Biography of Jonathan Barnbrook

1269 Words3 Pages

Jonathan Barnbrook born in Britain grew up in Lupton just outside of London he had studied graphic design at Central St. Martins in London and graduated from the royal college of art in 1990. Barnbrook was a graphic designer, filmmaker and typographer; though throughout his career as a post-modernist designer he had became widely known for his typography and his graphic design was heavily influenced by politics and readings. Barnbrook had produced works for commercial clients and personal works strongly believing that design could be used as a weapon for enforcing cultural and social change. As a believer in anti-capitalist ideology on political events, Barnbrook is often seen incorporating these strong messages and views into his personal work. Furthermore in this essay we shall explore some of Barnbrook’s works such as the influences of and meaning of typeface Exocet; Tibor Kalman inspired billboard making a statement on anti-capitalism and his project Tomorrow’s Truth - Consumerism is the fuel of the American war and why he is opposed to consumerism. These works created by Barnbrook will point out how he has incorporated hidden connotations into his work to bring forth engagement with viewers and his work.

Jonathan Barnbrook was a strong believer for typography to convey meaning often forging a connection between the past, through his typeface Exocet Barnbrook was able to express his strong opinion on the Gulf War and the French government. The typeface Exocet was Barnbrook’s first typeface to be released commercially, inspired by early Greek and Roman stone carvings. Barnbrook bizarrely thought that these carvings seemed “very modern” (Heller and Pettit 1998, p. 22). and as a result wanted to express this to people. The...

... middle of paper ...

...ations that want you to lie for them [Image] (2001). Retrieved May 26, 2013, from http://www.rubywhite.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/designers.jpeg
Fiell, C. and Fiell, P. (2007). Contemporary graphic design. Hong Kong: Taschen.
Heller, S. and Ilić, M. (2007). The anatomy of design. Gloucester, Mass.: Rockport.
Heller, S. and Pettit, E. (1998). Design dialogues. New York: Allworth Press.
Keenan, C. (2010). Not just a pretty typeface. The Sydney Morning Herald, 26th May. Retrieved from: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/not-just-a-pretty-typeface-20100526-wdha.html#ixzz2iy8cWFWo
Mccracken, P. (2011). PNCA :: Untitled Magazine. Retrieved from: http://untitled.pnca.edu/articles/show/1397
Myfonts.com (2012). Myfonts: Creative Characters interview with Jonathan Barnbrook, October 2010. Retrieved from: http://www.myfonts.com/newsletters/cc/201010.html

Open Document