Blog Post- Jan. 29 (Leslie Ramirez)




Johnston, E. (1915). London Underground Lettering [Typeface]. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/471892867184370980/?lp=true (January 29, 2020)

I used to believe typography was boring. That changed when I took Nate’s typography class and began to pay attention to both the details in typefaces and the history behind them. Within this week’s reading, Edward Johnston’s London Underground lettering stuck out the most to me. Johnston was a calligrapher and managed to subtly bring in an element of that into his geometric typeface that is seen in the dots above the ‘i’ and ‘j’. London’s Underground lettering has an elegant lowercase ‘g’. Double loops, the top one a perfect circle and the bottom a bigger oval, with a little ear sticking out, noticeable but not distracting. The ear doesn’t ruin the geometric theme but does add something interesting. I couldn't find the exact photo from the textbook but it is the same typeface.)



Johnston, E. (1925). https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/09/london-underground-logo-a-brief-history-of-the-iconic-design.html (January 29, 2020)

This is the draft of the London Underground logo. You can see how readable the typeface is, which is perfect for reading at a quick glance during rush hour. The design itself resembles the station design on the train map, and can easily be simplified as a minimalistic logo. I would wear this as a pin on my backpack.

CTA logo [Logo]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Transit_Authority(January 29, 2020)


I tried to compare the London Underground logo with that of the CTA and I have to admit, I like the London Underground one more. I don’t like the kerning too much, it is a little too tight for my taste. The letters themselves have a very heavy weight and feel a bit chunky. Alone, as a small group of three, the letters are readable but as words, they would not be easily readable. The London Underground logo feels more clever than that of the CTA.

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