Rise of the medieval typeface
Since, the summer of Saltburn; a hazy look on the casual flaunt of wealth and stark class divides in the country. I haven’t been able to shake the noticeable rise in medieval fonts and its influence in modern culture.
Hand drawn lettering designed by Katie Buckley
I have a more in-depth conversation about the opening sequence of Saltburn in my post here. But to summarise; the labour of love felt through the several hundred hand drawn lettering, made to create this work of art shows a shift towards the rise of medieval fonts as a design trend as it bleeds into the rest of modern culture.
Tech
I first heard rumblings of a medieval sound board a few months back in a TikTok video; it seemed like a fun product for sound geeks and DJs (of which I am neither) so didn’t give it a second thought. But then I was reading an article by It’s Nice That when I was researching about Saltburn for my movie title cards post and stumbled into a rabbit hole of Gregorian sound bites and lute flutes.
Teenage Engineering: EP–1320 Medieval device
“A medieval experience like no other, EP–1320 features hundreds of built-in medieval sounds. go back in time and play along with the included magical melodies, sultry songs and bubonic beats. included in the box are 4 knobs, a sticker pack and a quick start guide.”
- Teenage engineering
I love any company that fully commits to the bit and Teenage Engineering does just that; from the logo, colour scheme, retro knobs, quilted case and website design you’re pulled back into the world of jousting, piling up mud and peasants revolting.
Their website design is the embodiment of well-designed micro-sites and why they’re so important; small pockets of the internet creating a niche premise and fully committing to it.
Teenage Engineering: Medieval illustrations
Fashion
Fashion has a way of capturing the latest fascination and being at the fore front of it. Chainmail, Joan of arc and other medieval influences have been at the api-centre of trend predictions for the last couple of years.
Rise of medieval dressing in art and culture
With what I’m coining ‘Joan of Arc core’ celebrities and artists are looking back and finding inspiration from medieval set dressing and costuming. From Chappell Roan’s VMA performance clad in full fighting armour to Ethel Cain’s front page spread for V Magazine titled: ‘The reign of Ethel Cain’, renaissance style is gaining a foothold in pop culture.
Knitwear
I always like to keep a close eye on Knitwear as a fashion sub-culture as it often has a big influence on the Gen Z generation. Knitters have gotten younger and younger, its no longer your grandma’s favourite pastime (even though I’m sure she wouldn’t mind and will be happy to give you tips).
As a knitter myself, I believe I have my finger on the pulse when it comes to these things. I was watching a ‘knit trend prediction’ video by AllWool Fiber this afternoon, when she talked about a new trend prediction:
Tapestry Knits
Knitting is such a slow and laborious process; tapestry knitting even more so. With the intense use of colour work and consistent yarn changes, I’m always so in awe of people that can do it and do it well. KRW Textiles on Instagram is a pioneer in this practice, creating full wearable artwork pieces.
I would love to see more works of Medieval fonts on Knitwear pieces, grand Gregorian lettering on the soft cotton fabric of wearable pieces. I think writing on knitwear is so fun and deserves a resurgence.
Thank you for reading
This article has been a long time in the making, I’ve been thinking about this ever since I saw Saltburn last summer and have been trying to figure out how to talk about it ever since. I think I’ve managed to scribble down everything that has been running around my brain these last few months but let me know if you think I’ve missed anything!
Links:
Follow me on Pinterest to see the full visual board:
I also chat on YouTube; if you want to see my face!
Peace and love x
