While I dearly love you all and recognise that you all have your merits, I love Italy most. Others, rightly, love France, with its* long breads and thin chips, its superb steaks and beautiful pastries, its wonderful art and remarkable capital city. Many, many people adore Spain with its bulls and their fighters, the excellent Barcelona with all its Goudiness and that amazing Miró Museum up on that hill. Throngs flock to Germany that, generously, gave us Ludwig van B, Amadeus, Bach, Wagner, Kraftwerk and Scorpions; Kafka, Mies van der Rohe, Gropius and Dr Oetker. The Swiss? What can I say? Triangular chocolate, Helvetica and the watch I wear.
I won't go on and mean no offense to the many I haven't mentioned because, in those, I include my own homeland.
You are all fine countries with so much to give. It's just that, well, Italy is best. OK, it might not have the best flag (that's your's Switzerland) and it might not have the best graphic designers (because we've got them) but it has got the best cold cuts, the best scooters and Tuscany. Just ask the Dutch; they know, they're all there right now. And who can blame them; Italy is flippin' ace.
Yours respectfully,
Ace Jet 170
* Thanks Henry!
I'm not sure the Austrians or the Czech would be fond of your lists.
Lovely typefaces, by the way: especially the one used on the postbox and the sign for the labour consultant.
Posted by: Ákos Polgárdi | 23 July 2010 at 11:55 AM
And I tried so hard not to offend.
Posted by: Richrd | 23 July 2010 at 11:58 AM
this post make me smile: not only because sometimes you have to look far to see what is close to you (i'm italian), but also because I'm typographically addicted :)
If you like look this link: there are some pictures I took in my town: Turin, northern Italy.
Enjoy!
http://luluthinks.blogspot.com/2010/04/turin-type.html
Posted by: luisella | 23 July 2010 at 02:04 PM
Oh! I forgot to ask you.. do you know Bruno Munari? If you don't you have to. Expecially his children's books and books cover
http://www.aiap.it/documenti/11474/148
bye
Posted by: luisella | 23 July 2010 at 02:15 PM
Hi Luisella, I have seen some of his books but must give them more attention. I read his book, Design as Art, recently. It was superb. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Posted by: Richrd | 23 July 2010 at 02:22 PM
We were in Garfagnana, Tuscany last year and absolutely fell in love with the place. I can see why you would be inclined to wax lyrical about Italy, it's an amazing place. Oh, the fiat 500's.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 23 July 2010 at 05:10 PM
Lovely post.
Posted by: Ben | 23 July 2010 at 10:37 PM