Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth and tagged with “mikado”. License: All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 2, Ostdeutschland (“Eastern Germany”)

One of a series of six charming small format booklets issued by the Königliche Eisenbahndirektion (“Royal Railway Directorate”) in Altona, Hamburg, and describing the Allgemeine Verkehrs-Mitteilungen und Sehenswürdigkeiten – general railway travel information and sights in the relevant areas of Germany. The organisation of railways in Germany prior to 1918 was somewhat complex but many railway companies were, effectively, nationalised as part of the Preußische Staatseisenbahnen (“Prussian State Railways”) and these booklets all show, in various forms, the Adler or Royal Eagle symbol of the railways as well as the “winged wheel” symbol that was much favoured by various continental railway adminstrations.

The booklets all contain the information that large numbers of visitors were now visiting Germany, many brought by the various steamship lines including Hamburg–Amerika (HAPAG) and the Norddeutscher Lloyd, and given the booklets were issued by the Altona-Hamburg office of the railways one suspects that copies were probably available on board the vessels to be given as publicity to passengers. The booklets were also available by post from the Altona offices. They are not dated but volume one has a manuscript date of ca.1905–07 and given the style this feels correct.

Although each booklet follows the same format each design is subtly different; all are in a loose “Arts & Crafts” style that would morph in Germany into the Werkbund movement and in France to an Art Nouveau style. This includes elements of the cover design, framing and lettering as well as aspects of the editorial text. The booklets contain detachable postcards for mailing and are each printed by a printer in the relevant area of Germany covered by the particular guide.

Volume 2 is for Berlin and Eastern Germany covering areas of Prussia and Saxony. The front cover shows Schloss Marienburg (Lower Saxony), the now lost Wissower Klinken cliff formations on Rügen, and the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin. There are outline maps of the railways in the area covered by the guide as well as of the suburban lines in Berlin. Mention is made of the newly opened first stages of the Berlin Hochbahn (now U-Bahn) and the back cover has a very Imperial series of symbols for the State Railways.

While most booklets (below) have custom lettering for the title, the cover for Volume 2 (above) is typographic: the featured typeface is the wide style of Mikado as cast by the Flinsch foundry in Frankfurt. “Heft 2” is in a German version of Antique No. 8. See the image captions further below for the period typefaces used inside.

At least Vol. 6 was printed by Hans Bleher at Verlags- und Handelsdruckerei Stuttgrart.

Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth. License: All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 1, Norddeutschland (“Northern Germany”), with lettering similar to Kolumbus. The front cover shows the Lombardsbrücke in Hamburg, the Marktplatz in Bremen, and the steamship Deutschland passing the Alte Liebe lighthouse at Cuxhaven.

Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth. License: All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 3, Mitteldeutschland (“Middle Germany”) with cover lettering on top of the Imperial Eagle. The vignettes are of the now vanished Kronentempel pavilion at Bodetal in the Harz, the Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel, and the famous Wartburg overlooking Eisenach.

Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth. License: All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 4, Nordwestdeutschland (“North West Germany”). The cover, along with a steam locomotive and train, is in a rather high ‘Art Nouveau’ style including the lettering, and depicts the famous Kölner Dom.

Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth. License: All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 5, Südwestdeutschland (“south west Germany”). The cover is almost Guimard in design and shows Heidelberg along with a cartouche of a speeding steam locomotive and train.

Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth and tagged with “secession”. License: All Rights Reserved.

The title page to Vol. 1 features a winged wheel and text set in Berthold’s Secession (1901).

Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth and tagged with “werk-grotesk”. License: All Rights Reserved.

The introduction to Vol. 5 features a very similar typeface: it’s Werk-Grotesk by Ludwig & Mayer, likewise issued in 1901, with a drop cap from the licht (open) style.

Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth and tagged with “eckmann”. License: All Rights Reserved.

The title page to Vol. 6 is set in the most popular of the so-called Neudeutsch typefaces: it’s Klingspor’s Eckmann (1900).

Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth and tagged with “eckmann”. License: All Rights Reserved.

Table of contents for all six booklets as included in the final volume. Note the two forms of H (“Hamburg” vs. “Harz”) and s/ſ, as well as the use of letterspacing for emphasis.

The Drei Weieren (“Three Ponds”) are definitely a favourite spot for the people of St.Gallen. The visitors to the neighbouring tourist highlight and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Abbey District, are the ones who are least aware of the splendour of the local recreation area. As part of the tourism development concept, a separate brand identity and wayfinding system is to be introduced to strengthen the presence of the area, enhance it in a gentle manner and make existing attractions more visible.

Studio mi developed a solution that is both striking and in keeping with the characteristics of the area: the concise combination of 3 and W in the brand identity sets the tone for the visual language. Curved signposts and overview maps, as well as welcome banners, reflect the omnipresent movement in the topography, the walkers and swimmers, as well as the dominant element of water.

Map for Drei Weieren

Saffron Brand Consultants, co-founded by Wally Olins, designed the identity for the Setouchi destination on behalf of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The goal was to establish this region as Japan’s ‘third destination’, offering a calmer alternative to the Tokyo and Kyoto-Osaka hubs. Following a week-long immersion on the ground, the team built a strategy around the concept of ‘the extraordinary in plain sight’. This project transforms the train ride into a truly contemplative experience, inviting travelers to follow the peaceful rhythm of the Seto Inland Sea.

Visually, the work relies on a minimalist aesthetic that avoids the aggressive graphic codes of major metropolises. The layouts are highly airy, using white space to evoke the serenity of the island landscapes. The color palette, featuring deep blues and sandy tones, ensures consistency across all touchpoints, from stations to digital screens. Far from being a simple advertising campaign, the design offers a poetic narrative where every visual detail highlights a promise of authenticity and discovery.

At the heart of this identity lies a precise typographic choice: the Osmose typeface from the French foundry Blaze Type. This hybrid font blends a solid structure with fluid, almost liquid details, reminiscent of the water and surrounding nature. Saffron customized this base with specific ligatures, such as the overlapping o and u, to symbolize the connection between the islands. By utilizing Blaze Type’s modern design, the agency provides the Setouchi region with a soft, living visual signature that accompanies the traveler from the very first glance. The accompanying Japanese typeface appears to be Kozuka Gothic.

From luxurious destinations in the 19th century to the dynamic advertising posters of the 1920s and 30s to modern airline series and fictional NASA travel posters from 2019, the motifs span the development of travel as a desire and a vision. The exhibition Ferne Länder, Ferne Zeiten / Faraway Countries, Faraway Times at the Museum Folkwang is accompanied by literary works by Felicitas Hoppe, who sheds new light on longing and wanderlust in exclusive “literary journeys of the mind.” The exhibition, curated by René Grohnert, is complemented by a large wall graphic in the form of a map that clearly visualizes all the tourist destinations presented. We created wall and floor lettering that typographically references the period in which the posters were created. These were supplemented by a large wall graphic in the form of a map that clearly visualizes all the tourist destinations presented.

Photography by Caroline Schlüter

This tourism campaign video for Denver, Colorado, showcases various activities one can do in that city, and features some crazy, constantly-animated typography to boot. The campaign’s name is a riff on “This is How We Do It”, a song by Montell Jordan that this video uses.

“Serious Fun” ft. BN Zipline and Yorkmade

“Hardcore Groovin” ft. Evogria Italic and an unidentified script with similarities to Neisya and LHF Chicago Script

The script morphs into Genty.

“Casually Refined” ft. more Evogria Italic and BN Giggle

The words stay the same while the fonts change to Yorkmade and MN Latin.

“Extreme Relaxation” ft. Piepie and Broone

“Extreme” then changes into Antípoda Black Extended.

"Extreme" eventually goes back to Piepie, while "relaxation" shifts to what looks like a softened Roylands Font Duo Script (with a modified l.)

“This Is How We Denver” ft. Antípoda and Violeta Jardinera.

“How We Denver” then morphs into BN Binder, with adjustments to W and N.

“How We Denver” morphs a third time afterwards, this time into all-lowercase Genty.

To accompany the creation of the Établissement public national du Mont-Saint-Michel, Graphéine designed a visual identity intended to give a clear and lasting form to a previously fragmented governance. The challenge was to move beyond the saturated “postcard” imagery of the Mont while preserving immediate legibility for a site welcoming over 2.5 million visitors each year. Rather than adding another figurative symbol, the project is built around a typographic logotype conceived as an image in itself, where the name becomes the place. This choice places typography at the very heart of the identity, not as a simple graphic layer but as a true narrative foundation.

Within this framework, Blaze Type was commissioned to develop an original typeface based on the drawing of the logotype. Its references draw on the medieval scripts found at the Mont – Carolingian and Gothic – reinterpreted through a resolutely contemporary language. The verticality of the letters echoes the upward thrust of the abbey, while certain forms subtly recall ancient manuscripts without ever slipping into decorative quotation. Blaze Type’s work thus seeks a balance between historical heritage and modern efficiency, resulting in a typeface that is expressive, readable, and capable of structuring the entire identity.

Beyond its design, this typeface plays a central role throughout the visual system. Deployed in several weights and conceived to stretch vertically, it extends into use what makes the logotype distinctive: a form of writing designed to rise, to converse with the architecture, and to open the gaze toward the landscape of the bay. Typography thus becomes far more than a functional tool: it sets the tone, establishes a restrained elegance, and connects the heritage of Mont-Saint-Michel with a contemporary graphic vision. A collaboration that aptly illustrates the strategic role a foundry like Blaze Type can play today in shaping public identities.

The typeface’s scope with five weights and three widths, or heights

Glyph set with stylistic alternates

The design studio Stroke and Marvel conceived and designed this cycling guide for the tourism board of the German region Seenland Oder-Spree.

Typeset in German and Polish, the booklet covers twenty cycling tours over 180 pages, complete with clear maps and lovely photos of the countryside.

Headlines and map labels are beautifully set my typeface Bild. The main body text is set in Loretta by Nova Type, with supporting text in Dia by Schick Toikka.

The visual identity for Opera Open 2024, the flagship festival of the State Opera Plovdiv, was designed by the Plovdiv-based Studio Punkt. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the opera house, the branding was tasked with a delicate mission: balancing a deep respect for classical tradition with a vibrant, international spirit that appeals to modern ‘opera tourists’.

Punkt’s approach centers on a custom logo design where the O in “Opera” and E in “Open” are highlighted with script characters (either from a font, or custom lettering) to symbolize the ‘openness’ of the festival. This same ‘open’ treatment is repeated with a(nother) script typeface in the poster series. The primary typeface, Muller Next by Fontfabric, serves as the backbone of the identity. Its geometric clarity and smooth, modern aesthetic allow for seamless transitions across a massive range of formats, from high-impact street posters and space branding at the Ancient Theatre to digital platforms and sophisticated festival catalogs.

The color palette is anchored by deep blues and energized by coral, mint, and yellow accents reflects the dramatic, open-air atmosphere of Plovdiv’s UNESCO-listed Ancient Theatre. By utilizing the flexibility of a variable font, Punkt created a cohesive visual language that honors the history of the site while firmly positioning the festival as a contemporary, world-class cultural event.

Headlines are shown in all-caps Latin Bold. Some of the lines including “Travel wise – always travel by coach” are drawn by hand, though: zoom in to see small differences between repeating letters. The italic red caps appear to be from Miller & Richard’s Grotesque No. 4.

A rather fine and complex folding map giving details of the many express motor coach routes operated in England and Wales by the ‘principal’ bus and coach companies, a list of which appears at the base of the map. The folder gives information as to express services, coach holidays, chartering, sightseeing and coach-air services and is illustrated by images of suitably express coaches and happy passengers. The folder was issued at a time of great popularity for both express coach services and coach holidays – post-war years that still saw relatively low car ownership but with increasing wages and disposable income and before the onset of cheaper overseas holidays.

Amongst the photos I can make out a BMMO Midland Red motorway coach, passing what looks like a Bristol, and various vehicles that look to be both East Kent and Maidstone & District. The list of companies, organised geographically, contain some well known and often much missed names. Oddly the ‘Scottish’ connection points potential passengers to the Scottish Tourist Board and not the Scottish Bus Group.

The rather stylish graphics and map are signed “Reitz” who is an artist/designer I can find little about although they did similar maps and publicity for British Rail at the time.

Northern section of the map. Labels use Futura Condensed.

Southern section of the map. The list of principle bus and coach companies of Britain is set in two weight from Monotype Grotesque.

Plantin is used for the body text.

Studio Asensò chose the typeface Retiro for Vivre à Valras-Plage, a free magazine about tourism, food, wine and culture. With its different variants, ligatures, and raised letters, Retiro strengthens the notion of the Mediterranean terroir specific to this region.

The text typefaces are Adobe Garamond and Gotham. Section headers use Selfie, and Reina features for some headlines. The title and number on the cover are in TT Bluescreens.

Cover for no. 06, 2016

Spread from no. 06, 2016

Spread from no. 06, 2016

When a typeface called Woodland is used for the guidebook and visual identity of a forest (the New Forest is a national park), I believe that might qualify for an instance of LTypI. That said, I think the type works very well, and the illustrations that accompany Woodland in the branding add great character. According to Wikipedia:

The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featuring in the Domesday Book.

As part of the revitalization of The Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis, the largest Early Christian temple in Bulgaria, a comprehensive environmental graphics system was developed to guide visitors through its rich and layered history. This site, which transitioned from a Roman temple to a majestic Christian basilica, and later to a medieval settlement and cemetery, is now a vibrant visitor center.

Facing the challenge of presenting over a hundred bilingual exhibition materials with diverse content (images, illustrations, texts, and graphics) in varying sizes, the design team prioritized flexibility and clarity. The core objective was to create an accessible and engaging experience for all visitors, from children to adults.

Given the text-heavy nature of the content, typography was a central consideration. For prominent titles, Bebas Neue was chosen. Its sans-serif, narrow characteristics allowed for compact yet impactful headlines, crucial for longer titles. For the main body text, the sans-serif type family Mont was selected. Mont’s clean and geometric proportions ensure excellent legibility, making long paragraphs easy to read throughout the exhibition.

The color palette, inspired by the Basilica’s mosaics, plays a vital role in differentiating the bilingual text (dark blue for Bulgarian, brick red for English) and aiding navigation. Ivory serves as the primary background color, with warm orange used to highlight key elements. Extensive use of illustrations helps set the atmosphere and fill historical gaps, allowing visitors to vividly imagine ancient life in Philippopolis, particularly in the interactive “Discovery Zone” for children. This thoughtful integration of typography, color, and illustration brings the Basilica’s complex story to life.

For nearly a century, Mercury Cruises and First Lady have offered Chicago’s most iconic waterway experiences. Most notably, they partnered with the Chicago Architecture Center to create the world-renowned Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard First Lady. Now considered the No. 1 boat tour in the country.

Despite pedigree, both boat operators faced a shifting landscape as the Chicago River became increasingly crowded with competitors. They brought on Nick Adam’s team at Span to help chart a new course, refining their position and crafting a brand that honors their 90-year legacy. The goal: to set a new standard for Chicago’s cultural and tourism landscape.

Span began by simplifying the name. From Chicago’s First Lady Cruiseline and Mercury Skyline Cruises, to the more resonant, flexible First Lady. From there, we developed a visual identity that bridges heritage and modernity. Channeling both the utility of the working river and the refined character of the vessels themselves.

At the heart of the new identity is a custom logotype based on Clockmaker, a lavish typeface inspired by Elandkay and the architectural lettering traditions of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. We refined its letterforms to merge Victorian curves, Art Nouveau grace, Prairie-style form, and Art Deco precision—creating a typographic expression of Chicago’s rich design lineage. A signature swash numeral 1 flows like waves and wind, integrating seamlessly into the logotype or standing alone as a monogram. Paired with Euchre, a Chicago-designed typeface full of charm and sparkle, the system balances Midwestern elegance and grandeur with a tone that feels sophisticated yet approachable.

The vessels’ signature green and gold livery became the foundation of the refreshed color palette—elevated, amplified, and extended system-wide. We designed a suite of decorative plaque borders, intricate rule lines, and custom guilloché patterns that evoke both water and currency—offering a sense of timeless craft and detail.

Together with agency Jellyfish, Triboro has developed a new identity system for Japan Airlines. With the exception of JAL’s iconic crane logo (designed in 1959), we altered all aspects of the airline’s identity toolkit, including new typefaces, graphic patterns, imagery approach and bespoke iconography.

Founded in 1951 Japan Airlines is the flag carrier of Japan, and the sixth largest airline in the world based on passenger counts. JAL flies to 220 destinations in 35 countries worldwide, with a fleet of 279 aircraft.

David Heasty, Partner at Triboro, explains: “Collaborating with Japan Airlines on the redesign of their visual identity was a dream project. Each design element was carefully crafted to honor the legacy of Japan Airlines while infusing it with a fresh, contemporary energy that speaks to the spirit of innovation that is so core to the brand’s ethos. We embraced the challenge of reimagining the airline's visual identity and exploring new possibilities to create something truly timeless”.

One key component of the identity system to highlight are a collection of cloud patterns which complement imagery and subdivide layouts. In addition, Triboro created an iconography library of graphics which can be used for key communications.

Michael Walsh Kirwan, VP Creative at Jellyfish, says: “Japan Airlines came to us with a significant challenge – to breathe new life into a storied brand that was due a refresh across global markets. We’ve created an entirely new visual identity that ushers in a new era of modernity, flexibility and dynamism for the brand, and we’re excited to see it rolled out on an international scale”.

For more about the project, watch “Jupiter to Japan” held in the Herb Lubalin Lecture Series at Cooper Union on June 24, 2025.

The TT Ramillas font was used to create the identity for The Maltings, a modern coastal hotel in North Norfolk, England.

The Maltings is a comfortable hotel by the sea with the country house feel. This is a perfect place for those who get tired of noisy cities and endless fuss. The Maltings offers a spacious restaurant with an open kitchen and uniquely styled rooms.

Melbourne-based creative agency Your Creative was tasked with modernizing the identity of Pentridge Prison Tours, while addressing a complex question: how can we preserve and learn from difficult histories without trivializing or sensationalizing human suffering? This issue lies at the heart of the project, as explained by James Lim, co-founder and creative director: “Until recently, Pentridge was known to the public as one of Melbourne's most notorious prisons.” Through a process of restoration, renewal, and place activation, the site now adopts a more community-centered approach, offering visitors a public piazza, retail spaces, hospitality venues, an art gallery, studios, and of course, Pentridge Prison Tours.

As part of this revitalization, the tours provide a fully immersive experience, allowing visitors to explore the dark history of the prison. The contemporary and immersive experience offered by Pentridge Prison Tours spans over a century of inmate history, from justice models to infamous prisoner stories. Through sound bites, narrated stories, and augmented soundscapes, visitors are plunged into the prison’s world while learning about and preserving this historical site. James Lim highlights the importance of this project, which reconnects the public with a place steeped in history.

For the visual design of this project, Your Creative chose the Inferi and Surt typefaces from Blaze Type to enhance the new visual identity. These graphic choices emphasize both the historical significance of the site and its modern transformation, providing a visual balance between memory and contemporary design.

Lungomare Art, created as part of Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture, was a cultural and tourist route along which art meets people. As a part of the project, 9 works of art have been planned in nine locations along the Kvarner coast. The visual identity reflects these meeting points (9N = nine works of art), while info boards were literally meeting points of different materials:. they are made from metal and glass in urban surroundings, and wood and glass in natural ones.

For Lungomare Art we really enjoyed co-creating with design studio Mikser and sculptor Tomica Grubiša. For the typography of the signs, Delvard Sans from Typotheque is used for headlines, while longer texts are set in Gräbenbach from Camelot.

Main poster

Virei, a road documentary by Gustavo Imigrante, explores Angola’s rich tapestry of stories, people, and landscapes, centred around the region of Virei. The documentary delves into the connections between Angola and Portugal, seen through the experiences of two renowned Portuguese surfers, Tiago Pires and Joana Schenker, and local surfer Samuel Quintino. It reflects on themes such as development, sustainability, and the dynamics of power that influence the surf industry and tourism in the age of globalisation.

To create the film’s posters, a series of collages were developed using photographs taken by the director during filming. Nearly every image shared by the director seemed to tell its own story, each capable of inspiring a different poster. This process resulted in a main poster and four secondary designs, all showcasing the duality of the landscape with a bold division between earth and sky, symbolising the spirit of the film. Additionally, we developed all title cards for the film’s transitions.

For the typography, we chose Eya from Counter Forms, designed by Thy Hà. With only one available weight (regular), we had to develop graphic solutions to establish clear hierarchies of information. Only the film’s title and chapters are written in uppercase, emphasising their prominence, while the remaining text—such as additional information and credits—flows naturally in sentence case, serving as a seamless narrative thread punctuating different moments of the film.

The documentary also features a carefully curated soundtrack, with music by artists like Zé da Lua, Os Kiezos, Duo Ouro Negro, Mamukueno, among others.

Poster series

Title

Title: Chapter 1

Title credits

Title credits

Title: Chapter 6

Title trailer reel

Title trailer reel

Über Tourismus / Toourism is an exhibition held at the Architekturzentrum Wien.

Tourism has been growing in intensity for decades, and has become an integral part of our Western lifestyle. It has created added value, prosperity and cosmopolitanism in even the most remote regions, thus halting out-migration. Tourism also promotes local cultural events and, ideally, tolerance and education. That is the upside of tourism. On the downside are negative effects such as crowds, the impact on the environment, and rising land prices.

The graphic design picks up on these contrasts and draws an arc of tension between visual overcrowding and emptiness. The exhibition catalog was published by Park Books.

A colourful folding brochure entitled Lincoln and Lincolnshire issued by the Great Northern Railway in c.1907 with covers decorated by colour sketches of Lincoln by “E.W.” As well as Lincoln and the surrounding county the brochure looks at the various cathedrals found en route from London Kings Cross toward Yorkshire. The covers also show the GNR’s unusual, for the UK, almost American style ‘herald’ or badge.

The text is set in red caps from Florentine Old Style. This typeface originated circa 1894 at Dickinson in Boston, Massachussetts, inspired by Renaissance inscriptions from Florence, Italy. First shown by ATF in their 1896 catalog, it was also produced by various other foundries, including in Italy, Austria, and Australia. Caslon in England had a wood type adaptation. The use in this brochure suggests that it was locally available in smaller sizes, too.

The Great Northern Railway was incorporated in 1846 and began operations in a small way in 1848. It took some years to finally construct and open what is now the East Coast Main lIne southcof Doncaster to London but this was to become, along with the GNR, part of the vital main line from London to Scotland via York and Newcastle that was jointly operated by the GNR, the North Eastern Railway and the North British Railway. The GNR also operated a network of branch lines in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, the latter being of particular importance in terms of access to the county’s great coalfields.

This inner fold shows a wonderful view of the city, somewhat dominated by the cathedral, across the meadows.