“If in doubt, Roman throughout” and more advice from a sign-writing veteran, Robbin Abbey.
A brief history of lettering, followed by the serendipitous path our speaker took to follow his passion of turning sign-writing into a life long successful career. Includes some lovely pearls of advice, ripe for the taking.
About the speaker
Robin Abbey was born into a farming family in Dorset in 1948. Ever since he can remember, he has been interested in all forms of lettering. Working with his mentor, Bev Blackmore in his sign-making business in Taunton he was thereafter, graphic designer at Wiltshire County council’s Printing Office, signwriter at Dunlop Rubber Co. in Birmingham, proof-reading at Barnicott’s printers in Taunton, and Wheaton’s of Exeter.
“I would copy the headlines from the paper, and whilst still at school in Bridgwater, Somerset, I painted a placard, which read ‘Farm Workers demand £7 now’ for the annual Martyrs rally at Tolpuddle. I went on to grammar school, and Somerset College of Art, gaining a City & Guilds in typographic design. All my working life I have been involved with printing or lettering of some kind.”
A serious life-style change in 1999, brought him to Edinburgh, where he decided to ‘go for it!’ From 2001 to the present he has been dedicated full time to what he knows best – signwriting!
Favorite quotes from this talk See all
There's nothing that increases your confidence like being confident!
Sign writers have style they don't have typefaces!
There are a lot of Puritans about... also know as graphic designers.
"It's much easier to take up a tradition that might be waining, but at least it's alive, than it is to try and start one."
"If I had refused every job I was offered on some sort of moral grounds, I would only ever be doing things for the co-op."
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City Art Centre
2 Market Street
Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom EH11DE
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Eastern
Stills Gallery
City Art Centre
