Bank Gothic
By Michael Doret
Bank Gothic, originally designed in the early 1930s by Morris Fuller Benton never had a true set of lowercase characters. This is a brand spanking new release and a complete redraw and update of this perennial favorite—with a twist: Michael Doret has added a complete set of lowercase characters to this traditionally all caps font. The new Bank Gothic AS still has a complete set of shortcaps as well, but the addition of the newly devised lowercase makes this already popular font much more adaptable to today’s needs—for display as well as for text. These fonts are not direct copies of their respected source: Bank Gothic AS should be thought of as being a 21st Century update of a 20th Century classic.
For more info about Bank Gothic AS please visit Michael’s Bank Gothic page.
For purchase info for Bank Gothic AS please visit MyFonts.
See Ron and Joe’s Art bits! All images are royalty-free and available to pay for as single-image downloads, or as part of a comprehensive CD collection. Collections contain 115 to 700 images in both hi- and low-resolution.
Metroscript:
Michael Doret had been doing lettering similar to his Metroscript style in his design work for many years. With the advent of OpenType technology he realized that he could put together a script font that could do this style justice and be almost indistinguishable from hand-lettering. There was no one single inspiration for Metroscript: rather it is an amalgam of many different scripts that were popular hand-lettered styles between the 1920s and the 1950s. Metroscript is suggestive of vintage sports ephemera—especially when tails are added to words—but is also appropriate in virtually any context. It’s many ligatures, swashes, alternates, foreign accented characters and tails—all of which connect seamlessly—set it apart from most other script fonts.
For more info about how to access the unique features of Metroscript—visit:
• The Metroscript User Manual for OpenType Compatible Applications or
• The Metroscript User Manual for Non-OpenType Compatible Applications
or purchase info for Metroscript please visit Font Bros.
Orion:
A font where “each word that’s set approaches becoming its own logo” is how some have described this unique typeface. Originally inspired by an enamel sign he picked up at a Paris flea market, Michael Doret says that the seven letters contained in the sign were enough to suggest to him that here were letterforms put together in a way that he had never seen in a contemporary digital font. Always eager to create something a little out of the ordinary, he took up the challenge to flesh out the forms into a complete font. Orion can be defined as a geometric, connecting script that is at once contemporary, yet classic and timeless.
For purchase info for Orion please visit Font Bros.
PowerStation:
Michael Doret originally conceived this lettering as part of a unique display design created for Hershey’s Times Square flagship store, the PowerStation family is the perfect choice when looking for a font that speaks of strength, solidity and character. It comes in two “faceted” 3-D versions: “Block” where the dark side is dominant, and “Wedge” where you see more light than shadow. The family also includes both “Solid” and “Outline” versions of the font. They are all available in both normal and wide versions.
Two color typesetting capability has also been created by providing additional “High” and “Low” versions of Block and Wedge—the “Low” fonts containing the base solid letters, and the “High” fonts containing the highlights. By layering the two versions one over the other and applying different colors to each, incredibly powerful two color effects can be achieved.
For more info about 2 color typesetting with PowerStation please visit:
• The PowerStation Font Family and download User Manual and Guide for 2 Color Typesetting.
For purchase info for PowerStation please visit Font Bros.
The Julietrose™ design debuted in May of 2006 and was quickly embraced by members of the graphic design community, who found it as charming as its name. The playful, full-bodied script began to show up in all forms of graphic communication. However, it soon became apparent that a bold weight would add more versatility to the design. Martin Wait, Julietrose’s designer, happily obliged by drawing a new and more forceful weight of the typeface.
Where Julietrose is vivacious and lighthearted, Julietrose Bold is assertive and speaks with authority. They are clearly sisters, though – both weights feature flamboyant swashes and elegantly long ascenders and descenders. Both designs also offer a suite of swash and alternate characters, and are available in OpenType format.
The Julietrose family is small but irresistible. This pair can easily charm their way into such diverse uses as posters, restaurant menus, social announcements and even product brochures.
ITC Swank
Jill Bell’s typefaces are energetic, highly decorative, and refreshingly unpredictable. Some are friendly and childlike, while others are rough and nervous. Her latest creation is ITC Swank, a connected script whose “shabby-chic” sophistication communicates a worn elegance.
Bell begins the design process “with black stuff on white paper,” she explains, preferring to draw letters before she digitizes them. Often the inspiration for her typefaces comes from a piece of hand-lettering. “Bruno began as a reminder to buy cat food,” she says, “and ITC Swank started out as a small bit of lettering for Wurlitzer Pianos.”
Bell finds that working with blocks of lettering is a good start for script typefaces. “If I’m drawing a script typeface, I have to write out sentences in the letters first,” she explains. “Drawing each letter separately doesn’t establish the flow and spontaneity that scripts deserve.”
Bell’s newest design is ITC Swank. It’s a somewhat tattered formal script with definite links to early copperplate scripts. Though probably not for wedding invitations, Swank’s elegant underpinnings are evident, with its slightly narrow proportions and a baseline that can best be called “bouncy.” Graphic designers will appreciate the abundance of swash letters, making it easy to create distinctive headlines and short blocks of copy.