Geotype Submission

The Geotype project charts the rich history of lettering and type forms that have established the identity of cities and towns around the world. Explore the map

How does this letter-form communicate its location?

The focus of this week's challenge was to discover and analyse contemporary and historical letterforms that define the identity of Cork City. There is a rich history in Cork and that can be found in the old buildings that still have the original lettering painted on them. While some of these buildings have fallen into a dilapidated state they still bring the history of Cork to the forefront of one's mind. There’s a theme of huge bold lettering demanding the attention of those who walk by. There are some really rich Celtic symbolism and types displayed around the city outlining what were once side alleyways. The typeface and the illustrations go hand in hand and are beautiful little pieces of the past that are walked over and ignored by hundreds of people a day. These plaques are embedded into the footpath and are prevalent along North Main Street. They are mainly in English with a couple in Irish. As Irish is the national language of Ireland (English would be widely spoken across the Isle with a small number of people being fluent in Irish) street signs, bus-stops and post-boxes all have Irish type accompanying the English. This is noticeable on street signs with the Irish name of the street displayed in strong Celtic lettering.

Location

City Centre, Cork, Ireland