Seaside vernacular

From neon signs to painted shop fronts and dazzling pier-side lettering – the typography of the British seaside is about as iconic as fish and chips. This summer, Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft invite you to explore the imagery of our coastal towns in their full illuminated glory!

Signs of the Seaside will explore how lettering and typography have evolved to play a fundamental role in our experience of the English seaside providing a historical and contemporary perspective on the role of graphic design in identifying our coastal towns.

The exhibition features research and typographic works from Justin Burns and new commissions from graphic artists, signwriters and illustrators, including Anthony Burrill, Amy Goodwin, Marion Deuchars and Emma Carlow; coastal photography by Rob Ball and a brand new poem written in response to the exhibition by poet and host of BBC Radio 3’s The Verb, Ian McMillan.