The shape of words

A sign representing the Parisian public transportation system Metro was found on the left bank not far from the Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral. The ironwork also functions as a window barrier grate. Photograph by versluis © 2010.

This sign interestingly juxtaposes colors like the traditional Metro “art nouveau” green color and road sign red. Also, the futuristic typographic style contrasts nicely with the decorative linear patterns. As Bruno Munari wrote in Design as Art, 1971: “The lines (straight or curved, upright or at an angle) and the blank spaces between one letter and the next all contribute to giving the word its overall shape.” 65.