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 highstreets are pedestrianised. 25% of Oxfords residents cycle to work. That is around 37,000 bikes every day! Therefore there are about 37,000 signs just like the one above telling people NOT to park their bike there. Every railing, fence and gateway has one of these signs. Despite being a very boring, plain type it still encapsulates a lot of what Oxford is about. They tell the story of thousands of students cycling to lectures, fighting for somewhere to park. Oxford is synonymous with students and cycling. There are businesses in the city centre that use the perceptions of Oxford to their advantage. The sort of typeface you see on wooden boards in the oxford colleges showing who was that years scholarship student or who was captain of the rowing team. That sort of thing. Hand painted gold/gilded lettering like this example. There is an implied stateliness and elegance to the letterforms.

Location

Oxford, UK