Jisung Park
SUBBOOKKEEPER
Source material: Banjo (Maximilien Vox / Deberny & Peignot)
Spring semester 2022
Q. Is there a word with 4 consecutive double letters?
A. Subbookkeeper is the only word in the English language with 4 consecutive double letters.
“There were several subbookkeepers working overtime to make up for the absent main bookkeeper.”
In fact, this is not an official word. I found this on the Urban Dictionary. This typeface has wide cases and narrow cases, with no lowercase. And to find a name that can put them side by side as much as possible, I found this word with the largest number of double consecutive letters and named it.
Banjo: Designed by Maximilien Vox for D&P in a single light style in 1930. Comes with narrow alternates for all letters (except 'IJWƌ'). No lowercase.
I was thinking of a typeface to use for a project with the Department of Architecture. I've got to know this lovely, slightly eccentric 1930s art deco style typeface from Nina's recommendation. It has a geometric feel, but it also has a pointy edge and elegant details of a narrow case (especially lowercase s). I liked the bloated feeling and modern and antique attitude.
This font, usually used in large display fonts on posters, has been made slightly thicker for common use, so I adjusted the pointed edges and exaggerated overshoots that make it look elegant. The most difficult but also interesting part was that I had to maintain the non-uniformity and the unique rhythm to bring out the weird and elegant details of it, but I had to get rid of its personality properly so that I could use it for what I wanted.
It has narrow cases and wide cases, and it can be used in a proper mix; and it naturally came to think about using it as a variable typeface when reinterpreted in modern times. During this semester, I applied the width variable typeface only to fonts such as E, B, R, P, D, and T that emphasize horizontal composition. And it's got all the narrow cases and some wide cases, and I've made additional wide cases that the original typeface didn't have, and I've modified the forms accordingly.
These student typeface designs created at Yale School of Art are noncommercial academic projects, commonly revivals or reinterpretations of historical typefaces. Read more about this typeface design course at Yale School of Art.
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