Lux Optik
Store front of an optician on Karl-Marx-Straße, Berlin-Neukölln. The typeface in use was “designed in 1969 when Christine [Lord] was 21 as a special project to create a corporate identity for the new Oxford Polytechnic. The face was originally called Lord Lower Case Linked, but was later renamed Oxford when picked up by Face Photosetting. It was then made available as dry transfer lettering by Letraset.” — Kecske Bak
It is strange to see a hook on u in such a deliberately progressive application, with neon-like multiline letterforms in all lowercase. This mark helps to tell u from n and typically appears in traditional German handwriting and script typefaces. Here, it is dispensable. By the way, Oxford’s i (and j) came undotted. Many users repurposed periods to dot their i’s.
The photo was taken in 2011. The sign has soon after been replaced by something less interesting.
1 Comment on “Lux Optik”
I’ve lived in Oxford and I have to say this font is so right for what’s now Oxford Brookes University – couldn’t be more sixties/seventies, the complete opposite of its competitor down in the valley, who even needs capital letters anyway.
They really should have kept it, although I don’t find it too hard to imagine why they decided not to.