Archive for March, 2009
Sketchbook entry :: Leigh type process
This is some type process for a face called Leigh. The original intent was for a Jewish Holocaust center poster. I was attempting to communicate a calligraphic type rendering, referencing a carefully done hand-drawn aspect, with subtle reference to Hebrew letterforms. Latin type serifs were added to create a bristly tenacity. My process involves a fair bit of hand sketching, following up with individual letter refinement, then testing out groups of letters using random words. The serif face became the starting point for a sans-serif version.
A case for kerning
What exactly did the Canadian border guards find strange about the cocaine-filled tombstone for Albert Thomas, deceased Scottish pensioner, attempting to pass through customs? Something they just couldn’t put their finger on, just a ‘funny feeling’ that this gravestone marker wasn’t legit. Was it the curious use of palm trees in the motif? Or was it the choice of Arial bold, the most pedestrian, default font available, designed for on screen use, therefore highly inappropriate for an epitaph? Or was it the completely random letterspacing underneath the name? Just look how jammed the “NDF” of grandfather looks. This whole passage of text looks to be generated by a shopping mall trophy kiosk. If you’re going to smuggle something inside a fake object with type on it, get it done properly. While the average joe can’t tell you why something is wrong with a piece of typography, he’ll definitely have a funny feeling that something is very, very wrong. And you’ll get caught, like our smuggler, or this guy, or even this guy. RIP, Albert.
