T:Typography

I have the dubious distinction of being among the group of designers who crossed (and arguably survived) a historical marker in graphic design technology. I am part of that crusty group of graphic artists who spent significant time working with Xacto knives, ruby (amber) lith, waxers, and other archaic tools of the trade--then, along with the rest of the world, transferred those skills into the computer age. Imagine yourself standing there one day carving pictographs into an obelisk and your young apprentice suggests that you might want to try papyrus.

One of the most significant improvements realized by this shift was the ability to work with type as a graphic element more freely and immediately. As the kids say today, “back in the day” you would render your type on tracing paper and use a Lucy machine, or (if you were lucky) a Xerox machine to scale the type to fit your design. Then you would specify the dimensions to a typesetter—a person who produced “slicks” of the type. You would then cut and paste with wax the image into your design. A painstaking and time-consuming effort that was difficult to control. With the computer, you can type the words, pick the font, scale it, distort it, and make it fit your design while sipping your coffee at your desk. Amazing!

As inspiring as technology might be, it is also the source of daily frustration. I love type. I love the way a letterform is balanced, delicate, forceful, and related to a message or emotion. I love the way that it can be an illustration or the purveyor of content and that it requires the same skillful treatment to make it effective however it is used. Enter what I like to call the "PC Paradigm" (PCP). The “can-do” not “should do” approach. The PCP is the condition that centers on the concept that placing anything in a computer reduces the skill required to effectively execute that task to a push of a button. It assumes that the people (usually programmers skilled at programming) who create a program must have been skilled in the subject being considered—typography—as a subset of their programming knowledge. Many people I encounter in business believe that everything they find in the computer is right because it is in the computer. Enter the MAC and PC guys. I work closely with programmers and they are very happy to make Papyrus and Comic Sans blink in 100% Magenta because they can, not because they should. "What, that doesn't look good? How about adding a starburst?"

Ok, enough bellyaching. Mr. Gutenberg’s invention started a revolution and brought the printed word to the masses. Yeah printing! In today’s world, where we can get a national newspaper in print delivered to our doorstep, it is hard to imagine the effort it took to print just one page. I know that I am ignoring this medium. That’s intentional. Comparing screen presented type to the printed word is like comparing Pop-Tarts to a French pastry hot from the oven in Paris.

I first worked with lettering when I was in high school. Our school paper had limited resources for typesetting. So I often lettered advertisements by hand. When I was first out of college, I worked in a Cadillac dealership as a service writer. This brought me in contact with a gentleman (I wish I could remember his name) who pinstriped the cars by hand. I was amazed to watch him lay down a perfect line free-hand skillfully following the contour of the car. I watched him letter some awnings once and began learning sign painting techniques. I made some nice side cash and kept my hand in the design world lettering signs and trucks. Some where good and some were HORRIBLE. Thank God that time usually erases those errors.

I am not particularly skilled at lettering by hand. I can do a passable job, but I am far from skilled as a typographer. Unfortunately, I know the difference and really don’t like seeing my finished product most of the time. But I appreciate and enjoy those who are skilled.

I took a lettering class with Ken Barber of House Industries fame. I reinforced my love and appreciation for the letterform and had lots of fun. I also met David Carson at a HOW Conference. His approach to tearing and cutting type was radical at the time and I enjoy looking at his book for inspiration.