Fun With Type!

Last year I became a beta-tester for Astute Graphics’ Adobe Illustrator plugin “VectorScribe”. Those who know me know that I’m not really a very tech-savvy person. I get quite comfortable just sticking with doing things the way I usually do them. Over the years I’ve become very adept at using Illustrator, and was not overly excited at the thought of having to learn some new tools. I’d heard of Illustrator plugin tools, but I’d never really thought of using them before. So, to my surprise, I almost immediately embraced the new tools in VectorScribe. They work really well, ironing out a lot of the inherent flaws in Illustrator. I’d learned to live with a lot of those flaws, but once I learned I didn’t need to live with them anymore, those “flaws” started to look more and more like gaping wounds. VectorScribe is great—now I don’t know how I ever got along without it! You can download a little Case Study we did about VectorScribe here. I would definitely encourage all serious Adobe Illustrator users to at least try the 14 day free trial version. It will change your life!

So when the good folks at Astute Graphics asked me if I’d work on a little printed promo for them I thought “Well, why not? I really believe in their products”. The front and back covers of the piece were to be covered with testimonial quotes about their plugins from other users. The challenge was to make this list of quotes visually exciting. Most of my work is lettering-centric, but with this project the challenge was to only use set type and limited color—something a little different for me. I did use two of my own fonts, PowerStation (currently on sale) and DeLuxe Gothic: see if you can find them. Anyway, I think you can see that it’s possible to create a lot of visual fun by just using the basics, and combining them in imaginative ways. This is real Alphabet Soup!

Above is how the front cover turned out...

...and the back cover below:

The "Sassafras" Logo Project—New Bar Set to Open in Hollywood

Bobby Green of 1933 Group has cornered the market for drinking establishments in Los Angeles with a string of bars including Atwater's Bigfoot Lodge, Highland Park's La Cuevita, Culver City's Oldfield's Liquor Room, and Silverlake's Thirsty Crow.

Now Bobby's about to carve the another notch in his belt of Los Angeles watering holes with the opening of the Deep South inspired "Sassafras" in Hollywood on Vine Street—which at 3000 square feet will be the group's flagship location.

Tasked with designing the Sassafras logo, I first met with Jim Heimann, who'd acted as AD for several of Bobby's other projects (and who's also an editor at Taschen America). Discussing the look that Bobby wanted, it became clear that we needed to move towards a turn-of-the-century (19th to 20th)—and decidedly decorative look,with a sort of organic/plant-like flavor . . . perhaps using decorative borders that felt like vines or roots, to try to get across the feeling of the root-inspired intoxicants that Sassafras will be featuring. Thinking I knew exactly what they wanted, I went through the following roughs, presenting the tighter one to both Bobby and Jim:

The design generally went over OK, except that Bobby wanted the design to become even more specific to the actual sassafras plant. We discussed various ways we could achieve that, and Bobby also provided me with images of roots and of the sassafras plant and flowers. He further explained that the bar will serve root-inspired intoxicants containing both sassafras (from which root beer is made) and sarsaparilla, in addition to barrel-aged cocktails.

So I went back to the drawing board and started over taking into consideration the reference and other comments from the meeting. I then developed the following layout—what I had in mind was to use the "Brothers" typeface (this font was designed by my friend John Downer) as the basis for the word (except for the cap "S"), so that if we needed to create a straighter, simpler "Sassafras", it wouldn't be that much of a problem.

Feeling confident of this direction, I presented it to both Bobby and Jim. With the exception of my needing to add a border back in, it went over well, and I proceeded to flesh the logo out in Illustrator. So here's where we ended up, both with and without borders:

Sassafras is located at 1233 Vine Street, next door to the historic Villa Elaine. During the 1940s this historic landmark apartment building was home to Man Ray, Orson Welles and Henry Miller (there is a lot of history in this town). Sassafras' opening will be towards the end of August—so watch this blog for update postings. Hope to see you all there!

Now you can see Part 2 of this post! 

The Dyna-Fonts Winners at Applied Arts

The judges at this year's Applied Arts Design Competition, in their first ever Typeface Design category, selected both Dynascript and Dynatype as winners. They were selected as The Dyna-Fonts—a typeface family.

I'm very proud of these fonts, and am pleased that they've begun to get the recognition I think they deserve. They work extremely well both together and separately, and in both display and in smaller settings, as you can see from the comparison below (click to enlarge).

I've begun to make both Dynascript and Dynatype available together at a reduced price. They can be found under the name "The Dyna-Font Collection" which can be purchased at MyFonts.

The Dyna-Fonts are now following in the footsteps of some of my other recent fonts that have garnered industry acclaim—most notably Deliscript, which was lauded by the Type Directors Club in their TDC² 2010 competition and also in 2011 by CA's Typography Annual 1, (the page excerpt of which can be seen HERE), and  Steinweiss Script—also recognized in this year's Typography Annual 2, (the page excerpt of which can be seen HERE). After being named a "Rising Star" Metroscript became "MyFonts’ Brush Script Font of the Year" and was subsequently named as #5 in Smashing Magazine’s “30 Brilliant Typefaces For Corporate Design“. The magazine went on to say about Metroscript: "lettering artist Michael Doret has adapted his trademark hand-lettering style to the computer, creating one of the most sophisticated suites of script fonts on the market.”

Andrew Byrom Discussion at A+D Museum/LA

I met Andrew Byrom about a year ago when he gave a short talk at Pecha Kucha Night in Los Angeles. His creatively innovative and non-traditional approach to experimental typographic design really blew me away: I had never before seen work like his which blurred the edges between graphic design, scupture, and conceptual/perfornance art. There’s really no easy way to describe his work. He just let me know he’s giving a presentation on June 29th at the Architecture and Design Museum. If you’re interested in what’s happening on the cutting edge of typographic design, don’t miss this event!

See you there.

Wreck-It Ralph Title Treatment Seen at E3 Conference

Some friends of mine were good enough to send along a few photos of the Wreck-It Ralph title treatment lording it over the attendees recently at Los Angeles" E3EXPO. These were sent by Steve Silvas and taken by Mike Moreno. Thanks guys! I'm extremely pleased to see that Disney Motion Pictures is making this title treatment one of the key components of its promotion for this upcoming animated film.

Wreck-It Ralph Trailer Debuts on Web

The Wreck-It Ralph official trailer is finally up on the web. Look for the animated version of the title treatment I designed (just below) at the end of the trailer. For more on my design process for this logo see my previous Wreck-It Ralph posting.

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Oversized Album Cover Prints Available on Official KISS Website

2/1/13 NOTE: Due to "human error" these prints are currently unavailable for purchase from the Live Nation website. However they will be back—please check back here again soon! These two signed (signed by me [Michael Doret] and the members of the group), limited edition, large scale fine art prints (not lithos) are still available through the official KISS Online Store. RaRO is signed by myself, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Sonic Boom is also signed by the two newer members of the band. These prints made from my original artwork of Rock and Roll Over and Sonic Boom are the best incarnations you will ever see of my art for these two iconic KISS releases (please ignore the fact that it says "Pre Order" on Sonic Boom – that's a typo).

I have digitally redone my orignal art for Rock and Roll Over (after 30+ years the original original art is long gone), and so now it's cleaner and crisper than ever before. The art for Sonic Boom was digitally created to begin with, and so enlarges to the 20" size perfectly. To give an idea of the print quality and clarity of these giclées, here's a detail of Sonic Boom showing the watercolor paper texture:

The print images are 20" square printed on 25" square "Museo Textured Rag" digital Watercolor paper. These are archival prints and will show no visible signs of fading for 100+ years under reasonable lighting situations.

Printed by Art Works Fine Art Publishing in Los Angeles, these editions are limited to 250 prints each, and each print will come with a certificate of authenticity signed by me.

As the creator of these two pieces I am very critical of print quality, but suffice it to say that when I saw the final proofs of these two pieces I was blown away by the color intensity and the quality.

To see my other blog posts on Kiss...here are the links—earliest first:

1) For All You ‘KISS’ Fans Out There…

2) The Return of . . . KISS (#1)

3) The Return of . . . KISS (#2)

4) The Return of . . . KISS (#3)

5) WXRX/Live Radio Chat

6) Podcast Interview on PodKISSt

7) Signed Prints Available on Illogator

Title Treatment for “Wreck-It Ralph”. —— Client: Walt Disney Animation Studios

It’s been a while since I’d been called to do a title treatment for a major motion picture, so it was with great pleasure that I went in to see Disney Executive VP John Sabel to discuss working with them on developing a logo for a new animated feature slated for release this November 2nd. Wreck-It Ralph tells the story of Ralph, an arcade video game "bad guy" (John C. Reilly)—a one-man wrecking crew who is determined to prove he can be a good guy. Starting out as a classic arcade 8-bit character, Ralph travels through several arcade worlds, ending up in fully articulated 24-bit form. Here’s the final logo we ended up with: The process of developing this title treatment extended over several months. It’d be impossible to detail here all the stages we went through, but I’d like to just show here first some of my development pencil sketches: Some of the letterforms I used were reminiscent of the shapes in the character. I tried to provide as many attitudes and alternatives as I felt worked for the subject matter. It was felt that a suggestion of the main character and his 8-bit nature might be a good way to go. In all cases I wanted the treatment to be playful and reminiscent of some of the classic arcade logos of the ‘70s. When I came up with the idea of an 8-bit logo surrounding an 8-bit face, I knew we had hit paydirt. So from that point on I took that approach and developed  the logo in digital form. It went through many, many different stages, culminating in the title treatment you see at the top of this post. It was decided that the face I came up with for Ralph was a little too “angry” looking . . . so I took it down a notch. Also the “Disney” logo needed to somehow be incorporated. We tried it both inside and and outside and above the treatment. I tried creating a border, making a self contained “badge” treatment with the Disney logo inside: We then simplified the “badge” a bit: We eliminated the “badge” completely, again opting for more simplicity: We changed Ralph’s face again, making him a little bit meaner looking, and edited the shapes of the letterforms. In the end we eliminated the “brick” texture that filled the letterforms, opting again for a simpler look. Here’s that final title treatment again:  

Audio Interview w/Tony Ross at TonyTeach

TonyTeach is an online learning center where you can find video tutorials, podcasts and live training for Flash, Toon Boom Animate, Photoshop, and more—both for free, and for purchase. Recently Tony Ross caught up with me, and we had a half hour discussion about how I work, my inspirations, digital vs. analog, and about my career in general—plus I give a couple of useful tips on using Adobe Illustrator's pen tool that even this seasoned teacher was surprised by. Here's a recording of that discussion: Tony Ross Interview

Update: Terry Chouinard Got Your Help!

I'm very pleased to report that Mr. Chouinard achieved his Kickstarter goal. Those who've invested $35 or more can choose from among the prints by 15 different artists—myself included–to receive as one of the perks for being a contributor. See Terry's Kickstarter page for details. I'm also pleased to report that Terry will make available to me 100 beautifully printed 18" x 24" letterpress copies of my "Wonderful World" artwork, below, which I will sign and make available as soon as the ink dries. So even if you missed being a contributor to his campaign you can still obtain a copy of that print. If you'd like to reserve one, send me an email and I'll be sure to set one aside for you. Thanks!

Terry Chouinard Needs Your Help!

Terry Chouinard is a master letterpress printer. Letterpress printing is a craft that is slowly disappearing, but there are still some great practitioners out there keeping it alive. Mr. Chouinard has invented a device that will greatly enhance their ability to keep ink colors accurate and consistent throughout a print run—no matter how big or small. One of his followers wrote a really nice piece describing what he's done on her blog Quince & Quire. He's looking for small investors to be able to make his "Ink Dial" a reality—and has posted it on Kickstarter. Terry asked me to donate a piece of art so that he could offer a signed, limited edition, letterpress version of it as a reward to investors, and I gladly offered my piece "Wonderful World". For an investment of as little as $35 a beautiful hand-printed 18" x 24" letterpress version of this art could be yours.

There are 14 other artists who have committed art to Terry to try to help him get his Ink Dial off the ground. Please check out this very worthy project. The more you donate the more prints you could be rewarded with by the likes of Marian Bantjes, Andrew Byrom, Paul Shaw and Jack Unruh. His deadline on Kickstarter is coming up soon—take a look and see if you don't want to support this very worthy project.

Dynascript Makes Its 1953 Premiere… In the 21st Century

Several months ago I was contacted by David Klein, Vice President of Charles P. Rogers & Co. in NYC (bed manufacturing), about working together with him on a project. He described his company as "a small idiosyncratic company that has been making a quality product for over 150 years". David had fallen in love with—and purchased—a 1953 Fageol Van that had been housed in The Golden Age of Trucking Museum which had recently closed its doors. The Fageols were beautiful vans that came in various sizes and configurations. Physically the truck was in good condition, and David loved and wanted to keep the brilliant yellow color that it had been given by the Barrieau family—the van's original owners. His vision was that this truck would become a moving billboard for CPR & Co, driving around New York, conveying "the Charles P. Rogers Beds message" in a manner that this van might have—had it been theirs back in the '50s. Wanting to keep as much historical accuracy as I could, I asked about older graphics and logos from the CPR & Co archives but there was very little except for this monogram (which I kind of liked). So, I needed to create graphics that felt appropriate for this 1953 van, and which helped evoke a simpler time. The only concrete thing that I had to work with from Rogers & Co. was the monogram, so I used that design as a basis to create a "medallion" that could be used on the front and sides of the truck. Just prior to the call from David I had begun development of a new font (which became Dynascript over the next few months), and decided that somehow it felt right to use it for the supporting graphics/slogans on the sides of the van. The van is currently in the process of having my graphics applied, so what you're looking at is a Photoshop assembled composite of the truck with my design work superimposed. For the back of the van I created a logo in which I tried to evoke and encompass the over 150 year history of the company. Though it is a bit different from the mid-century vibe that Dynascript had helped give the front and side graphics, I felt it was appropriate and didn't conflict with them. Also, it might be noteworthy to mention that I used the non-connecting italic version of Dynascript for the URLs on the back and sides of the van.

Not unlike my project with Deliscript and the Canter's food truck, here was another instance of the influence that assignment work and font design had on each other. Even though they both started out as independent projects, they soon became inextricably entwined. Dynascript is probably a better font for it, because, with this project, I was trying to solve its design both from the point of view of a fontmaker, and from that of a font user.

Soon, when actual photos of the finished truck become available, I will post them here along with my development sketches and more detailed descriptions of the design process. Comments welcomed!

Typography Enters the Space Age! - Dynascript's World Premiere on MyFonts

Dynascript brings the ease of “Pushbutton Automatic” to your typesetting experience. Dynascript is actually 2-Fonts-In-1: without switching fonts you can instantly change from Dynascript’s connecting font to the non-connecting italic with the simple push of a button. (Just press the “Stylistic Alternates” button in the OpenType palette.) Typesetters across the planet will also be able to set copy in their language of choice. Dynascript’s 694 glyphs can be used to set copy in: Albanian, Basque, Catalan, Cornish, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Estonian, Faroese, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Kalaallisut, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Maltese, Manx, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Oromo, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, and Welsh—and of course English. Sorry! Off-world languages not yet supported. What is Dynascript? It’s is a completely original, never before seen, bold script font—but to some it may be reminiscent of various mid-century neon signage, and of sign writing, Speedball alphabets and even baseball scripts. The design of Dynascript also takes some cues from a historical typographic curiosity that began in Germany in the ‘20s and which lasted into the ‘60s—when Photo-Lettering gave it the name "Zip-Top". Basically it was believed to be the wave of the future—that by weighting an alphabet heavier in its top half, one could increase legibility and reading speed. The jury’s still out on whether or not there’s any validity to this claim—but you can decide for yourself!

Dynascript makes it's debut today on MyFonts, and we'll start its special introductory sale on MyFonts tomorrow (25% Off!).

For more detailed information please download “The Dynascript Manual” pdf (800 kb).

Dynascript Design and Art: Michael Doret

Dynascript OpenType Programming: Patrick Griffin/Canada Type

I Am Pleased To Announce...

...that my latest font design is just about ready for release. It's a script font in OpenType format, but I believe it's unlike anything else on the market. What makes Dynascript unique (apart from its design) is that it's actually two fonts in one. The default font (above) is a connecting script. However, with the simple press of a button in the OpenType palette you will be able to convert your copy into the alternate non-connecting version of Dynascript (below)—a very different look! Dynascript will contain almost 700 glyphs with support for the following languages: Albanian, Basque, Catalan, Cornish, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Estonian, Faroese, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Kalaallisut, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Maltese, Manx, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Oromo, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, and Welsh. Oh, and I almost forgot—English.

I'm currently involved in creating the supporting graphics, and I hope to have Dynascript released very soon. Also in the works—a completely redrawn upright version of Dynascript which I should have ready for release withinin the next few months.

So Why No New Posts Lately?

(In case you're wondering) I haven't really been able to post anything of note lately because I've just been far too busy with work. Since I decided long ago to do everything myself, if I can't get to it, it just doesn't get done. With that in mind I thought I'd just take this free moment to make a quick note of what I've been up to. First and foremost I've been working with a new and exciting client in the film industry. I'm not at liberty to discuss what I've been doing yet, but suffice it to say that what I've been working on will soon be highly visible to anyone living in the civilized world . . . and I think it's some of the best work I've ever done. Stay tuned, because, when I am able, I will be posting "case studies" of the stages these lettering treatments went through–from rough ideas to finished art.

Second...in case you haven't noticed I'm not the most prodigious of font-makers, averaging maybe one new design a year at best. I've had a new script design in the works for quite some time now, and it's getting close to completion – hopefully within a month or two. Like most of my font work, it's a completely new design—not a rehash of something from  the past that's been unearthed. But at the same time many will think that it looks "familiar" without quite being able to place it! So, in the coming weeks, time willing, I'll be posting some snippets of this new design before it's official release.

Speaking of fonts, I just learned that Steinweiss Script was voted by Graphic-Design.com as the "official font" of their 17th Annual Fall Fonts Festival. About the choice, Fred Showker wrote that this font was "a masterful creation because of the multitude of special settings, alternative characters, ligatures and frequently used pairs and triads of letters that go together differently than straight typesetting"  and that "the real value of Michael Doret's fonts is the incredible amount of work he builds into each font. He actually tries hundreds of different settings, looking for problem areas and opportunities for alternates. You'll only find a handful of fonts out on the market that are this flexible and complete ... a half dozen of those are Michaels!" Wow! Thanks Fred!

Steinweiss on Steinweiss

When I originally did the title lettering for "Alex Steinweiss: The Inventor of the Modern Album Cover" I hadn't yet designed "Steinweiss Script". In fact it was designing this headline that spurred me to do that typeface design. In retrospect there were many interior headlines and other lines of copy for the book that Josh Baker, AD at Taschen, would have liked to have had set in a new Steinweiss Script font. But they had to settle for what was available at that time, which was one of several different digitized versions of what Alex Steinweiss had originally designed for Photo-Lettering. Now Taschen has released their more moderately priced trade edition of this incredible book—and just in time for this release I was able to reset all their headlines and other copy the way we had originally wanted to—in Steinweiss Script:

Above: Before and After Details from the older and newer editions

Below: You can Look Inside the earlier edition...

...or Look Inside the newer version:

Our intention was that the newer version, with everything reset in Steinweiss Script, would feel closer to what Mr. Steinweiss would have done had he been able to apply his scrawl to these pages.

Just a reminder: Steinweiss Script is available for purchase on MyFonts, Veer, FontShop and YouWorkForThem. To learn more about these fonts, read Steven Heller's Imprint article or MyFonts' Creative Characters for January.

Alex Steinweiss, 1917 – 2011

Just having returned from vacation, I discovered that while I was incommunicado Alex Steinweiss—one of my heroes and the inspiration for my Steinweiss font—had passed away. So I'd just like to add my voice (belatedly) to the chorus who have recognized him as one of the giants of 20th century design, who has influenced countless people in the design and illustration fields, and brought delight to millions of others through his beautiful work. The world is indeed a lesser place without him. R.I.P. Mr. Steinweiss.

Fonts In Use: GQ Picks Steinweiss Script for their Comedy Issue

I just got a call from my pal Glenn Parsons of Astrolux Design who informed me that my last font release Steinweiss Script was all over the new issue of GQ Magazine. Kudos to their Creative Director Jim Moore for making such a smart choice!* Here's a collage of a few of the pieces taken from different pages in the current issue. I think these demonstrate nicely some of the versatility of this font, such as the ability to set words on curved paths—and still have all letters connect properly. You can find links to all the outlets where Steinweiss Script is sold (as well as all my other fonts) on the Alphabet Soup pages of my website. I'm also proud to announce that Steinweiss Script is now being sold from the YouWorkForThem website, my newest font reseller.

*Update – June 7,2012: I stand corrected. The choice to use Steinweiss Script was made by GQ Design Director Fred Woodward. My apologies for not checking on that first. M.

My Mentor Sol Schwartz In Solo Exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum

We all have certain people in our lives—without whom those lives would most likely have taken very different paths. For me there's one person who stands out above all the rest, and his name is Sol Schwartz. I have often spoken about how my growing up in Brooklyn was a formidable influence on what I was to become. When I was a student at Sheepshead Bay High School (quick aside: Larry David was one of Sheepshead's more notable graduates) Sol was a young teacher overflowing with energy, ideas, and inspiration he wanted to share with his students. I don't think anyone was more inspired by Sol than me. More than any other person, Sol is the reason I became a designer. In fact, while my parents were making plans for me to attend law school (unimaginable!), Sol met with and somehow convinced them it would be a better idea to allow me apply to art school. Then he encouraged me to apply to the best: Cooper, Yale and Pratt. I ended up attending my #1 choice, Cooper Union, the experience of which in the end totally transformed my life. So I have a lot to thank Sol for. This month Sol has been accorded an honor that has been long overdue: the Norman Rockwell Museum is giving him a solo show "Sol Schwartz: Drawing in the Dark".

One of Sol's great loves has always been drawing from life. This particular show focuses on the drawings he's created of artists at live performances during summer seasons at Tanglewood, Shakespeare & Co., the Berkshire Theater Festival and Jacob's Pillow. He does these drawings of musicians, conductors, dancers and actors in the dark, while he is in the audience watching them perform. His love for the theater arts permeates every line he draws. With his drawings from Tanglewood one can almost hear the music—the line work being imbued with an energy and life that would not be possible in any other medium.

Sol is one of those artists who cannot help themselves from constantly drawing (I think he might actually draw in his sleep!). His series of nudes drawn with pastel on colored paper are reminiscent of the old masters. When I saw these recently I couldn't help but look up an old self-portrait I had done in Sol's classroom just to compare it with his work, and see if I saw any influence.

Looking at it (and looking back) I think my "drawing" skills may have left a bit to be desired, so I hope in that regard I wasn't too much of a disappointment to my teacher! Sadly I won't be able to make it to the opening at the Norman Rockwell Museum, but for anyone in the Stockbridge, Massachusetts area the opening will take place on Saturday, July 9th. Those who can make it will have the extra added pleasure of listening to Sol give a commentary on his work at 6:00 PM. As a former student of his, I can honestly say that listening to Sol speak is something you won't forget!

You can purchase Sol's book "Drawing Music – The Tanglewood Sketchbooks" through Amazon.

Laura Smith Interviewed by Anne Telford

My wife, Illustrator Laura Smith, was recently interviewed by Anne Telford about her whimsical illustrations for the Summer 2011 edition of The Directory of Illustration's Illustration Voice – the online illustration newsletter. Anne was the founding managing editor of Communication Arts magazine, and is now their Editor-At-Large.

The current issue of Communication Arts magazine (Illustration Annual 52) also features Laura's cover illustration for The Graphic Artists Guild Pricing and Ethical Guidelines (see my previous post on this), and is she currently featured in the Guild's Member Spotlight.

In addition that PEGs cover was recently honored by the Society of Illustrators: Illustrators 53, and was also a winner in the Altpick 7 Awards.