Selected article
|
|
Johnston or Johnston sans is the typeface widely used by Transport for London for its publicity material and signage across the whole of its activities. The typeface was commissioned by the London Electric Railway in 1913 as part of a drive to strengthen the company's corporate branding and replaced a variety of typefaces used across its services. The font was originally simply called "Underground" but is now named after its designer, Edward Johnston, who also designed the London Underground roundel. The use of the typeface survived the merger of the LER into London Transport and spread to be used across the entire system.
Intended for posters and signage, Johnston's design originally consisted of just capital letters, numbers and punctuation symbols but the widening of its usage saw the addition of lower case characters and different type weights. The typeface is sans-serif and features a perfectly circular capital letter O and diamond-shaped full-stop and dots over the letters i and j. The current version of Johnston in use was designed to be slightly heavier than the original and is named New Johnston. (Full article...)
All selected articles
|
Selected biography
|
|
Edward Johnston, CBE (11 February 1872 – 26 November 1944) was a British craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the father of modern calligraphy, in the form of the broad edged pen as a writing tool, a particular form of calligraphy. He was born in San José, Uruguay. Johnston started teaching at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London's Southampton Row, where he influenced the typeface designer and sculptor Eric Gill. Then he moved on to the Royal College of Art and many students were inspired by his teachings. In 1912 Johnston followed Gill to Ditchling where he died in 1944.
He is most famous for designing the sans-serif Johnston typeface that was used throughout the London Underground system until it was re-designed in the 1980s, as well as the famous roundel symbol used throughout the system.
He has also been credited for reviving the art of modern penmanship and lettering single-handedly through his books and teachings. Johnston also devised the simply crafted round calligraphic handwriting style, written with a broad pen, known as the foundational hand. In 1921, students of Johnston founded the Society of Scribes & Illuminators (SSI), probably the world's foremost calligraphy society. (Full article...)
All Selected biographies
|
Did you know...
|
- ...that at 44 tons, the locomotives of the Central London Railway's first underground trains were so heavy that they shook buildings as they passed 60 feet below and were scrapped after three years?
More Did you know...
|
Related portals
|
|
|
|
Selected pictures
|
-
Image 1The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
-
-
-
Image 4London Underground A60 Stock (left) and 1938 Stock (right) trains showing the difference in the sizes of the two types of rolling stock operated on the system. A60 stock trains operated on the surface and sub-surface sections of the Metropolitan line from 1961 to 2012 and 1938 Stock operated on various deep level tube lines from 1938 to 1988.
-
-
Image 6The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
-
Image 7Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
-
-
Image 9Sailing ships at West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs in 1810. The docks opened in 1802 and closed in 1980 and have since been redeveloped as the Canary Wharf development.
-
Image 1055 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
-
Image 11Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
-
Image 12Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
-
Image 13London General Omnibus Company B-type bus B340 built in 1911 by AEC. One of a number of London buses purchased by the British military during World War I, this vehicle was operated on the Western Front.
-
Image 14Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
-
-
-
Image 17Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
-
Image 18TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
-
Image 19View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
-
Image 20Arguably the best-preserved disused station building in London, this is the former Alexandra Palace station on the GNR Highgate branch (closed in 1954). It is now in use as a community centre (CUFOS).
-
Image 21Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
-
Image 22The multi-level junction between the M23 and M25 motorways near Merstham in Surrey. The M23 passes over the M25 with bridges carrying interchange slip roads for the two motorways in between.
-
Image 23Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
-
-
Image 25London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
-
Image 26Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
-
Image 27A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
-
Image 28Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
-
Image 29Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
-
Image 30Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
-
Image 31Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
-
Image 32"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
-
Image 33Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
-
-
Image 35Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
-
Image 36The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
-
-
-
Image 39Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
-
Image 40The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
-
Image 41The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
-
-
Image 43Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
-
Image 44The newly constructed junction of the Westway ( A40) and the West Cross Route ( A3220) at White City, circa 1970. Continuation of the West Cross Route northwards under the roundabout was cancelled leaving two short unused stubs for the slip roads that would have been provided for traffic joining or leaving the northern section.
-
-
Image 46Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
-
Image 47Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
-
Image 48Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
-
Image 49Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
All Selected pictures
|
In the news
|
|
Archive
|
Anniversaries
|
|
|
|
_2011_New_Bus_for_London,_Victoria,_route_38,_27_February_2012.jpg)
.jpg)
_(geograph_4758436).jpg)
.jpg)
_Railway_Poster,_1905.png)
_building.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_engraving.jpg)
,_Showbus_2012_rally.jpg)
