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Typographical history of the TTC

Tuesday 18 January 2011 at 11:42 am. by mskala Used tags: ,

Here's a Web log article, with several links and a couple of posters for sale, on something I've wondered about before: the unique typeface used for station names and some other signage on the TTC.

two comments

Tony H.
It's well worth reading the now somewhat dated comments on this topic from the ever curmudgeonly and flamboyant Joe Clark.
http://joeclark.org/design/signage/TTC/ Tony H. - 18-01-’11 19:09
Axel
The old Toronto lettering, up to the late 60s, is indeed elegant. It has a postwar British feel with elements from continental sans-serifs of the 1920s, but seems to be utterly original. I chased some of the links and never found who designed it - although one of the pages I saw reproduced some original sketches, so the designer must be known. Who was it? Anyway, the font is more elegant than readable; and since the days of Airport Gothic there has been a cult of quick readability above all else. The New York lettering by Massimo Vignelli follows that trend - and I like it too, despite what Joe Clark says. Axel - 18-01-’11 20:22


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