Our Fundamental Typography project was the first of our modules in year one of Graphic Design DL. The second of my fonts that I created was formed from individual parts of a horological workshop.

Jack Haward is a talented horologist and close friend of mine. The intricate designs and parts of the giant clocks he works on have blown my mind for years and I think maybe due the rarity of jobs like this, I am fascinated by each of his projects.

Haward Horological Ltd has roots in clock making going back 200 years and Jack is now the 6th generation of clock makers in his family.  His grandfather Peter, left Thwaites and Reed after 27 years where he was their Technical Director, to form his own company, Haward Horological Ltd in 1975.

Hawards Horological has travelled all over europe to fix, maintain and build clocks and the tight family are steeped in clock making history.

After a tour of his workshop, I started choosing parts of the many photos I took to digitise. I wanted to create a simple and legible font that if possible used the stronger and more detailed parts. Whilst assembling my font however, I decided it would be better to use parts that are more relatable to the profession rather than common or unrecognisable.

With this in mind, I selected the the hands, a wheel/cog and though generic, I used a handle from one of the drills to fill in some of the gaps. 

The final font came out well. Using the clock hands as the main piece worked well, and ensuring that was a part of every letter gave consistency throughout the typeface, no matter the shape. Though legiable this font would only be used as a title font and at a clearly readable size. This isn't just so its clear, but I wouldn't want the meaning and heritage behind the font to get lost.

Below is an example of a poster that I created, for a fictional workshop run by the British Horological Institute, in Bury St Edmunds.