First Look: The Recorder Issue 4

Oozing with flawless graphic design and creative stories that burst off the page in a flurry of bold type and bright colour, issue four of The Recorder sees design journalist Madeleine Morley turning to history to examine the weird and wonderful stories behind illustrated type. Meanwhile, publisher, designer and video game enthusiast Darren Wall dissects pixel typography and the games it helped to define. 

In one of our favourite features from the issue, the brilliant Laura Snoad investigates the world's major cities to see how type is essential to managing the sprawling infrastructures of busy urban environments. A must read for anyone interested in the design elements of underground systems, with a nice focus on the Edward Johnston's eponymous typeface for London Underground.

Issue four also includes a special edition of Type Mixtape, contributed by Erik Spiekermann and illustrations and collage from your favourite creative names, such as Justyna Stasik, DR.ME and Friederike Hantel. 

If all that isn’t quite enough to convince you drop everything and order a copy for every print lover you know’s Christmas stocking, check out this hypnotic film of the magazine in print production, created by Zetteler Films and filmed at Leycol Printers in Bromley by Bow, East London.