha talks and a roundtable discussion a broad range of territory was covered.
Journal 7 features six of the presentations that have been further developed and peer-reviewed for publication. These research papers cover a range of subjects that are at the heart of current and future design education. For example, papers explore the need for design education to further interrogate issues of social responsibility and community engagement. Authors also ask questions concerning the possibility and role for design history in regards to design curriculum and the richness of opportunities of research concerning First Nation histories to inform current design practices. Broader questions are also asked concerning how we teach, the possibilities of employing coding within design practice and the interrogation of the needs and requirements of design education to prepare the designers needed for the 21st century.
To further the education theme three Bachelor of Design students from the University of Alberta have created introduction illustrations contextualizing selected papers. Particular thanks and recognition to Karin Jager CGD and Michael Maynard FGDC for their work organizing and reviewing.
We hope that Journal 7 signifies new opportunities for thinking and writing about the power and possibility of design in our lives.
Research Interests:
A problem with optimists is that they rarely find occasion to be pleasantly surprised. If you are reading this, then this fifth issue of GDC’s Graphic Design Journal has finally materialized. The Journal began in 1993 and the last issue... more
A problem with optimists is that they rarely find occasion to be pleasantly surprised. If you are reading this, then this fifth issue of GDC’s Graphic Design Journal has finally materialized. The Journal began in 1993 and the last issue prior to this one saw the light of day in 1996. As 2002 begins more than five years have passed… though in spite of what pessimists might say, late is better than never. Ergo, some of the content of this issue has “matured” in oak cabinets for a period of time, so please savour with that in mind.
This Journal’s primary goals include: to provide a forum to encourage dialogue regarding graphic design; to promote excellence in design; and to help record the history and development of the graphic design profession in Canada. A journal is a record – of information, of formally shared opinions, of words and wisdom – sometimes anecdotal, sometimes proverbial and sometimes historical.
This issue’s focus is the history of Canadian graphic design, an admittedly difficult topic to obtain an overview of. Canada is a massive land, covering nearly 10 million km2 and with a sparse human population of less than 32 million. Vast distances between cities, significant regional differences, a seeming mistrust of things ‘National,’ and typical characteristics of a frontier nation conspire to make broad communication and collective processes a challenge. The graphic design profession itself is in its infancy, trailing its cousins architecture and engineering, for example, by many generations. Born the love child of mother Art and father Industry, graphic design is at last beginning to assert itself – reaching beyond its servitude to Marketing, grasping the role that it plays in shaping culture, and taking responsibility for its global impact in an age of information and ideas.
Regarding history, I’ll be the first to admit that the records, reminiscences, and reports compiled in this issue are a mere beginning. It’s my hope, however, that these pages will in some small way spur on further record keeping, writing and sharing of information regarding our budding young profession (I also hope that the next issue will hit the press before another half decade elapses…).
Many “Thanks!” are in order: to Mary Ann Maruska and Ulrich Wodicka as the Journal’s founding editors; to Brian Donnelly for writing and compiling core content re: Carl Dair for this issue (yes, several years ago); to Matt Warburton for persistently hounding the various GDC Chapters for histories of their formation, as well as for a remarkable interview with Friedrich Peter; to Cynthia Hoffos and her colleagues at Concepts 3 for editing and checking histories; to David Berman for contributing the benchmark GDC Code of Ethics; to Susan McWatt for investment of tireless talent in designing this issue; to Dale Simonson for the cover design; to my colleagues at Circle for all their help; to Domtar for donating the paper; and, significantly, to the individual authors and article contributors (who are credited alongside their submissions) without whom a journal cannot come to be.
I once overheard the comment that; “Typography is a container for language.” On that note, I’m pleased that this Journal can introduce the font Cartier Book by Canadian typographic designer Rod McDonald as a “container” with a distinctly Canadian voice. Thanks to FontShop Canada for contributing the font to the cause.
Robert L. Peters
This Journal’s primary goals include: to provide a forum to encourage dialogue regarding graphic design; to promote excellence in design; and to help record the history and development of the graphic design profession in Canada. A journal is a record – of information, of formally shared opinions, of words and wisdom – sometimes anecdotal, sometimes proverbial and sometimes historical.
This issue’s focus is the history of Canadian graphic design, an admittedly difficult topic to obtain an overview of. Canada is a massive land, covering nearly 10 million km2 and with a sparse human population of less than 32 million. Vast distances between cities, significant regional differences, a seeming mistrust of things ‘National,’ and typical characteristics of a frontier nation conspire to make broad communication and collective processes a challenge. The graphic design profession itself is in its infancy, trailing its cousins architecture and engineering, for example, by many generations. Born the love child of mother Art and father Industry, graphic design is at last beginning to assert itself – reaching beyond its servitude to Marketing, grasping the role that it plays in shaping culture, and taking responsibility for its global impact in an age of information and ideas.
Regarding history, I’ll be the first to admit that the records, reminiscences, and reports compiled in this issue are a mere beginning. It’s my hope, however, that these pages will in some small way spur on further record keeping, writing and sharing of information regarding our budding young profession (I also hope that the next issue will hit the press before another half decade elapses…).
Many “Thanks!” are in order: to Mary Ann Maruska and Ulrich Wodicka as the Journal’s founding editors; to Brian Donnelly for writing and compiling core content re: Carl Dair for this issue (yes, several years ago); to Matt Warburton for persistently hounding the various GDC Chapters for histories of their formation, as well as for a remarkable interview with Friedrich Peter; to Cynthia Hoffos and her colleagues at Concepts 3 for editing and checking histories; to David Berman for contributing the benchmark GDC Code of Ethics; to Susan McWatt for investment of tireless talent in designing this issue; to Dale Simonson for the cover design; to my colleagues at Circle for all their help; to Domtar for donating the paper; and, significantly, to the individual authors and article contributors (who are credited alongside their submissions) without whom a journal cannot come to be.
I once overheard the comment that; “Typography is a container for language.” On that note, I’m pleased that this Journal can introduce the font Cartier Book by Canadian typographic designer Rod McDonald as a “container” with a distinctly Canadian voice. Thanks to FontShop Canada for contributing the font to the cause.
Robert L. Peters