This week’s Baseline Shift session welcomed type designer and Commercial Type co-founder Paul Barnes back to the University of Reading, more than three decades after graduating from the course himself. Paul reflected on his path from studying hand lettering and letterpress printing at Reading to becoming one of the most influential contemporary type designers working today, creating typeface identities for major clients including The Guardian, Givenchy, The National Trust, Rapha and the V&A.
Early influences
Paul’s love for typography stemmed from physically constructing layouts and lettering by hand back before digital workflows became standard. Studying at Reading, much of the course consisted of letterpress printing and creating artwork manually which Paul describes as being something he enjoyed thoroughly, explaining how there is real precision involved in these production techniques that can feel quite lost within workflows today. Lectures by Michael Twyman on the history of typography and trips to study the classical inscriptions in Rome were just a handful of memories Paul reflects on that continue to shape his work today.
Typographic systems
As a graduate, Paul started in the editorial and magazine design sector at a company called Spin that he later became the art director of. The constant cycle of experimentation with text, layout, image every month was an exciting environment for him to be in. However, within magazine design, the typographic systems were the main area that interested him rather than the overall art direction. Experimentation with software such as Fontographer, allowed him to create personalised headlines and adapt existing typefaces, developing an interest in consistency and structure within typography.
Creation of Commercial Type
One of Paul’s earliest defining moments was his work on The Guardian redesign in the early 2000s. Working with Christian Schwartz, together they developed the typeface Guardian Egyptian, a custom slab serif family created during the newspaper’s transition to the Berliner format. The typeface gave a distinctive visual identity that showcases the move from fine serif styles and bold headline typography that remains so recognisable today.
Upon completing the project, both Paul and Christian knew that ownership of the typeface would return to them after the Guardian’s exclusivity period ended. So instead of keeping it as a one-off commission, they decided to treat this as a starting point for creating Commercial Type. The aim in creating their own company was to balance both commissioned projects with a growing retail library of typefaces, allowing the pair to work across commercial branding systems and more experimental typographic projects.
Historical typography
Throughout the talk, Paul kept coming back to the fascination of nineteenth-century typography that included old playbills, specimen books and printing archives which was the first moment where typography started to become expressive with weights and size as the printing techniques evolved. Commercial Classics was an element Paul spoke about, a section that focused on reviving the forgotten nineteenth-century typefaces that disappeared over time. Paul’s intention with these forgotten typefaces is not to reproduce the historical forms, but to create a balance between research and interpretation, starting from incomplete alphabets or collections found in archives like the St Bride Library in London.
Variable fonts and The V&A
During the pandemic, Paul was asked to lead the redevelopment of the V&A’s typographic identity, prompting him to explore variable fonts and how they could create consistency across the museum’s network of locations. The typeface Spiller was created as a system featuring variations of the same typographic structure to represent each venue. Designed with variable widths and contrast options, Spiller was able to adapt across applications such as signage, advertising, and gallery interpretation while maintaining a consistent identity. Paul’s aim was to combine contemporary digital technology with historical references, creating a nineteenth-century typeface while keeping the form appropriate for readability in exhibition spaces.
Designing for cycling culture
Another branding project Paul worked on was for Rapha, the high-fashion cycling brand. He was initially brought in to simplify the typography across the company’s visual identity. Due to licensing issues with existing typefaces, a new custom typeface called Frame was developed. Based on historical Caslon features, Frame incorporated a larger x-height and sharper detailing to improve readability across the brand’s platforms. Paul explained how even small typographic adjustments can significantly affect how a typeface performs across digital layouts.
The project later expanded into a wider promotional campaign, with large-scale signage used to promote the new typefaces around major cycling races across Europe. Reflecting on the campaign, Paul joked that “you need to promote the promotion”, highlighting how typography within branding systems must also function effectively in public spaces.
Jan Tschichold exhibition
Towards the end of the session, Paul described how, while studying at Reading, he became fascinated by Jan Tschichold’s approach to lettering, layout, and clarity. Over time, he built up an extensive personal collection of Tschichold’s publications. This interest later developed into an exhibition created with fellow Reading graduate Fraser Muggeridge, showcasing Tschichold’s typography and archival material. For the project, they digitised historical lettering and recreated posters using traditional letterpress techniques. Many of Tschichold’s unfinished designs and typographic experiments had never been fully developed, so Paul used this opportunity to extend and reinterpret the work using contemporary technology.
Advice for young designers
- Continue to explore different areas of design rather than specialising too early
- Build relationships and stay connected with people throughout your career as opportunities often develop over time
- Focus on consistency and attention to detail
- Be open to different ways of working and continue adapting as technology and design industries evolve
– Written by Sam Buxton
– Edited by Tommy Molnar
Picture of us reviewing our work at the Abbey Quarter
Figure 1: Logo Research 1
Figure 2: Logo Research 2
Figure 3: User Personas
Figure 4: Initial Sketches 1(top) Figure 5: Initial Sketches 2 (bottom)
Figure 6: Further Sketches (top)
Figure 9: Typeface Experimentation
Figure 11: Icon Experimentation
Figure 14: Brush stroke pattern banners
Figure 17: Final banner
Figure 18: Programme front page
Figure 19: Programme inside pages
Figure 20: Programme back page
Figure 21: Final foamboard
