PROJECT DESCRIPTION

QSL? is a collection of over 150 “QSL cards”, showcasing the often overlooked visual history of amateur, or “ham”, radio. Archived from the collection of designer Roger Bova, the cards reveal a rich typographic expression that is rare in their authenticity — each card a personal reflection of the station’s operator.

A topic mostly unknown to those outside of the amateur radio community, QSL cards represent a time in global communication before the Internet age, yet distinctly remind us of the social media “handles” used today. Each card prominently displays a typographic “call sign” on the front, often followed by technical “contact data” on the verso. Produced by the radio operators themselves (or local print shop), the results are broad in approach — some minimal, others maximal, hand-drawn, photographic, or a hybrid of media.

After discovering the stack of cards at an antique store in upstate New York, Bova began to research the repeating callsign he noticed as the receiver of each card — station W2RP. It turned out to be the call-sign of the late Charles Hellman of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. As reported by the ARRL (National
Association for Amateur Radio), Hellman “…may have not only been the oldest surviving radio amateur in the U.S. but, at 92 years, also may have been the longest licensed.” Charles passed away in 2017 at the age of 106, and this book is a small window into the International community that he and
thousands of other were a part of.

BOOK INFORMATION

Trim Size: 8 x 11

Number of Pages: 276

Binding Method: Smyth sewn

Paper: Magno Volume 135 GSM

Typefaces: HEX Franklin Extra Condensed; Tiempos; Pitch

CREDIT INFORMATION

Creative Director: Jesse Reed and Hamish Smyth

Art Director:

Book Designer: Jesse Reed

Jacket/Cover Designer: Jesse Reed

Illustrator:

Photographer:

Picture Editor:

Production Director:

Production Coordinator:

Production Artist: Garrett Corcoran

Other Credits: From the collection of Roger Bova; Jimin Şuh – Image Processing; Elisabeth Dahl – Proofreader; Roger Bova – Foreword; Marc Da Costa – Introduction

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