Printing Types: New Zealand Type Design Since 1870

Printing Types: New Zealand Type Design since 1870

The word ‘Designer’ is a loaded term which for most of the population inspires visions of glamourous personalities, high fashion and covetable objects. Let’s face it, the glossy and multifaceted world of design has held us enthralled for decades. Within the varied sub-industries of design however, there are numerous career pathways that garner relatively little public acclaim, despite occupying important roles within contemporary society. Type design is one of these roads less travelled.

For these reasons it was rather surprising that a hit feature at the 2007 Auckland International Film Festival was – you probably guessed it – all about type design. Gary Huswit’s documentary Helvetica was a runaway success documenting the use, abuse and global popularity of this now ubiquitous typeface. Helvetica attracted numerous attendees, many of whom probably hadn’t paused for long to consider the history and of a typeface we most often turn to when composing the majority of our daily correspondences.

So where do we fit into this picture here in New Zealand? Does our local type design history consist of Koru motifs, borrowed and embellished ad infinitum? The answer is that this kind of perception couldn’t be farther from the truth. A small and discerning industry with many entertaining and intriguing stories of design success and failure, the history of type design in New Zealand has unfortunately been inadequately documented. Designer and curator Jonty Valentine aims to do something about this.

Printing Types: New Zealand Type Design Since 1870 is a new exhibition and publication project at Objectspace. Having previously curated the outstanding 2006 exhibition at Objectspace, Just Hold Me: Aspects of NZ Publication Design, Jonty Valentine has this time researched and compiled a selection of key moments and narratives in local type design from a history spanning approximately 140 years. An important and timely project to undertake, he says “it is remarkable how un-heroic and invisible the history of type design has been here”.

Valentine observes that “the purpose of this project is to begin to establish, or at least begin to lay the case for such a series of stories” and to question “why there is so little written about this subject.” Objectspace Director, Philip Clarke, has overseen both of Valentine’s exhibitions and notes that “Printing Types, is I believe, the first exhibition and related publication completely focused on contemporary and historical New Zealand type design.”

Two highlights of Printing Types include the 1960s achievements of internationally celebrated New Zealand-Samoan Joseph Churchward who is the subject of a new book, Joseph Churchward (ed. David Bennewith, published by Clouds, 2009) and Tom Elliott (designer of the iconic 1970s Air New Zealand typeface).

Contemporary type designers in New Zealand featured in the exhibition are exemplified by designers such as Kris Sowersby and more speculative practitioners like Luke Wood, who are producing work of great intelligence and wit. The result of these projects is sometimes taken far beyond what the designer originally intended. For instance, Wood’s McCahon typeface (2000) has had a very eventful life which highlights the value of typefaces as commodities. In its short life it has been appropriated by a multinational, found its way onto ‘Charlie’s’ fruit juice bottles and been used in the branding for an important Colin McCahon exhibition!

Other exhibitions: Coinciding with Printing Types is an Objectspace Window installation by contemporary artist Kirsty Lillico. Also on display will be an intriguing new Objectspace Vault installation of tea vessels.

What: Printing Types: New Zealand Type Design since 1870
Where: Objectspace, 8 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland
When: 25 July – 12 September 2009.
Gallery hours: Tues – Sat, 10am – 5pm. Free admission.
Publications: A catalogue (66 pages) and typeface specimen posters (A0) for this exhibition will be available for sale at Objectspace
Curator’s talk: 11:00am Saturday 1 August 2009 at Objectspace
Image: Luke Wood, McCahon (detail), typeface design, 2000.