Lost and Foundry.
Fonts for good—a project to reimagine the crumbling signs around Soho into a collection of fonts to raise money for London’s homeless by Fontsmith (now part of Monotype Studio) and M&C Saatchi.
Developed by Fontsmith (now part of Monotype Studio), M&C Saatchi London and Line Form Color, the campaign sees the crumbling typefaces of Soho recovered to be sold online as a collection of display fonts, to fund the House’s vital work with London’s homeless.
The House of St Barnabas is a social enterprise that aims to break the cycle of homelessness through its Employment Academy, a programme that works with people who have been affected by homelessness and supports them into lasting work. It does this by operating as a member’s club, with all profits from the club going to the Employment Academy.
For this campaign Fontsmith worked with M&C Saatchi London to develop seven fonts from crumbling signs around Soho, with each named according to the specific content or location relevant to them, such as Berwick, Cattle & Son and Marlborough.
Designers
- Phil Garnham.
About Lost and Foundry
Backround.
Lost and Foundry was a charity project developed by Fontsmith, M&C Saatchi London and Line Form Color to help raise money for the House of St Barnabas and their vital work with London’s homeless. The campaign saw the crumbling typefaces of Soho recovered to be sold online as a collection of display fonts, with all proceeds going to the House.
The House is a social enterprise that aims to break the cycle of homelessness through its Employment Academy, a programme that works with people who have been affected by homelessness and supports them into lasting work.
Execution.
We worked with M&C Saatchi London to develop seven fonts from crumbling signs around Soho, with each named according to the specific content or location relevant to them, such as Berwick, Cattle & Son and Marlborough.
The fonts were hand drawn and turned into fully functioning fonts by Fontsmith designers Stuart de Rozario and Pedro Arilla. This involved adapting and extending the missing characters to make useful and crafted designs out of them, with it taking 3 months to digitise and design a workable series of fonts.
Result.
The collection of seven unique fonts are available to purchase either individually or as a family, with all proceeds to be donated to The House of St Barnabas. Each purchase comes with a one month free membership to the House.
“We’ve been operating as a social business and charity since 2013, and are proud of our innovative model which helps to support people affected by homelessness back into lasting work. But, for us to keep supporting people in this way, we need to keep innovating too. Lost & Foundry is the culmination of a unique partnership between the House, M&C Saatchi and Fontsmith which taps into Soho’s history, creativity and originality to help us raise vital funds and support more people back into paid work.”
— Sandra Schembri, Chief Encouragement Officer at The House of St. Barnabas
Designers
Phil Garnham.
Phil is a Creative Type Director and type designer with many years of experience in the design and engineering of fonts for global brands. Working in collaboration with design studios and global clients, Phil understands the creative and business needs of brands looking to build continuity with type.