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BIS.ArtShaker

2009-02-01T18:49:00+01:00

Our friend and Dj Athome just recieved a new logotype for his inspiring radioshow. We asked artist ROGER3000 to do calligraphy for. Rough, spontaneous and good style ;) Digitalisation using XSane Image Scanner, and image correction in Gimp.

BIS-ARTSHAKER is being played by DJ ATHOME aka HOPHEAD and guests every wednesday 20:30-22:00 at Radio Panik 105.4 fm (Bruxelles) since 1997. You can listen to it each week on STREAMING or download the current radio shows.
www.radiopanik.org

DIN - Das Ist Norm - II

2007-03-14T16:20:00+01:00

"FE-Schrift or fälschungserschwerende Schrift (falsification-hindering script) has been the only typeface used on new vehicle registration plates in Germany since November, 2000. It was designed for the German government in the late 1970s in the light of Red Army Fraction terrorist activities, when it was discovered that with the then standard font for vehicle registration plates (DIN 1451 road-sign font) it was particularly easy to modify letters by applying a small amount of black paint or black insulating tape. For example, it was easy to change a "P" to an "R" or a "B", or an "L" or "F" to an "E". Modifications to FE-font plates are somewhat more difficult as they also require the use of white paint, which is easily distinguished at a distance from the peculiar retroreflective white background of the plate, in particular at night."

From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FE-Schrift

And all he left was letter A...

2007-02-28T11:14:00+01:00

A little note on Appropriation and Type text.

Gutemberg printed the first book with movable type in 1455. Maybe copyright wasn't existing at the time, but there was, and there is still, a fight for the first inventor of the printer machine in Europe. Castaldi is alleged to have created movable type in 1442 (inspired by the use of glass letters made in Venice and used by scribes to print large first letter on page. Gutemberg knew that invention from Faust, one of his student.)

One mythical story about the creation of printing press is a robbery. Laurens Janszoon Coster was a important citizen of Dutch city Haarlem. He discovered the movable type while playing with his grandchildren, cutting pieces of wood in shapes of letters. Realizing the possibilities of this, Coster improved the system with good ink and metal letters, and soon started to print books. Business florishes, worksmen are employed. But while the Coster family were at church on Christmas Eve 1441, employee Johann broke into the printing office and stole presses and types. He fled to Mainz, where he immediately sat an office and print. Some version tells it was Johannes Fust, the partner of Gutenberg (and who scrooge him later on).

Fust was formerly often confused with the famous magician Dr Johann Faust, who, though an historical figure, had nothing to do with him.

Not to mention the fact that the first printed font was an imitation of monastic script blackletter.

Read in "The Secret History of Letters", Simon Loxley, ed. I. B. Tauris, 2006