I began collaborating with Sean Mason on the design of his sophomore album in October 2024. He reached out to explain his plan for a complete rebrand of his visual identity. Sean is a visionary Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, composer and bandleader, and a recipient of a Bessie Award and Bistro Award.

The challenge was to translate the pianist’s spiritual and creative rebirth into a singular visual identity; to visually represent the joy, but also the difficulties, of that process.

The primary inspiration was the Ivy aesthetic, championed by Miles Davis in the 1950s and 60s. Sean attended Juilliard and moved to NYC in 2018. He then came back to his roots, his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. His music is deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of the South. Thus, it felt fitting that the album packaging hinted at the colors of the American flag. Sean’s musical style is very reverential, often paying homage to old school jazz, hard bop and gospel music. I wanted the visual aesthetic to mirror his respect for the jazz tradition. Therefore, in all the promotional materials and the album packaging, I incorporated typographic references ranging from the early 20th century to the 1970s.

[More info on Discogs]

Front and back cover

Inner gatefold

Inner sleeve

These sheets include logos of publications that reviewed A Breath of Fresh Air, some of which use additional fonts like Gill Sans, Clarendon, and Frutiger that are not part of the album design.

From Wikipedia:

Languages of Art: An Approach to a Theory of Symbols is a book by the American philosopher Nelson Goodman. It is a work of 20th century aesthetics in the analytic tradition. Originally published in 1968, it was revised in 1976. Goodman continued to refine and update these theories in essay form for the rest of his career.

The cover design on this 1976 paperback by Bobbs-Merill is uncredited, but does say on the back cover, only partially visible on this well-worn copy: “The cover design is based on a score for a dance and musical composition by Joyce Mekeel.” I believe it matches the original hardcover design from 1968.

Encore is the title of an album by the piano duo Ferrante & Teicher, released in 1970 on the Harmony Records label. Originally released in 1960 with a different cover and titled Themes From Broadway Shows, it features arrangements of show tunes from musicals like The Music Man, Gypsy, and Bye, Bye Birdie. Two sizes of Bookman are used for setting the titles, artist name, and song list. The cover photo is credited to Don Hunstein who may have been responsible for the typography as well.

[More info on Discogs]

Volume one

From Wikipedia:

Josephine Mutzenbacher or The Story of a Viennese Whore, as Told by Herself (German: Josefine Mutzenbacher oder Die Geschichte einer Wienerischen Dirne von ihr selbst erzählt) is an erotic novel first published anonymously in Vienna, Austria, in 1906. The novel is famous in the German-speaking world, having been in print in both German and English for over 100 years and sold over 3 million copies, becoming an erotic bestseller.

Although no author claimed responsibility for the work, it was originally attributed to either Felix Salten or Arthur Schnitzler by the librarians at the University of Vienna. Today, critics, scholars, academics and the Austrian Government designate Salten as the sole author of the "pornographic classic".

This edition was published in 1972 by Brandon Books, a subsidiary of Parliament News, Inc. Volume one contains an English translation of the original novel, while volume two contains a translation of a sequel written by a different author, originally titled Meine 365 Liebhaber.

The title combines Makart with oblique Bookman. The author attribution, as well as the volume number, publisher name, serial number and price, use Trade Gothic. The other credits use italic Century Expanded.

Volume two

I’ve previously posted the cover of Grosset & Dunlap’s paperback edition of this cookbook, featuring West Fantini. This is the first edition published by David White in hardback three years earlier, in 1969. The cover was likewise designed by Loretta Trezzo.

The title typeface again is by Photo-Lettering. This time it’s Benguiat Montage, and probably its Extra Condensed width. A comparison to the digital version by House Industries reveals various differences, see below. This is because that is more of a revision and refinement than a 100% faithful digitization. Looking at period specimens shows that Benguiat’s original from the 1960s did have that wide f and that big fat ball terminal on r. For all I know, Montage never offered an alternate form for the letter k, neither then or now. I’ll have to assume that the form with curved leg was a customization, made by the PLINC staff just for this job.

For “The”, Trezzo used the catchword included in Bookman. Wooding’s name and the description are set in what looks like Torino Italic.

The title on the book cover (top) compared to a resetting in the digital Montage by House Industries

From Wikipedia:

Norma Zimmer (July 13, 1923 – May 10, 2011) was an American vocalist, best remembered for her 22-year tenure as Lawrence Welk’s “Champagne Lady” on The Lawrence Welk Show.

This album of hers uses a bold Bookman with swashes, the exact version of which is yet unidentified. Smaller bits are added in another Bookman that is a match for the ATF version.

[More info on Discogs]

Матадор (Matador) is a Russian TV show about modern culture that ran from 1991 to 1995. From Wikipedia (translated from the Russian):

The first episode of Konstantin Ernst’s artistic and journalistic cultural television program Matador was aired on January 5, 1991 – it was a program dedicated primarily to cinema, as well as culture, music, fashion, advertising, significant events and creative people. The topics of the episodes included the Venice Film Festival, Paris Haute Couture Week, the filming of the film Apocalypse Now, the life and work of couturier Paco Rabanne, the creator of Benetton advertising campaigns Oliviero Toscani, singer Serge Gainsbourg, film actress Marilyn Monroe, and directors Jean-Luc Godard, Wim Wenders and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

The logo is in a Cyrillic version of Bramley, with seriously squoosed letterforms. Titles use a wide variety of fonts.

Belwe for Стивен Содерберг (Steven Soderbergh)

Karnac

Bramley

Bookman

Stencil

Mistral

Oakwood

Palatino in italic caps

The cover of the 1970 Bantam Books edition of Simone de Beauvoir’s groundbreaking work. Title and author are set in Bookman Swash: a clear favourite of the graphic design agencies of the era. The promo copy including summary and blurb are in a different, plainer variant of Bookman Italic.

Swashes abound, drop, clash, and in one case a ball terminal of the swash n in Simone plays the part of the dot in the i of Beauvoir.

Losing Battles is the last novel written by Eudora Welty (1909–2001), published on April 13, 1970, the author’s 61st birthday.

The typeface used for the book jacket is West Fantini, drawn by Dave West in a single Italic Swash style for Photo-Lettering. The stylized italic Clarendon is shown in their 1971 catalog, together with the slightly lighter West Grandanos. There is no digitization yet, but West Italiano – which can be described as a variant with more contrast – was digitized by House Industries.

The jacket design is credited to John “Mas” Masuo Kashiwabara (1933–2022), an art director who first worked in the field of publishing and later in pharmaceutical advertising. He employed a woodcut by Guy Fleming. Mary M. Ahern worked on the book’s interior design.

The author photo on the back panel is by Rollie McKenna (1918–2003).

For the title page, Ahern used Ultra Bodoni in roman and italic styles.

The typography was carried over to the cover of the paperback edition by Fawcett Crest from August 1971, with an italic Bookman added for the praise.

From the inner flaps:

Everyone knows that Hitler had plans for the invasion of Britain. Few Americans know that Nazi troops actually landed on British soil. Still fewer can imagine the details of invasion, defeat, and occupation.

Here Norman Longmate, author of sixteen books, asks the novelist’s ultimate question: What if – and bases the answer on known fact. The result is an exciting – indeed frightening – vision, as the Nazis break through British defenses, an underground develops, hostages are shot, Jews are rounded up, and the leader of Britain’s fascists, Sir Oswald Mosley, is asked to cooperate with the occupying forces. What would have happened to the King, to the Government? What would America have done? Would Canada and Australia have been able to were to the rescue? Would the British people have come to accept the occupation – even feel hostile toward the resistance fighters? Would the deportation of friends, the flying of the swastika from Buckingham Palace incite docility or been resistance?

The bestselling novel Vandenberg by Oliver Lange showed how Americans reacted to a Soviet occupation of the United States. Now If Britain Had Fallen does the same for a country that actually did teeter on the brink of defeat.

If Britain Had Fallen will be shown as a three-part television series in the United States.

Norman Longmate (1925–2016) was an English author and historian. This book of his was published in the UK by BBC Publications and Hutchinson, and subsequently in the United States by Stein and Day.

[More info on ISFDB]

Christmas Follies is the third album by the Salsoul Orchestra, comprised predominantly of Christmas songs.

The title of the album uses a version of Bookman distinguished by wonkily-swashed letter forms: Bookman Meola. The track listing is comparatively restrained, though – it's a standard version of Bookman.

No designer is credited. The photograph is by Joel Brodsky.

[More info on Discogs]

The design was also used for a single release, featuring the same typefaces.

In 1981, a second volume followed. Christmas Jollies II has a red cover and a second mirrored woman.

Alatriste is a 2006 Spanish epic historical fiction war film directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes, based on the main character of a series of novels written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, The Adventures of Captain Alatriste (Las aventuras del Capitán Alatriste). The story takes place across Europe during the 17th century.

The film, which stars Viggo Mortensen, is the second most expensive Spanish language film ever made in Spain (about €24 million – US$30 million); only preceded by Agora.

The film is particularly notable for its rendition of the Battle of Rocroi, discussed here. This was a significant defeat of Spain by France in the Thirty Years War.

Alias Elephant was used for caption and credit type — as far as I know a one-off for the typeface. A bespoke or customised serif type is used for the film title.

The logo appears to be based on Bookman, in tightly spaced and distressed caps, with a barless A (or upside-down and mirrored V), an upsidedown S, and a cropped E.

From Wikipedia:

A Warm Shade of Ivory is a 1969 album by American composer and arranger Henry Mancini issued by RCA Records. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Album Chart on 2 August 1969. Mancini’s arrangement of Nino Rota’s Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on June 28, 1969, and remained there for two weeks.

This album interests me because the version of Bookman on it is condensed. No idea where it comes from – Letraset’s Bookman Bold Condensed wasn’t released until 1980. There’s also a smaller made-for-text version for the purple and black text.

[More info on Discogs]

Detail with the typography

This album with compositions by Johann Strauss II was recorded by an unnamed “Symphony Orchestra” conducted by “Valentino” – probably a fantasy name. It was released by His Master’s Voice in the United Kingdom in 1957. This is an American pressing by ABC-Paramount Records.

The cover was designed by Winifred Milius Lubell (1914–2012). For the title, she combined a bichromatic setting of the ornate Lexington (for “STRAUSS”) with caps from an unidentified plain sans (for “IN HI-FI”). The track list is set in News Gothic Bold.

[More info on Discogs]

Front cover of the original LP cover, with faces from inner sleeve side 1

Some Girls is a 1978 album from the English rock band The Rolling Stones, generally regarded as something of a comeback after a few years of declining popularity.

The album cover was designed by Peter Corriston with illustrations by Hubert Kretzschmar. Making use of an elaborate die-cut design, it inserts the faces of the Rolling Stones and various female celebrities into a vintage advertisement by Valmor Products Corporation. This design was quickly met with a lawsuit due to the unauthorized use of the likenesses of Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Judy Garland, Raquel Welch, and Marilyn Monroe. The album was quickly reissued with a redesigned cover that removed the celebrities. Valmor also took legal action and was awarded money for the reuse of their design.

“The Rolling Stones” is set in Flash Bold, and “Some Girls” is Brush Script. A wide variety of other typefaces are used in the advertising copy. “AFRO” might be Filmotype Homer with alternates. The bold scripty caps used for “WIZ-WIG” are from an unidentified source – Bold Mercantile Italic is in the same ballpark [edit: they appear to be derived from Kalligraphia, see comments].

[More info on Discogs]

Inner sleeve side 1

Detail showing the die-cuts

Front cover with faces from inner sleeve side 2

Inner sleeve side 2

Front cover with faces from inner sleeve side 2, variant with different color order, EMI Electrola, Germany

Back cover, Dutch version, EMI Records Holland

Magazine advertisement

Original version (bottom), revised version (top)

The revised cover, which removed the celebrity images

Interior sleeve side 1, revised

Interior sleeve side 2, revised

A third version of the album cover with the hand-drawn faces from the original Valmore ad was used on the 1986 CD reissue.

From kensfoods.com:

Ken’s is a family business that traces back to the basement of Ken’s Steak House, a restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts that became known for its delicious salad dressings.

As of 2023, they offer more than sixty different flavors, from Apple Cider Vinaigrette to Zesty Italian. The “Ken’s Steak House” logo is in some Bookman with swashes. Judging from the a’s bowl and other details, it’s not Bookman Swash a.k.a. “Sixties Bookman” as offered by Letraset, VGC and others, though.

“Steakhouse Dressing” is in all-caps Goudy Oldstyle, with Futura for “1941”. The product names are shown in Raleigh. Ken’s uses these typefaces at least since 2008, and probably a lot longer than that. On current labels, the product category (like “Dressing”, for example) and other additional text appears to be in a squooshed ITC Berkeley Oldstyle Italic with swash caps and modifications.

Front cover (1973 reissue)

Released in 1968, Music from Big Pink is the debut studio album by the Band. The Canadian-American rock band had backed Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour (then still under their former name, the Hawks). According to Wikipedia,

Dylan offered to sing on the album, but ultimately realized it was important for the Band to make their own statement. Instead, Dylan signified his presence by contributing a cover painting.

The album design is by Milton Glaser, who also created the famous poster included in Dylan’s Greatest Hits album from 1967. While the front cover with Dylan’s painting of six musicians and an elephant is devoid of any typography, the back cover presents the title in big black capitals from Egyptienne Bold Condensed, with one word per line. Photography by Elliott Landy.

[More info on Discogs]

Back cover (1973 reissue). The album was named after “Big Pink”, a house shared by band members Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, New York, where some of the music was composed. Smaller text is set in Helvetica and News Gothic.

Gatefold (1978 reissue). The typeface used for the band member’s names, the track list and other text is Bookman.

Back and front cover (1978 reissue)

No more space for ambiguity: this CD edition places the band name and the album title on the front cover.

I get that a Baroque-themed album asks for some extravagance. Still, using swash alternates for every single glyph is a bit too much, isn’t it? But hey, we get to see the ampersand of Davison Art Nouveau! Or at least one of it – there might have been one or more alternates. This record featuring Edward Tarr and George Kent with Bengt Eklund and Helmut Böcker was released by Nonesuch Records (H-71279) in 1973, two years before the swashy bold roman premiered as the Dune font.

Cover design by Jo Ann Gruber, with art by Gordon Kibee and art direction from Robert L. Heimall

[More info on Discogs]

Detail from the back cover, with Davison Art Nouveau and all-caps Bookman, both with too tight spacing, as well as Melior.

The record company’s address in the bottom right corner is added in Palatino.

Originally published in the 1860s by G. Routledge and Sons in London and New York, The (Illustrated) Language of Flowers by Mrs. L. Burke (Anna Christian Burke) is a delightful and amusing book with beautifully illustrated flowers and floriology, presented alphabetically by name, with their symbolic meanings from A to Z. Also included is a variety of romantic poetry by various authors. It is a reference book for floriologists and plant lovers alike.

This edition was published by Price Stern Sloan in Los Angeles in 1965, from the 1963 British edition published by Hugh Evelyn Limited, London.

Bookman (with the catchwords The and of) is the point of the charm, combining the Victorian sense with the glyphs of Romantiques No. 2 AKA Carnival for the alphabet at the start of the chapters. And inside the book, Bell makes an appearance all at once, for preface copy, chapters and the index.

Front cover of the Silver Eagle Records pressing

Eric Nathan Robertson (born in 1948 in Scotland) is an award-winning composer, organist, pianist, and record producer who is currently living in Canada. His work spans many composed film scores and music for television series in both Canada and the United States.

This album was released both under the titles Piano Hits and Magic Melodies, first by Silver Eagle Records in 1982 and subsequently also by K-tel. The back of some K-tel releases credits the cover design to Paul Weldon, a Toronto musician, architect and graphic designer whose works spanned over 30 years, including the cover of Funkadelic’s America Eats Its Young. It’s a typographical party.

Stilla by François Boltana is used for the artist's name. The track names are shown in Times New Roman (“Chariots of Fire”, “One Golden Pond”, “Endless Love”); a modified Eckmann-Schrift with swashes on t and e (“The Rose”); Letraset's Bookman Bold Condensed, a condensed width of Bookman Swash AKA “Sixties Bookman” (“Musicbox Dancer”); Graphis AKA Barnyard Extra Bold (“The Homecoming”); Slogan (“American Gigolo”) Cooper Black with italics on numerals (“9 to 5”); and a rotated line of Kalligraphia (“Fame”), with ITC Avant Garde Gothic for the small text.

The K-tel version shown further below uses Gallia on the back.

[More info on Discogs]

Back cover of the Silver Eagle Records pressing

Glyph set for Bookman Bold Condensed with Italic as seen in a 1988 Letraset catalogue (copyright metadata for this reads “© 1980 Esselte Letraset Ltd.”) – notice there are some slight differences in some glyphs.

K-tel pressing, 1983

Back cover of the K-tel pressing