Up until quite recently, I used to wonder what all the fuss was about typography.¬† I remember sitting at home watching TV when a documentary about Helvetica came on, and I was astounded.¬† Do people care about a font so much that they would actually watch an hour long lecture about its origin?¬† It doesn’t even look that special. Is it anything more than just words on a page? I wanted to look at pretty pictures with clever compositions, interesting subject matter and eye catching colours.

Fast forward to today, and I find myself at the other end of the scale completely.¬† I spent months researching artists and various design techniques, trying to become a better artist myself.¬† Before I knew it, I was hooked on typographical art.¬† To the point where I began noticing it every where I went: bill boards, magazine articles, posters, adverts; you name it, typography in design is everywhere.¬† I started to wonder how the artists managed to make the words look more like artwork, and began trying it out for myself.¬† Now, I use words like ‘kern’ and ‘serif’ constantly.¬† I even have favorite fonts, and can join in on conversations about the Marmite-esque Comic Sans.¬† It matters to me.¬† And yes, I firmly believe that typography in art is much, much more than just words.¬† Typography IS art.

There are many wonderful graphic artists who create stunning typographic artworks, and to fit them all into one blog post is just an impossible task.¬† I have chosen here 15 examples of some of my favorite typography pieces that hopefully you haven’t come across before.¬† Some of the examples I have chosen are by well established artists, such as the master David Carson, while others are up and coming designers.¬† I hope you enjoy these wonderful pictures and feel as inspired as I did when I first saw them.

The Gift by Joey Wharton

The Gift by Joey Wharton

The Music Is Louder Now by Andreas Kalpakidis

The Music Is Louder Now by Andreas Kalpakidis

Typogranostra Typepic Typography by Lander Janssens

Typogranostra Typepic Typography by Lander Janssens

TypoGraphy by PhilosDesign

TypoGraphy by PhilosDesign

Space Retro Typography by William Balanza

Space Retro Typography by William Balanza

Poster Draft 2 by Selim Ekmen

Poster Draft 2 by Selim Ekmen

Make Good Typography by Clideone

Make Good Typography by Clideone

Literature by James Koehnline

Literature by James Koehnline

Legibility by David Carson

Legibility by David Carson

Full Spectrum Dominance by Christian San Jose

Full Spectrum Dominance by Christian San Jose

Free Tibet by Adolfo Correa

Free Tibet by Adolfo Correa

D Edge Awards Poster by Rodrigo Braga

D Edge Awards Poster by Rodrigo Braga

CRE8IVE by VK Designs

CRE8IVE by VK Designs

Charlie Chaplin by Inankilic

Charlie Chaplin by Inankilic

3 Minute Wonder by Alex Trochut

3 Minute Wonder by Alex Trochut

Inspired Yet?

I hope you start to notice the art of typography as it becomes more integrated with other visual arts. Which of these inspired you?  What other examples have you seen recently?  Leave a response in the comment section below.

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