The people's typography : a social semiotic account on the relationship between 'township typography' and South African mainstream cultural production
Date
2012-03
Authors
Venter, Schalk (Dawid Schalk Willem)
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis presents an analysis of ‘township typography’ as a complex visual dialect
generated by various economic and historical factors within the South African social
landscape. A combination of specific tools, skills-sets and applications has produced a body
of typographic letterforms that can be visually distinguished from standardised letterforms
found in mainstream typography. Due to the origin of these letterforms, as well as their
distinct appearance, ‘township typography’ has the capacity to evoke specific social, cultural
or demographic structures in systems of communication. This study reveals that typographic
features from ‘township typography’ are drawn into mainstream cultural production,
particularly in the field of local advertising, as the result of a complex process of
incorporation and institutional consecration.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis bied ‘n analise van ‘township tipografie’ as ‘n komplekse visuele dialek wat gegenereer word deur verskeie ekonomiese en historiese faktore eie aan die Suid- Afrikaanse sosiale landskap. Die spesifieke kombinasie van gereedskap, vaardighede en aanwendings lei tot ‘n liggaam van lettertipes wat visueel onderskei kan word van die standaard wat in hoofstroom tipografie voorkom. Vanweë hierdie dialek se oorsprong, asook die kenmerkende voorkoms daarvan, het ‘township tipografie’ die vermoë om spesifieke sosiale, kulturele en demografiese strukture in kommunikasie op te roep. Hierdie studie toon hoe eienskappe eie aan ‘township tipografie’ weens ‘n komplekse proses van inkorporasie en institusionele inseëning in hoofstroom kulturele produksie opgeneem word, veral op die gebied van plaaslike advertensiewese.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis bied ‘n analise van ‘township tipografie’ as ‘n komplekse visuele dialek wat gegenereer word deur verskeie ekonomiese en historiese faktore eie aan die Suid- Afrikaanse sosiale landskap. Die spesifieke kombinasie van gereedskap, vaardighede en aanwendings lei tot ‘n liggaam van lettertipes wat visueel onderskei kan word van die standaard wat in hoofstroom tipografie voorkom. Vanweë hierdie dialek se oorsprong, asook die kenmerkende voorkoms daarvan, het ‘township tipografie’ die vermoë om spesifieke sosiale, kulturele en demografiese strukture in kommunikasie op te roep. Hierdie studie toon hoe eienskappe eie aan ‘township tipografie’ weens ‘n komplekse proses van inkorporasie en institusionele inseëning in hoofstroom kulturele produksie opgeneem word, veral op die gebied van plaaslike advertensiewese.
Description
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
Keywords
Vernacular typography, Folk typography, Social semiotics -- South Africa, Bourdieu, Pierre, Van Leeuwen, Theo, Kress, Gunther, Halliday, Michael, Douglas, Mary, Van Eeden, Wesley, Durrant, Shane, Curtis, Cassidy, Dissertations -- Art, Theses -- Art, Dissertations -- Visual arts, Theses -- Visual arts, Visual communication -- South Africa