I hate singers/producers/actors expressing their political opinions in awards/songs etc…i just want to hear their songs/films….why do you feel you have to do so much politically motivated work?

Posted by rtgbanks on 24/04/07, 3:39 pm

From Erik Spiekermann:
Jonathan, there is a theory that typefaces look like their designers. Is that true?

Posted by Patrick on 26/04/07, 10:22 am

From Teal Triggs:
If you had to do it all over again - what would you do differently?

Posted by Patrick on 26/04/07, 10:23 am

From Stephen Coles:

1. Like a veteran rock star still getting requests for his
early hits over and over again, I wonder if you tire of
seeing your ultra-popular typefaces Exocet and Mason.
And how do you react to the countless Exocet copycats?

2. Have you ever seen your fonts used for a cause you
disagree with? A right-wing or military organization,
for instance?

3. You’re on a short flight. The person in the seat next
to you asks what you do. What do you tell them?

Posted by Patrick on 26/04/07, 10:23 am

From Kalle Lasn:

Jonathan, how can we design the world out of the ecological, psychological and political mess that it has got itself into?

Posted by Patrick on 26/04/07, 10:24 am

01. Define ‘Change the world’

Posted by pablito on 26/04/07, 3:17 pm

From Lakshmi Bhaskaran

You have the opportunity to raise awareness about any social, environmental or political issue through design. What would you choose and how would you approach it?

Posted by Patrick on 27/04/07, 4:13 pm

From Luke Prowse:

Jon –

You know of my respect for you, despite the short (personally unsuccessful) spell as intern several years back.

The face of the book seems consciously self-aggrandising; I wonder to what degree you recognise the people who have worked with / for you over the years, on the fonts, exhibitions, records et al? The cover — and I am oblivious to the contents within — begs a retro-active return to the myth-making super-designer of yester-decade in which you first came to prominence. You seem to be as concerned with your legacy as a certain Blair, and I have suspicions it’s at the expense of the party. I hope I’m wrong, and look forward to the exhibition.

Luke Prowse

Posted by Patrick on 27/04/07, 4:13 pm

From Andrew Losowsky:

1. Which has more impact: typography that matches the message or typography that wilfully contradicts it?

2. Have you ever used design to subvert the intended message/add further meaning that the client never seemed to notice?

3. When you’re an old man looking back on life, what skills do you want to have then that you don’t have yet?

Posted by Patrick on 27/04/07, 4:14 pm

Who’s your favourite living designer(s), artist(s), film-maker(s) or any other creators?

Posted by yonialter on 28/04/07, 12:17 pm

From Andy Altmann

if you had the choice between luton town not being relgated and a one man show at the design museum, what would it be?

who would you describe as the greatest font designer?

who is the greatest - rod stewart or eric gill?

what do you prefer - a cherry brandy or a snowball?

do you consider yourself a designer, an artist, a font designer or a typographer?

how much weight have you lost for the publicity stills (only jealous on this score!)?

what do match of the day and japanese girls have in common?

how do you manage to do all your personal work and make a living?

Posted by Patrick on 28/04/07, 5:34 pm

From Andrew Howard

Jonathan, it’s been seven years since you and I and another 31 of our colleagues signed the First Things First Manifesto 2000. What impact do you think the manifesto has had and what value, if any, does it have today? And in retrospect, would you have done things differently had you had the opportunity?

Posted by Patrick on 29/04/07, 6:56 pm

From Antonio Serrano:

The look of the letters has always been dictated by the instruments with
which we write, now that it’s all done in a computer, where do you see the
aesthetics of type design going?

Posted by Patrick on 30/04/07, 10:08 am

From Anna Gerber:

ideally, what role do you think the graphic designer should or has the potential to fulfill in the future?

Posted by Patrick on 30/04/07, 2:38 pm

From Freda Sack:

Jonathan - you are obviously someone who is passionate about
letterforms and communication, and you also have a reputation for
challenging the conventional.
In the scheme of things, communication wise, is typography important?
Do you feel that generally the perception of typography is that of
a dull and dying craft ? professionally and in education?
Can typography be taught in a relevant and inspiring way?

Posted by Patrick on 01/05/07, 9:54 am

Do you reckon the world in which a graphic designer operates today is substantially different than the one in which you’ve began your career ?

Posted by yonialter on 01/05/07, 11:13 am

From Sallyanne Theodosiou:

Can you reflect on the time when you were a student and the strategies you used to motivate yourself when you found a project hard or could not access that creative spark?

What is your position on the use of Fontwise software by Monotype to track and question the legality of fonts on individual computers and the unspoken inference that all independent font designers will have to be registered with Monotype which reinforces the impression that all fonts should be bought through Monotype?

Posted by Patrick on 01/05/07, 11:37 am

Please change my last question to this:
Do you reckon the world in which a graphic designer operates and responds-to today is substantially different to the one in which you’ve began your career ?

Posted by yonialter on 01/05/07, 12:07 pm

From Nick Bell:

Do you think people today are better or less informed than say 15 years ago?

What with the scandal over reasons for going to war with Iraq, cash for honors, yesterday’s obfuscation from British Intelligence regarding previous knowledge of the 7/7 bombers… it seems as if those who run the country are becoming less and less trustworthy and more and more corrupt. Is this actually the case? Is it plain ineptitude? Do you think it has always been like this? 
If so, what role do you think the media plays in this if any?

What is your opinion about the culture of celebrity we live in today?
Did you agree with Gordon Brown when he said recently there will be a reaction against all this?

What future do you see for graphic design?

Who are your favourite collaborators?

How do you fund your self-initiated work?
Has this presented you with any difficult decisions in the past?

Do you feel an affiliation with Mike Newell (former Luton Town FC manager) who exposed the culture of corruption in the transfer market last year?

I live on the same street as you. Tell me why we never bump into each other?

Posted by Patrick on 01/05/07, 12:30 pm

From David Crowley:

Has First-Things-First: 2000 left a legacy, eight years on?

Posted by Patrick on 01/05/07, 12:48 pm

Is there a particular typographic character you look forward to designing?

Posted by WOWBROW on 03/05/07, 10:22 am

Thanks to everyone who submitted a question. We did the interview with Jonathan yesterday and a selection of his answers will appear in the June issue of CR, out 23 May. An unexpurgated version will also be posted here after the issue comes out.

Posted by Patrick on 03/05/07, 10:41 am