'blackboard' blackboards

After a considerable amount of work, a lot of it on the bureaucratic side, the blackboards inspired by Edward Johnston's hand drawn letterforms are finally up and I am pleased to see, used by those who pass by. I really hope people remember Johnston's name, and visit the museum collection and archive, but even if they just have some good fun that will be great. I have written a short explanation which accompanies the piece and I will copy it into this post (below).

an idea of the scale of the piece.

The chalk compartment and explanation

The sheet reads:

What is this ‘blackboard’ installation and why is it here, in Central St Martins?

The letters are based on letterforms drawn by Edward Johnston, one of the original staff members at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Photographs of these letterforms reside in Central Saint Martins' museum collection and archive, which is accessible to any student.

I had never heard of Johnston before coming to study at Central St Martins, however, I learned that he designed Transport for London’s `Underground' logo and is also responsible for the alphabet design on which their typeface (‘Johnston Sans’) is based.

These blackboards are an opportunity to engage with this college’s history and contribute to its future. Draw whatever you want on them.

And next time you talk to someone who has never heard of CSM, you may casually drop into conversation that 'one of our staff designed the tube logo' - you will not be making it up.