‘Features over 100 cards with specimens from the 1951 type catalog, showcasing dozens of fonts in their various weights and point sizes.’
American Type Founders was the largest metal type company in the world. They came to an end in 1993 in an ill-planned bankruptcy auction.
Tons of type history (literally) were melted down for scrap. Many records and original drawings were destroyed.
Pictured, Just My Type’s recent acquisition: ATF’s 1951 merchandising case.
Student Mike Thomas went back to basics with his work for my experimental type course.
As part of an 11-week study, Mike explored types created by the originator of italics, Francesco ‘Griffo’ da Bologna (1450-1518).
Mike’s work was produced using a stack of 20 year old, aged paper – and involved media ranging from paint to ink to digital.
His final project (above) was realized by cutting Griffo’s italic directly out of pieces of lead and creating a ‘soot proof’ of the carved letters. Not quite to spec, but challenging nonetheless.
I teach an experimental typography course at Ai Sacramento. And this past quarter, student Joyce Tabujara ventured into song.
For her final project, she wrote and preformed This Is To Mister Bell (above) – a tribute to typographer John Bell (1745-1831) and his types.
Below, a few of her studies.
It started with the advice: ‘You have to go back to the broad edge pen. It’s all there.’
Brilliant calligrapher Arthur Baker gave me direction when I first set up my beginning typography course. And I’m still using the same approach today. [Read more →]
The most incredible invention ever conceived by human beings.
These commercials scared the shit out of me.
It all boils down to . . . Helvetica.
JCPenney started as The Golden Rule store – or so said the literature I read as a kid. Wiki says something else.
My mom worked for JCPenney for 22 years and they had a big anniversary in the 1970s. They had wooden rulers with ‘golden rule’ written on them as part of a anniversary suite of premiums. I remember lots of simple yellow (‘golden’) and black stuff, sort of a 70s take on Victorian style.
And I was fascinated with a logotype history chart that was part of a company history booklet. Above is an old photocopy.
Over the years, the company simply became known as Penney’s – logo treatments reflecting retail trends.
The possessive was dropped and the ‘JC’ was officially re-added in 1971 – the year its founder, James Cash Penney passed away.
‘The font is based on the concept of a thin and wide ribbon, bending freely through space’
A new take on the thick and thin strokes of letterforms. Type in your text and a final rendering is fabricated for a fee.
Details here and here. Test drive the Kasheeda font here.
Latin alphabet and Arabic script are both available.
Found via If It’s Hip, It’s Here.
Helvetica on a mug, set in my Alta California font.
Dark brown text, vintage baked enamel-like styling. Great for sweet tea, moonshine, or hell, even prison-grade pruno.
Snag it here.
the work at the mehallo blog. beta. is licensed under a creative commons attribution - noncommercial - no derivative works 3.0 united states license. if reposting, credit must be given to steve mehallo - and if possible, please provide a link back to the mehallo blog. beta.
i include images for the purpose of critique, review, promotion and inspiration - and always make my best effort give credit/link back to the original source. if i’ve screwed up, please fire me a note.
page layout based on the wordpress 'darkwater theme' by antbag, adapted and redesigned by mehallo. valuable php assistance from bill mead.
