Fontlove Blog

Type City by Hong Seon Jang

I would be remiss to not share this awesome example of form meeting function. Type City, a mixed-media scultural work by artist Hong Seon Jang, is now on view at the David B. Smith Gallery in Denver. Jang uses everyday objects (in this case, discarded metal type) to twist the viewers' expectations for those materials and the subjects the works portray.

For the most part, the character of the metal type is erased by the representation of the city. One thing I find particularly interesting is that all type is designed to be the exact same height (so it can print evenly), but here they make up the highs and lows of the urban landscape.

Also, it's just dang cool. 

Married in 1881, Letterpress-printed in 2012

William and Belle Klinger's life story is one we are familiar with from American mythology - child of European immigrants meets an American girl and settles down. Starts at the bottom and works his way up to (relative) prosperity. 

They aren't famous for any particular accomplishments, or well-remembered today (except perhaps by their descendants). I came to know them through a particular quirk - sometime around 1900, they sat for portraits, which wound up as photo-engravings, complete with their own signatures, mounted for letterpress printing. These, in turn, found their way into my shop.

There's no way to know why these folks were having their image printed, but it sure is fun to speculate. Here's what we do know, thanks to some geneology research on Ancestry.com: William was born in 1856, Belle in 1861. They married in 1881, though it wasn't Belle's first marriage, which happened when she was 17. In the 1900 US census, they were living in San Joaquin County, California and William listed his occupation as "farm laborer". By 1930, he owned his own farm. They had several children.

Judging by their ages, as well as the clothing, I'm guessing these portraits were taken around the turn of the century. The engravings are large - about 3" x 5".

The engravings are copper mounted on wood. Here is what they look like printed:

I was inspired by the Klingers to create a poster based on victorian circus broadsides for a public art exhibition I'm participating in here in Minneapolis. While there's no evidence I can find that William and Belle were performers, it's just as good a guess as any why these plates were made. 

I hope I can find more photo engravings with identities to explore. This is what I love about the history of letterpress and keeping these artifacts alive!

How Minnesotans Paid the Bills in 1894

Ok, that might not be the most direct blog post title, since this has nothing to do with economic concerns in Minnesota at the end of the 19th century. But it does have amazing typographic business invoices, ranging from 1891-1900! 

Picked these beauties at the Minnesota Antique Show and Flea Market at the State Fairgrounds this weekend. They were among a pile of hundreds of letterheads, invoices and ledger sheets from companies mainly in the upper Midwest. Our business operates out of an 1890s building here in Minneapolis, and we kept having to paw through to the bottom of the pile, in hopes of finding a document from one of the many businesses that made their mark in this spot throughout the 20th century. 

Alas, no luck with that quest, but we did find some beautiful examples of late 1800's typography and business penmanship to add to the collection.

Click the images to enlarge and view detail! 

 

 

 

Artisanal Pencil Sharpening (For Real.)

I love it when people I know do awesome things. In this case, it's my pal Abraham Riesman, contributor over at Motherboard, with a documentary on the political-cartoonist-turned-artisanal-pencil-sharpener David Rees.

That's right, he really is a professional pencil sharpener, and though at times Rees comes across with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, it's clear that he also cares about his craft. I was particularly struck by his comment on the "potential and the promise" of new office supplies — the un-dulled pencil point, the new ledger book — and the power that has to make you feel a kind of hope. I'm with you there, sir! 

Watch the video below and check out the full article here. Get your own freshly-sharpened, deliciously-analog pencil here.

Alvin Lustig's Lustworthy Chocolate Shop, 1952

This photo of New York's most playful chocolate shop, Barton's Bonbonniere, has been making the rounds on the interwebs lately.

 

 

It could be the spring in the air, but it's fair to say that I've developed strong feelings for this bold, playful and typographic design. Of course, I wanted to know more. 

Barton's was established in 1938 and manufactured its famously delicious kosher candies in Brooklyn. It wasn't until presented with the opportunity to create something of a brand refresh for the company's 50th store opening that they decided to "break the rules" of retail design. 

Architectural Forum published an article on the thinking behind the design in 1952, shortly after the store was built in Manhattan's Herald Square. In it, architect Victor Gruen explains that store design "is taking itself too seriously", something he set out to change along with graphics consultant Alvin Lustig.

Lustig was an innovative designer in the mid-20th century, largely in book cover and print design. But one look at his body of work makes it clear that he left his impression on the new Barton's Bonbonniere. 

And Gruen's amazing, Calder-esque light fixtures are now in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum.

I so wish I could step back in time and get myself some Passover candies at Barton's. Sigh...