Black Country Type
Type design - Publication - Sign painting
A self-initiated type design project inspired by the Black Country and my family heritage.
Inspired by historical type, using photographs taken at the Black Country Living Museum to highlight key elements. Predominantly inspired by the lettering on building fascias.
Typeface named "Bostin'"; a homage to the slang the Black Country is so famous for. "Bostin'" means brilliant, great, fantastic- all the good stuff.
This type spec displays the typeface using Black Country slang and a combination of photographs taken at the Black Country Living Museum and historical photographs.
Designed as a display typeface, it felt only right to try my hand at sign writing.
"Threepenny Bit" was a fish and chip shop in West Bromwich, named after it’s shape, reminiscent of the coin. It, and the Black Country, are famous for their orange chips: classic chip shop chips, fried a second time in batter.
George’s Shoe Repairs was a repair shop run by George Lemm (my grandad), trading and repairing shoes for at least 20 years. As well as a cobblers, it was a place for the kids to eat chips after school, for waifs and strays, and a whole bunch of laughs.
