Posts tagged “typography” — Blog of independent game and app developer Matt Sephton. Featuring vintage Macintosh, game development, digital artwork, Japanese esoterica, video game reviews, hacks and tips, and much more. https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/tag/typography/ Fri, 03 Jul 2026 20:16:48 +0000 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 20:16:48 +0000 Jekyll v4.4.1 <p><em>Emigre</em> magazine was a highly influential graphic design publication. It was known for its innovative and experimental approach to typography and graphic design, pushing the boundaries of traditional design norms—for better or worse. The magazine was published from 1984 (year of the Macintosh launch) until 2005, and during its run it played a critical role in shaping the discourse around digital design and typography. It was founded by <a href="https://www.emigre.com/Designer/RudyVanderLans"><em>Rudy VanderLans</em></a> and his wife <a href="https://www.emigre.com/Designer/ZuzanaLicko"><em>Zuzana Licko</em></a>.</p> <p class="tofigure"><img src="https://cdn.gingerbeardman.com/images/posts/emigre-magazine.jpg" alt="" title="Selected covers from Emigre magazine (1984–2005)" /></p> <hr /> <h2 id="tell-me-about-it">Tell me about it</h2> <p><em>Emigre</em> is notable for many reasons, and if you’re interested in 80s and 90s design there will surely be something in there for you. I first heard about <em>Emigre</em> when I started work at London graphic design agency <a href="https://form.uk.com"><em>Form</em></a> in 1998, so about three quarters through the run.</p> <p>Some features that stand out for me personally are:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://wayback.archive-it.org/9432/20190926205616/http://goldstein.design.umn.edu/collection/emigre/typefaces/Lores.html">Early bitmap fonts</a> (1984) and <a href="https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_emigre_0006&amp;targPic=lfa_emigre_0006_009.jpg">emoji-like pictograms</a> (1986) created by <a href="https://www.emigre.com/Designer/ZuzanaLicko"><em>Zuzana Licko</em></a></li> <li><a href="https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_emigre_0003&amp;targPic=lfa_emigre_0003_004.jpg">Early 1-bit Macintosh art</a> by <a href="https://www.hersey.com/about"><em>John Hersey</em></a> (1985) and many other lovely period details</li> <li>Designs by such luminaries as <a href="https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_emigre_0013&amp;targPic=lfa_emigre_0013_015.jpg"><em>Neville Brody</em></a>, <a href="https://oa.letterformarchive.org/?dims=Name_KEY&amp;vals0=SPIEKERMANNERIK&amp;friendly0=Spiekermann%comma%20Erik"><em>Erik Spiekermann</em></a>, and <a href="https://wayback.archive-it.org/9432/20190926160800/http://goldstein.design.umn.edu/collection/emigre/">many more</a></li> <li>Articles on people like font designer <a href="https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_emigre_0026&amp;targPic=lfa_emigre_0026_018.jpg"><em>Aldo Novarese</em></a></li> <li>Issues dedicated to the record label <a href="https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_emigre_0009"><em>4AD</em></a> (1988) and <a href="https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_emigre_0029"><em>The Designers Republic</em></a> (1994)</li> </ul> <h2 id="online-archives">Online archives</h2> <p>I recently wanted to read some of the issues again and found a couple of online archives:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://oa.letterformarchive.org/?dims=Collection&amp;vals0=Emigre%20Collection&amp;sortby=title">Letterform Archive: Emigre Collection</a> (browsable magazines, simplified cross references)</li> <li><a href="https://wayback.archive-it.org/9432/20190926160800/http://goldstein.design.umn.edu/collection/emigre/">University of Minnesota: Emigre Magazine Index</a> (only comprehensive cross references)</li> </ul> <h2 id="digital-versions">Digital versions</h2> <p>If you want to take the magazine with you today it’s available in the <a href="https://www.emigre.com/Emigre-Fonts-App">Emigre Fonts app</a> for iPad/iPhone, which allows you to download the issues for offline reading.</p> <p>If you can’t use, or would rather not use, the official app <a href="https://archive.org/details/emigre-magazine-archive-1984-2005">I’ve converted the issues to CBZ files</a>. Read those with <a href="https://panels.app">Panels</a>, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/simple-comic/id1497435571?mt=12">Simple Comic</a>, <a href="https://www.cdisplayex.com">CDisplayEx</a>, or another comic reader app of your choice.</p> <hr /> <h2 id="related-reading">Related reading</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emigre_(magazine)">Emigre (magazine)</a> at <em>Wikipedia</em></li> <li><a href="http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-27441.html">Emigre</a> entry at <em>Type Design Information Page</em></li> <li><a href="https://www.emigre.com/BooksCds/Type-90-HyperCard">Type ‘90 HyperCard Video</a> video of a HyperCard Stack</li> <li><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303776354_Designing_the_Emigre_Magazine_Index_Theory_and_Practice_in_an_Alternative_Research_Tool">Designing the Emigre Magazine Index</a>, <em>Jessica Barness, 2016</em></li> <li><a href="https://archive.org/details/merztoemigrebeyo0000hell/">Merz to Emigre and Beyond</a> Avant-Garde Magazine Design of the Twentieth Century</li> <li><a href="/2019/07/10/verbum-journal-of-personal-computer-aesthetics/">Verbum “The Journal of Personal Computer-Aesthetics”</a>, <em>Michael Gosney, 1986–</em></li> </ul> by Matt Sephton Fri, 24 May 2024 20:19:00 +0000 https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2024/05/24/emigre-typography-and-graphic-design-magazine-1984-2005/ https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2024/05/24/emigre-typography-and-graphic-design-magazine-1984-2005/