20.Ģ014: KERN YOUR ENTHUSIASM (typefaces): Matthew Battles on ALDINE ITALIC | Adam McGovern on DATA 70 | Sherri Wasserman on TORONTO SUBWAY | Sarah Werner on JOHNSTON’S “HAMLET” | Douglas Wolk on TODD KLONE | Mark Kingwell on GILL SANS | Joe Alterio on AKZIDENZ-GROTESK | Suzanne Fischer on CALIFORNIA BRAILLE | Gary Panter on SHE’S NOT THERE | Deb Chachra on FAUX DEVANAGARI | Peggy Nelson on FUTURA | Tom Nealon on JENSON’S ROMAN | Rob Walker on SAVANNAH SIGN | Tony Leone on TRADE GOTHIC BOLD CONDENSED NO. Want to say something? Reach for Trade No. Need to advertise the latest and greatest sofa? Go for Helvetica.
Its versatility is wide ranging: I’ve used it in a cookbook by Melissa Gray ( All Cakes Considered) a colleague has used it in an elegant catalog for an art exhibit about war stories and on Charles Street here in Boston you can see a couple of broadsides three stories tall commemorating fallen firefighters - they’re set in Trade No. It plays well with others - that is, it combines nicely with more extravagant or decadent faces and can serve as a workhorse option with other sans serifs. It’s a typeface for heroes and wise-asses alike. 20 is unbiased in the sense that it has the ability to transform set text not just into information, but into statements. But that face’s overuse, by everyone from Crate & Barrel to Target to Vignelli’s National Parks maps, has revealed a certain characterlessness Helvetica lacks transformative power. You might say that Helvetica is unbiased, too. 20 is “unbiased and honest.” It’s one of his favorites too - that’s one of the reasons he’s working with me. My assistant Matt says that Trade Gothic Bold Condensed No. Of all the weights and styles of Trade, Bold Condensed No. Trade is airy in its spacing - especially when set as text - which gives it its pleasing character. Not that it’s a “humanist” face by any means, but it has a bit of wabi-sabi to it. Not as rigidly refined as later (1950s) counterparts like Univers and Helvetica, Trade is slightly more human.
The sans serif typeface Trade Gothic was designed in 1948 by Jackson Burke, who continued to work on it for years. 20 will always be there to help carry the day. I use it less frequently than I used to, these days, but it still makes an appearance during the type study phase of most projects. When the deadline is looming and there’s no time to meddle with font searches or type studies, my go-to is Trade Gothic Bold Condensed No. 20 | JACKSON BURKE | 1948–1960Įvery designer has their go-to typeface.
#Trade gothic bold condensed no 20 series#
One of 25 installments in a series of posts analyzing and celebrating a few of our favorite (and least favorite) typefaces.
0 kommentar(er)
