Principal Isabelle Bradbury recalled Jemima Kiss's article New York's MoMa claims @ as a design classic and the wonderment of this typewriter character reaching the MoMa pinnacle of modern design.
Back in the days of hand-drawn plans, the asperand, abbreviation for at, was universally used for the specification of wood framing (2x4 SPF @ 16'' oc), shaving four strokes off the labourious 5-stroke AT. Of course, it took a little practice to perfect, but who didn't feel a burst of pride upon neatly forming this symbol on the company vellum sheet?
So, when it came time to incorporate the company name to a symbol what better inspiration than an icon with the MoMa seal of approval and an architectural history to boot? Architecture claims the asperand as its own; its popularisation upon Ray Tomlinson's use in e-mail correspondence, separating name from address, only reaffirms the role that applied art plays in day-to-day contemporary life. Taking a step back, the symbol's tail lassos the company into the realm of integrated design and community, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
American typewriter typeface was chosen as homage to the asperand's coming of age with the portable printing press. The old company logo is still present in the 'i' of the new with the familiar red dot taking a life of its own. You never know where it will show up...
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