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FASHION SCRIPTS are fraternal twins. The letterforms of each were inspired by an example of 1940s department store lettering. FASHION BRUSH has a rough, art brush texture; FASHION MARKER has the smooth line of a Sharpie®. The inspiration was this example of wood type formerly used by Thalheimers department stores. From examples in the collection of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. According to their information, “The type follows handlettering styles of the 1940s and is unique compared to 20th-century script typefaces in metal.” My Pen Script Monograms were also inspired by this wood type. Each font includes upper and lowercase,… continued

FAMOUS LABEL is another vertical script with the retro-posh feel of a department store logo. Inspired by a style of pen lettering illustrated in Alphabets: Ancient & Modern, compiled by J. B. Russell and published in 1945 by Padell Book Co. A number of letters were altered to make a more consistent and complete font. As seen in the Script Font Identification Guide! Includes caps, lowercase, punctuation, numbers, and international characters.

ESQUIVEL is a sleek near-script inspired by an older Esquire magazine logo. Working from this December 1968 issue (with Lauren Hutton on the cover) I had only the title and one short heading inside to work from. The title evokes the original source, but pays homage to Juan García Esquivel, the Mexican emigré “multi-threat talent: quirky composer, eccentric arranger, enchanting performer, dashing showman” according to the liner notes (by Irwin Chusid) of Esquivel’s 1995 greatest-hits CD Cabaret Mañana. Works well italicized too. And there’s also the Engraved and Condensed versions too. Each font includes upper and lowercase, numbers, punctuation and… continued

ESPANGLES is a bold and stylish cursive font that makes a bold statement. It was inspired by the logo of the great, ubiquitous Spanish department store, El Corte Inglés, in the tradition of other great store logos (i. e. Harrods, Marshall Field, Neiman-Marcus) that suggest fashion and flair. Version 2.0 features improved linking for a more realistic script, making use of the discretionary ligatures feature of Opentype. There are also some alternate characters and an expanded character set.

EPICURUS was inspired by Roman manuscripts on papyrus from Herculaneum. I’ve modernized the forms of the distinctive capitals, adding the “new” letters, lowercase and non-Roman numerals. Epicurus has a clean stroke and the feel of a contemporary sans serif. The example is just for reference. The texts I actually used are in Oxford’s Bodleian Library and cannot be reproduced here. The font is named for the Greek philosopher, not the recipe website. Includes upper and lowercase, numbers, punctuation, and international characters.  

EGYPTIAN REVIVAL is an exotic retro font with geometric flourishes. It was inspired by the single word EGYPT on an old book, sketched at left. It’s named for a style of European decorative arts that uses Egyptian motifs. I imagined I was an early 20th-century designer, influenced by Art Deco and the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. There are regular and inline versions, each including some alternate letterforms. I made this sketch from the cover of a book of 19th-century photographs in the Dallas Museum of Art. Includes caps and some alternates, punctuation, numbers, and international characters.

EASTER PARADE is one of four vertical script fonts, along with Scarlet Ribbons, Roselyn, and Famous Label. As seen in the Script Font Identification Guide! This one has the most contrast in stroke weight and some crazy swashes. It was inspired by a sample of hand-lettering called simply “Modern Brush Script” in Alphabets: Ancient & Modern, compiled by J. B. Russell and published in 1945 by Padell Book Co. Includes caps, lowercase, punctuation, numbers, and international characters.

DYNAMOTOR is my hand-drawn take-off of the classic font Dynamo. Dynamotor has the texture of diagonal crayon strokes which complements the bold, active letterforms. Looks great reversed for a chalk or scratchboard look. Dynamo was designed by K. Sommer and first released in 1930. Its distinctive “fins” give it a touch of machine-age deco. Dynamo is available from many sources online; Dynamotor is NOT a Dynamo font. Includes uppercase, numbers, punctuation, and international characters. Dynamotor was inspired by this book cover, designer unknown, found on the delightful blog Awful Library Books.

DON SEMIFORMAL is a little joke about the font Dom Casual.* I’ve added serifs to my approximation of the handwritten-style classic, which was originally designed by Peter Dombrezian for American Type Founders in 1952. Somewhat more formal than the original, but with the same lively quality. The “formal” would be then be a straight serif font, I suppose. Includes upper- and lowercase, numbers, punctuation, and international characters.

DIVERSION is a little amusement, all swirls and spirals. It was inspired by this handlettered logo for an Italian restaurant in Mexico. Could add a lot of whimsy if used carefully; may cause dizziness if overused. Includes caps, numbers, punctuation, and international characters.