In praise of the chrome logos and lettering affixed to vintage automobiles and electric appliances — those unsung metal emblems and badges that are overlooked, forgotten, damaged, lost to time or the dump.
Is this kind of thing up your alley? Check out this short presentation and the exhibition in Berlin.
Under construction. Potholes common. Services minimal. Blame the management.
Best: photography, lettering, badges (overall design)
Color: white, black, gray, silver, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, beige
Era: 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
Car Make: AMC, Alfa Romeo, Austin-Healey, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, Ford, Holden, Hudson, International, Jaguar, Karmann Ghia, Lamborghini, Lincoln, Mercedes, Mercury, MG, Morris, Oldsmobile, Packard, Plymouth, Pontiac, Porsche, Studebaker, Volvo, VW
Car Model: 88, 500, 3000, Apache, Bel Air, Camaro, Capri, Charger, Continental, Cougar, Corvette, Custom, Dart, Fairlane, Falcon, Fury, Galaxie, GT, Hornet, Impala, Mustang, Special, SS, V8
Not Car: bicycle, camera, espresso machine, fan, refrigerator, scooter, typewriter
Lettering Style: romanscript, sans, serif, script, slab, swash | condensed, extended | baseline connection, underline | italic, left leaning
Motif: circle, crown, globe, lightning bolt, rocket, shield, wings
Exit: Group | Twitter | Badges on eBay | Fonts | This site is set in FF DIN Round.
Logo by Laura Serra.
Your ad here. Contact Chromeography for metrics and info.
In praise of the chrome logos and lettering affixed to vintage automobiles and electric appliances — those unsung metal emblems and badges that are overlooked, forgotten, damaged, lost to time or the dump.
Is this kind of thing up your alley? Check out this short presentation and the exhibition in Berlin.
Under construction. Potholes common. Services minimal. Blame the management.
Best: photography, lettering, badges (overall design)
Color: white, black, gray, silver, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, beige
Era: 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
Car Make: AMC, Alfa Romeo, Austin-Healey, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, Ford, Holden, Hudson, International, Jaguar, Karmann Ghia, Lamborghini, Lincoln, Mercedes, Mercury, MG, Morris, Oldsmobile, Packard, Plymouth, Pontiac, Porsche, Studebaker, Volvo, VW
Car Model: 88, 500, 3000, Apache, Bel Air, Camaro, Capri, Charger, Continental, Cougar, Corvette, Custom, Dart, Fairlane, Falcon, Fury, Galaxie, GT, Hornet, Impala, Mustang, Special, SS, V8
Not Car: bicycle, camera, espresso machine, fan, refrigerator, scooter, typewriter
Lettering Style: romanscript, sans, serif, script, slab, swash | condensed, extended | baseline connection, underline | italic, left leaning
Motif: circle, crown, globe, lightning bolt, rocket, shield, wings
Exit: Group | Twitter | Badges on eBay | Fonts | This site is set in FF DIN Round.
Logo by Laura Serra.
Your ad here. Contact Chromeography for metrics and info.
Chromeography Exhibition: The Logo
Collaborating with Laura Serra on the exhibition logo was a delight. I tossed her a disparate pile of photos from the collection and (short of a few final touches) she came back with this.
She managed to balance the flowing style of her natural freehand lettering with the more mechanical nature of mid-century emblems cut from metal. It clearly references several decades of classic automotive brightwork without leaning too heavily on any one example or era. The allusions are obvious yet the mark is completely original. This thing really could exist on a car or refrigerator made anytime between 1930 and 1965.
Two objects — one for the title wall (on Laura’s Bel Air silhouette) and one for the window — were milled with a slightly angled bevel and sprayed with a chromesque coating.
More photos of the show later, but for now it’s best seen in person.
Thanks to Rob Keller of Mota Italic for these photos.