Mr. Magazine

Every now and then, a magazine grabs my attention, I really mean grabs my attention, and it becomes impossible to let go. One such recent magazine is TypeNotes, “A journal dedicated to typography & graphic design.” The magazine is published by the UK’s FONTSMITH that was founded by its creative director Jason Smith.

The first article of issue two is what grabbed my attention. The title “Tap Dance” and the subtitle “Fontsmith designer Stuart de Rozario on how the typewriter changed typography and the way we communicate.” Now, I know some of you don’t even know what a typewriter is, thus you will need to buy the magazine to learn the entire history of the typewriter.

Here is the first two paragraphs from the Tap Dance article… It is worth every single word:

The sound of the mechanical typewriter is a familiar one to many of us, who grew up to its distinctive percussive clack and chime. It’s also the sound of a bygone era; a machine handed its redundancy by computers, tablets and mobile devices.

The fall of the typewriter is just one moment in a long history of changes to how mankind has used written communication, from cave paintings to letter carving and handwriting to texting. Humanity as we know it simply couldn’t have existed without mark making and visual communications.

To read the entire evolution of the typewriter you have to find yourself a copy of issue two of TypeNotes at a newsstands near you. Enjoy.