Cafe Royal Books Typography San Diego 1986 - 1987

San Diego is a large city: it is the eighth-most populous city in the United States of America. The city spreads from the beaches of the Pacific coast inland to the rugged landscape of East County. Whilst photographing this large area I used the strategy of collecting subjects as typographies: cars, mailboxes, shopfronts, signs, etc. Mostly I would respond to this environment by taking photographs of scenes that resonated with the feeling of being a stranger in a strange place.

Working through this large archive of pictures, the editor Craig Atkinson organised this CRB book in relation to the text found in the images. Arranged in an alphabetical order, the opening picture is ‘Beasley’s Friendly Corner’ (a cocktail lounge) and runs through to ‘TV Rentals’ (the closing picture): the focus is upon typography. The playful intent reveals how reliant we are on signs to navigate our surroundings.

Published by Café Royal Books.  
Edited by Craig Atkinson.