Glint Club

B1309/10 (Bethel 1956)

The current idea for Glint club originates from the exploration of the Glint border and ornament. Writing on the glint club blog in 2015 the authour explains “In April 1956 David Bethel submitted his design for the Glint border & corner to Monotype, the designs becoming B1309/10 in August of the same year. Beatrice Warde was at this time working as the corporation’s publicity manager & developed a self-confessed ‘mania’ for ‘working out combinations’ of Bethel’s new border. Warde went on to invent the Glint Game, encouraging others to ‘experiment & invent’ new Glint combinations, she claimed to have discovered 75 such combinations in collaboration with her personal assistant Sarah Clutton.”

I find the idea of exploring two simple components in all their different permutations compelling. The restrictions of the rules creates a space for intensive exploration, discovering new possibilities for alignment and pattern creation.

Christmas Card using the Glint Ornaments (Glint Club 2015)

Glink

After analysing the forms of the glint ornaments I composed 2 of my own variations and tried to print them alongside some other blocks that were experiments in the creation of halftone blocks. The halftones didn’t work but the glink did.

The forms of glink blocks were also informed by the metal swash ornaments in my own collection. Due to their L shape they can be organised and printed in many different orientations.


References
  • KING, S., FRASER, E. and DOLINSKI, A., 2015. glint club [viewed Apr 7, 2021]. Available from: https://glintclub.wordpress.com/
  • BETHEL, D., 1956. B1309/10 Glint Ornament