-Retro-

My version of ROOSEVELT began with a request by Rob Case for the font once used on Aeolian pianos and organs. I drew the letters from analog examples, regularizing and filling out the set. Subsequently another correspondent, Richard Vance, told me the history of the design (at right) and showed me more examples of the original font in action, prompting the revised version which now includes small caps and a more conventional T. (The curvy one is now located at | and \.) If you like this font, please see my Celtic Knot Monograms. According to Rollin Smith’s “The Aeolian… continued

The Retrospace font was inspired by the hand-lettered opening credits of the film Some Came Running (1958). The Long, Hot Summer (another 20th Century Fox production from 1958) has similar credits; the films do not share directors or art directors. Font includes large and small caps, numbers, punctuation, and international characters.

The 4 RÉPUBLIQUE fonts were inspired by the lettering on this style of Paris Metro sign, designed by the architect Adolphe Dervaux and first installed in 1924. This design coexists with the more famous Art Nouveau “Metropolitain” signs, designed by Hector Guimard in 1900 and made of sinuous wrought iron. The “Candelabra Dervaux” uses simpler Art Deco letterforms, cut out of red metal, and illuminated from the back. The double row of stencil-style supports resembles train tracks. For fun, I’ve included a few alternate characters in the lowercase positions and created a Solid font without the horizontal lines, and two… continued

POIGNANT is an elegant titling font that combines aspect of a “modern” or Didone font with calligraphic flourishes. Available in roman and italic. Poignant was inspired by the hand-lettered titles of certain Twentieth Century dramatic films, including All About Eve (1950), Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), and Niagara (1953), all art-directed by Lyle Wheeler, perhaps a clue to the original hand. Version 1.5 features an expanded character set and improved spacing and kerning.

VICARAGE, RECTORY and PARSONAGE are separate but related decorative fonts, each with a romantic, historical feel and inspired by hand-lettered film titles. Each could also be used to suggest Olde Worlde gentility, holiday festivity, or spirituality. Each font is all caps with many alternate forms for more variety and looks great as LARGE and SMALL CAPS. VICARAGE, the boldest of the three, was inspired by the trailer of the film The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), art directed by Anton Grot. RECTORY, suggestive of pen calligraphy, was inspired by the opening credits of Going My Way (1944), art… continued

NATIONAL DEBT is a bold, squarish design with the solid curves of a vintage car or a retro refrigerator. I originally designed this back in 1998 for a 1940s-themed event when I couldn’t find quite what I was looking for. Now there are three versions: the solid original, Hilite, and ThreeD that can be used separately or layered together. Version 1.5 includes an expanded character set, improved spacing and kerning. Another one of Dennis’ Font Play creations.

This ornamental, calligraphic font was suggested to me by Bruce Baryla, who also proposed the name GRACEFUL GHOST. Here is all the information I have about the original:  Completely redrawn–not traced–for very smooth lines. Looks great reversed and, of course, BIG. Includes caps, limited punctuation, and international characters.

The GAUMONT fonts are elegant sans serif fonts in the Art Deco style. These were inspired by the hand-lettered titles of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 The 39 Steps, a Gaumont-British Picture. I’ve taken a few liberties, regularizing the characters but preserving the quirkier letterforms and rounding out the font in the same spirit. In Regular, Italic, and Light varieties. Version 1.5 has the alternate characters accessed as Stylistic Alternates, an expanded character set, and improved spacing and kerning.  

GALATHEA is an elegant italics-only font. My digital font was inspired by a 19th-century typeface from Schelter & Giesecke. After designing my version of Galathea, I found examples of another, very similar S&G font called “Italique Moyen-Age Demi-Grasse.” I’ve now recreated that second font, calling it simply GALATHEA PLAIN, as it shares so much with its sister, now called GALATHEA FANCY.

GAINSBOROUGH is a bold geometric font in a high Art Deco style. I was attracted to the extreme distortion in some of the letters, emblematic of the style, and preserved that in my design. Gainsborough was inspired by the hand-lettered titles of the 1938 Alfred Hitchcock film, The Lady Vanishes, “A Gainsborough Picture,” produced by a sister company of Gaumont-British, namesake of Gaumont. Version 1.5 includes an expanded character set and improved spacing and kerning.