I don't get it… why should he be turning in his grave?

The juxtaposition of his London Underground and that "C" mark.

Transport for London use New Johnston pretty well all of the time.

I suppose so.

I think it is a wonderful headline/display face, I just find it a bit odd seeing it all over everything that TfL have anything to do with, and it makes for very odd body copy.

Perhaps it's just over used (and in the wrong places).

I like the London Underground face (heck I bought P-22's version), but the lack of optical compensation at stroke joins has always bothered me. Seems like Johnston was a much better calligrapher than typeface designer.

It also seems that Eric Gill, who worked quite a bit with Johnston on the London Underground typeface, either had learned a lot by the time he did Gill Sans, or was well served by his collaboration with Monotype, as it is much better executed in this regard. Of course, one also sees the same errors in Paul Renner's original drawings for Futura, but the good folks at Bauer fixed it up nicely....

Cheers,

T

It's no surprise that the face had or has its faults. Not so long ago, I was reading 'London's Handwriting, the development of Edward Johnston's Underground Railway block-letter' by Colin Banks, and in it he states that Johnston did not believe in roughs, trials or mocks. Instead,"The first complete working out, would if possible, be the final thing".

Something amiss with your link above.

ChrisL

Thanks!

ChrisL