LETTERFORMS SURROUND US
Phil Baines

Letterforms surround us: inscriptions or names on buildings; directional signs for road networks or within and around buildings; street and town names; and where there's perhaps little real need stop-cocks, manholes, dates on buildings, builders' marks, &c.

In this paper - which can be seen as adding to work begun by Nicolete Gray and continued by Alan Bartram and Jock Kinneir - I give an overview of some of the factors which make for good and bad lettering in public places. The subject is as valuable to graphic design students as to students of architecture: lettering is as much an indicator of history and values as the broader subjects of architecture and townscape. I also aim to reawaken a broader interest in letterforms and their possibilities at a time when many graphic design courses are becoming increasingly obsessed with multi-media and cyber space. Such an interest can help focus minds on issues of scale, custom design and the specifics of place, and makes a challenging context for type design projects.

TYPOGRAPHY=TYPOETRY: THE ART OF DAVID JONES
Anne Price-Owen

This paper considers the interdisciplinary work of the poet-painter David Jones (1895-1974), focusing on selected illustrations for his most comprehensive work, The Anathemata (1952). Although a modernist piece of writing, the case is argued for its place in the canon of post-modern literature and art. The work is discussed in relation to post-modern art, design and poetry and also to ancient inscriptions, manuscripts and experiments in early printed texts. Jones was concerned with the format of his poetry on the printed page together with the verbal context and the layout of his accompanying illustrations. He should be commended for his innovative approach to typography, which demonstrates his search for the union of the two disciplines he practised: painting and poetry. By drawing on past sources from a diverse range of concepts and imagery, Jones's work anticipates our current explorations in typography, which epitomise the post-modern age in terms of values and ideologies.

TYPOGRAPHY'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DESIGN OF HUMAN COMPUTER INTERFACES
Mary Dyson

This paper puts forward an argument for involving typographers in the design of human computer interfaces. It is suggested that some elements within the discipline of human computer interaction may be failing to appreciate the contribution that typography can make. This contribution is discussed in terms of the limitations of both craft knowledge based on print and general guidelines, which are contrasted with the benefits of experimental investigations of typographical factors on screen. Admittedly, such experiments do present difficulties. Possible methods through which typography might prove closer to HCI are discussed, with reference to teaching and research.

A 100 YEAR OLD TYPOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENT ON CD-ROM: THE CASE OF MALLARMÉ'S LAST POEM
Penny Florence and Jason Whittaker

This article explores the question 'what happens when you put a 100 year old typographic experiment on to CD-Rom'? Furthermore, what historical meanings might this relatively new possibility have, given that the work concerned is regarded as a significant historical text? Mallarmé's Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard (literally: One throw of the dice will never abolish chance, published in 1898 and hereafter referred to as 'Un coup de dés') was immediately recognised in its time as a radical typographic and poetic event. The present essay derives from our work on transposing the poem into virtual space. The elements of our joint authorship have been signalled by different typefaces.

VOID
Teal Triggs

VOID is a term conventionally used to describe space as a black empty area. Yet, in this case, VOID may also describe an area as an extension, a way of enlarging the space itself. This is exemplified In the works of playwright Samuel Beckett and composer John Cage. The intent of this paper is to explore what actually exists within this space described as VOID when applied to the typo/graphic design profession. By presenting a general overview of the debates which have occurred in the past, we can begin to establish possible ways as to how we might redefine the role of the typo/graphic designer for the future.

ALTERNATIVE TYPE HISTORIES
Catherine Dixon

In addressing the idea of alternative type histories, this paper will focus on two key areas: an emphasis within typographic history on the roman letterform and the contributions made by Nicolete Gray to broadening the narrowness of this scope through the introduction of alternative subjects for serious academic study. These are both issues which have been raised by research in progress addressing the critical location and description of recent trends in type design. 'Recent' is used here to indicate a period covering the past 15 years, ie type design post-Mac. However it was not the intention of the research to look at this recent material in isolation but to position it within a wider overview of type design practice. This has directed work towards a re-evaluation of the methods of typeface classification. As practice-led research, such re-evaluation has resulted in one of the final research products being the design and realisation of a visually based type classificatory/description system. The paper presents the subject of alternative type histories within the context of this ongoing research, outlining the relationship between the two key areas to be addressed and the processes informing the research classificatory product.

THE NOSTALGIA OF DEPERO'S BOLT
Marko Daniel