The Type Pod

Inger gathered the team for an emergency pod about Balto the 2013 typeface chosen for the Harris Waltz campaign. 

After one failed attempt – which tested Inger’s patience about kerning — we nailed it (although we may inadvertently start some new political conspiracy theories by talking about the adventures of a plucky Disney dog also named Balto, not to mention the problematic choice of Perpetua for Obama’s first campaign). 

Anitra talks too much about columns and typeface rubbings and Jason tries to take the higher ground, while Inger briskly moves us along. We then revisit past presidential campaign typeface choices, and argue about Optima. Finally we add to Trump’s growing list of indictments by pointing out he has also committed type crimes.

Season two is coming up soon! In the meantime, you can go back and review season one so you get all our jokes about kerning.

Stuff we mentioned
Making Balto
The new Trump Logo and the MAGA cap story
McCain's Optima typeface story

After a long delay (we blame the state of the world, frankly - exhausting) it's finally the end of season one of The Type Pod! 

In this episode we finally tackle our least favourite typeface: Goudy. We learn about the designer, Frederic (no K) Goudy and speculate on his rumoured penchant for women and fast cars. We dive into his improbably large output... of typefaces and publications. We wonder if part of the reason he designed and cut over 100 typefaces might be his very talented wife Bertha, who got much less press despite being named the Times ‘Woman Printer of the Year’. 

Jason did the history of the typeface for this episode. He offered to revisit the “Oxford University Press War” days because he has spent less time in therapy about this than Anitra. It becomes clear by the end of this episode that he is in a much better place about Goudy as well as his ex-boyfriends. 

This episode is for all survivors of corporate typefaces, whoever you are and whatever they were.

Download a transcript set in Goudy (which again Jason had to do because Anitra just couldn't face it.)

You can also visit our website to see images related to this pod.

We know we've been infrequent, but don't unsubscribe yet! We have more episodes in the pipeline for you. Stay tuned...

In this episode we talk about Baskerville, which is the most trustworthy typeface (as proven by Science.) 

Anitra has Feminist Thoughts about designer John Baskerville and thought it would be inappropriate for Jason to mansplain this particular typeface to her… but she found out some things about JB and, well, this episode takes a turn. 

We learn about how designer John Baskerville pissed off the establishment enough to be turned into a famous book character and perhaps inspired a riot. What happened to Baskerville after he died is possibly even more interesting than why he got dismissed by the Vox Classification system. 

And it’s not often you can say that.

You can find the show notes and transcript set in Baskerville  at https://www.anitraland.com/podcast

If you'd like to share your own views on Baskerville, or the pod, email us on [email protected] or leave us a message on speakpipe.com/thesiswhisperer

You can find us on Twitter: @type_pod and on Insta: @the_type_pod

Our Producer, Professor Inger Mewburn is located at the Australian National University and is on twitter as @thesiswhisperer

In this episode, David joins us again as we examine the history of that most  ubiquitous of typefaces, Times New Roman, which is much more interesting than Times New Roman itself -  honest.

Anitra volunteered to do the typeface history for this episode so she can then bore for Australia on printing technology.

Jason and David  will try to stay awake.

Follow David on Instagram

You can find the show notes and transcript set in Times New Roman  at https://www.anitraland.com/podcast

If you'd like to share your own views on TNR, or the pod, email us on [email protected] or leave us a message on speakpipe.com/thesiswhisperer

You can find us on Twitter: @type_pod and on Insta: @the_type_pod

Our Producer, Professor Inger Mewburn is located at the Australian National University and is on twitter as @thesiswhisperer

After a longer than intended - “we’re out of lockdown and we have a social life again!” - pause The Type Pod is back. In this episode we deep dive into Bodoni, that typeface most beloved by designers of fashion magazines.

Ace designer, type teacher David joins Jason and Anitra all the way from Washington D.C. to discuss why designers have, for more than two centuries, stuck with Bodoni… through thick and thin.

We learn all about designer Giovanni Battista, who once made Napoleon come to his house for a meeting, and has his own museum in Parma. We speculate on why grunge band Nirvana chose this typeface most associated with “high class” to be their band logo.

 Finally, Anitra will explain why Bodoni is the best typeface to take to fancy parties.

Follow David on Instagram

You can find the show notes and transcript set in Bodoni at https://www.anitraland.com/podcast

If you'd like to share your own views on Bodoni, or the pod, email us on [email protected] or leave us a message on speakpipe.com/thesiswhisperer

You can find us on Twitter: @type_pod and on Insta: @the_type_pod

Our Producer, Professor Inger Mewburn is located at the Australian National University and is on twitter as @thesiswhisperer

Content warning: this pod contains details of historical sexual abuse.

Due to technical issues during recording, we skip our advertised feature on Times New Roman; although fear not, we will return to Times New Roman in the future. Instead we focus on Gill Sans, and Eric Gill, type designer and religious artist... with a sideline in erotic woodcuts.

Jason warns that luxuriant facial hair combined with smock-wearing are a red flag for, and Anitra confesses some disturbing revelations about Eric Gill and Chris Pratt mean she is no longer a Fan of either one's body of work.

We agree that Gill Sans is not a typeface for beginners, and discuss the hazards of uneven proportions in letterforms. Anitra laments that Gill Sans being the “British Helvetica” doesn’t wash with Americans.

You can find the show notes and transcript set in Gill Sans at: https://www.anitraland.com/podcast

If you'd like to share your own views on Gill Sans, or the pod, email us on 

[email protected] or leave us a message on speakpipe.com/thesiswhisperer

You can find us on Twitter: @type_pod and on Insta: @the_type_pod

Our Producer, Professor Inger Mewburn is located at the Australian National University and is on twitter as @thesiswhisperer

In this first episode, Anitra and Jason talk about Futura, that most versatile of modernist typefaces and its designer Paul Renner, OG Anti-fa. 

Anitra tells Jason why the Nazis hated Latin typefaces. We argue about the merits of mathematical proportions and discuss why Futura is probably not classified as a “fun” typeface. Jason unfairly compares Type Designer Mathew Carter to a character from Game of Thrones.

Anitra chose to do the history for this episode thinking that she knows all about Futura because she has read lots of stuff about the Bauhaus, but does she actually? (Spoiler alert, turns out not really).

You can find the show notes and transcript set in Futura at: https://www.anitraland.com/podcast

If you'd like to share your own views on Futura, or the pod, email us on 

[email protected] or leave us a message on speakpipe.com/thesiswhisperer

You can find us on Twitter: @type_pod and on Insta: @the_type_pod

Our Producer, Professor Inger Mewburn is located at the Australian National University and is on twitter as @thesiswhisperer

Catch up with your favourite typography nerds, Anitra and Jason, as they unravel the mysteriously wonderful world of typefaces - and the people who make them.

Each episode is a deep dive into one type face (not a font!), who designed it, what it's good for and how we feel about it.