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Computer Arts Projects _June 2008 www.computerarts.co.uk 53 Craig Ward Craig Illustration Illustration Join the fat club Fat Faces are the flamboyant extroverts of , whose curvaceous lines flaunt a loveable gaiety. Caroline Archer looks at the development of these fun types…

Fat Faces first hit the printing presses letterforms full of character… if not back in the early 19th century. They sophistication. And just when you might underwent something of a revival in the have thought the structure of a opening years of the 20th century, and could be pushed no further, along come have now been redefined by the the Elephants, which take the basics of designers of today. the Fat Faces and push them even closer In many respects the original to the edge. Fat Faces are extreme versions of the Until the mid-18th century, one Modern faces, such as Bodoni, that category of dominated – that were popular in the mid-18th century. which was designed by Aldus Manutius Fat Faces take the characteristics of the in 1495 and on which all subsequent Moderns and push them to extremes: Roman types were based. In the mid-18th they play with weight, structure and century, English type founders introduced proportions to produce riotous, joyful, fat variations into the Roman tradition by

www.computerarts.co.uk June 2008_ Computer Arts Projects 54 Project three Interpreting typography

The origin of the Fat Face is swashes on the ‘M’, ‘N’, ‘A’, ‘W’. The introduced by other design-led printers difficult to plot. First introduced by William abundance of curves make the letters across the UK. Cotterell in 1766 for advertising purposes, appear less serious than the Roman, and One example of a contemporary the types were simply normal letters the rotundity adds to their charm if not Fat Face in use during this period is enlarged beyond the scale of usual text the perfection. , designed by Oswald B type. The first specifically designed Fat There was something of a Fat Cooper for the American Typefounders in Face was created by Robert Thorn – an Face revival in the 1920s and 30s, which 1921. An extra bold face with blurry serifs apprentice of Cotterell, in 1807. was led by the Kynoch Press in and tiny counters, it was the most popular experimenting with increasing the Paulus M. Dreibholz Birmingham, England, when it released typeface ever to be released in the US. of Gaffa Editions contrast in the weight of the strokes. So how do you recognise an original Fat explains why Fat a number of early English Fat Faces, No single typeface has made quite the Baskerville was the first to do this, and the Face when you see one? It has large Faces aren’t his Elephants and Black Letters along with impression on the graphic design results were emphasised when his letters with vertical shading and abrupt favourite … some contemporary faces designed in the community as Cooper Black, which was designs were re-cut by Wilson & Fry and modelling that is so exaggerated the thick “Design- spirit of the original Fat Faces. Discerning revived during the 1970s and again in pushed further still by the type designs of stroke is almost half as wide as the letter wise some of those clients appreciated the reappearance of the 2000s. In 1991 International Type John Bell in 1788. By 1800, the Modern is high. The roundness in the letters is also monsters manifest these friendly fonts, which were then Corporation released Oswald, a Fat surprisingly interesting face had succeeded the traditional more emphasised. All original Fat Faces features. However, I Roman letttering. share common characteristics as follows: think most of them are The introduction of the Modern the ‘C’, ‘G’ and ‘S’ have barbed terminals failed attempts to face was important because it not only and the ‘G’ has a pointed spur (see our create something worth gave designers the liberty to invent and ‘Body Parts’ feature on 20 for a full looking at. They’re good for a laugh, though. experiment, it was also the first step to glossary of typography terms). The ‘J’ is “Would I creating a Fat Face: a category of type short and terminates in blobbed finials, use them? No. As far as designed specifically for display rather while the ‘Q’ is drawn with a looping tail I’m concerned, they are than for flowing text, and one intended to that curls inside the bowl, and the ‘R’ the typographic be neither ordinary, inconspicuous nor has a curly tail. reflection of the beautiful, merely expressive. The new Fat Faces have serifs that are industrialisation in the 19th century and as market of advertising had been either unbracketed or slightly bracketed, such the starting recognised and different approaches to but those ending a thin vertical stroke are of advertising in typography discovered: Fat Faces were a invariably bracketed. The italic letters typography. They have, result of this new way of thinking and an have concave endings to the stems of however, relevant and answer to advertising’s needs. the lower case letters and flamboyant beautiful counterparts in the Ionic and 02 Clarendons, which, used in larger sizes, show more typographic subtlety and beauty than Fat Faces. “Will there be a revival? Of course – everything is due to be revived at some point. Whether they are worth it is another question. I don’t think that anyone ever saw them as beautiful, but more as funny and naively confident. As such, they are doomed to be revived again, I’m sure.” www.gaffadesign.com

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01 02 03 An advertising postcard Loke Fat Face, designed Xxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx found in Birmingham by Brian Loke, UK, 2008. xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx recently showing an xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx elegant use of a xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx contemporary Fat Face. xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx

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05 Fat faces were a result of a new way of thinking in the 1800s, and an answer to advertising needs

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04 05 06 07 xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx Xxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx A hybrid fat Face A recent interpretation Oswald Cooper’s xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx designed by Lisa of a Fat Face hand- rendering of a sans xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx Robins, USA, 1986. drawn by Brazilian Fat Face, USA, 1913. xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx typographer, Claudio xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx Roche xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxx

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Nick Curtis, who designed Scram Gravy, need for attracting attention – the same along with everyone else, but when I do, I USA, 2001 describes his as ‘Bodoni purpose those classical Fat Faces were might do it in a more classical manner.” on steroids’. made for. Fat Faces are wonderful, wide, The list of contemporary Fat “This ‘blacked out’ type trend is generous letters with less order but more Faces is almost without end, but of those almost everywhere you turn: two in pomp than the classic Roman: enormous that prefer their new designs as particular spring to my mind: SEA’s Ten letters that are genial and fantastic with interpretations of historic faces, is the Red Year Book and Adrian Shaughnessy’s extreme expressions and great, smiling, Rooster foundry, which recently offered an Look at this. I guess that shows they’re grotesque faces: they are blatant with Face revival from the creative hand of eye-stopping selection of decorative faces Jon Melton, Founder of successful because they obviously got my unashamed vulgarity. In no way romantic British typeface designer Dave Fairey. In such as Basuto and Bodoni. Phil Martin at Foundry and senior attention. However, I find this trend of or sentimental, Fat Faces from all eras this design Fairey captured the creative URW++, USA designed Fat Face in 2001, lecturer at Cambridge blacking out counters slightly frightening flaunt a loveable gaiety and masterly School of Art, takes spirit of Cooper, one of America’s most which, as its name suggests is a definite inspiration from original and I find it a little worrying that well- command of the idiom of proportions. important type designers. But this was not throw back to the original Fat Faces. Fat Face hand : known designers are practicing it. I worry Smiling at themselves, their total lack of Fairey’s first attempt at a Fat Face – back Jon Melton from Em Foundry is “The all these types shouting at the top of their respect is refreshing. in 1972 he designed ITC Beesknees, a big also producing exquisite decorated fat market traders ‘hand’ blackened lungs will very soon deafen us, fat font inspired by the typographic titles Faces inspired by the originals. “I obviously had its origins causing us to lose our calm, no longer For more on the latest type of the Marx Brothers films. remember being intrigued by the display within the hawkers and hearing soft-spoken types and, before trends, be sure to pick up a copy of peddlers of Georgian By the late 20th and early 21st of price tags on market holders’ fruit and England, a vernacular we know it, everyone will be screaming at Computer Arts issue 150. In the centuries, new interpretations on the Fat veg stalls – a big fat serif letter offering that forced the need for one another.” magazine’s Brief Encounters section Face had evolved and contemporary apples or potatoes by the pound (in the poster types and So would Loke use the new Fat award-winning designer Conor Breen versions can be serif, sans, slab, script or weight) for old money shillings and pence,” informed the Fat Faces Faces in his work? “Yes, I too will shout shows how to animate your type. display fonts. says Melton. “It is perhaps no surprise that of the 19th century. The later as a designer, quick hand-drawn expanding commercial conditions and Among the new Fat Face designers is letterforms for visuals were often rendered popularised tastes led Richard Kegler from P22, USA, who in a kind of Baskerville-like fat transitional to a preoccupation with designed the Daddy-O Fat Face. Based – which remains to date my most natural the fattening process of on the lettering of the Beat Generation drawn letterform.” the ‘modern’ Roman Era, Daddy-O FF was originally introduced Another designer bringing the letter. My preoccupation in 1995 as a collaborative effort between Fat Face phenomenon right up to date is with this period has naturally led to a The Whitney Museum of American Art Bryan Loke. “There is already a new era of number of my EM and P22. Menino – for whom the term Fat Fat Faces,” he says. “To me, the current Foundry types, which Face is an understatement – is a hugely trend of colouring out counters of (any) reflect this historical obese sans serif display font designed by typefaces and giving them a negative context that marks the Hector Herrera at GarageFonts, in 2000. 500 is an attempt to address the emergence of Victorian typographic exuberance – so vehemently disregarded when I was a junior designer, but now pillaged for its ornament by a youth without enforced prejudice or preconception.”

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08 09 Xxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx Xxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx

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13 I worry all these types shouting at the top of their blackened lungs will soon deafen us 11 Bryan Loke Designer/typographer 15

10 11 12 13 14 15 Cover of Adrian Fat Faces are found Xxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx Xxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx Xxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx Fat Face Cyrillic, Shaughnessy’s Look at wherever there is a xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx released by the this UK, 2006. need for advertising – xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx International Type including the humble xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx Corporation, USA, 1994. Tart Card. xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx xx xxxxxx xxxx xx xx

www.computerarts.co.uk June 2008_ Computer Arts Projects I worry all these types shouting at the top of their blackened lungs will very soon deafen us