SS France: Croisière de Europe, 1969
The SS France was the longest passenger ship in the world from the time of its construction in 1960 to 2004. This large (137×39cm) fold-out brochure with a cut-away map was published for a 1969 voyage. The interior uses a classic French modern face, Antique Olive Nord (see also the iconic Air France logotype, sadly replaced in 2009), and a metal version of Gill Sans that was more common on Continental Europe. In this edition of the quintessentially British sans, a single-story ‘a’ and ‘g’, along with pointy caps (e.g. ‘A’ and ‘M’), made it more of a Futura replacement, and it was possibly more palatable to French and German tastes. Monotype offered these Gill Sans shapes as alternates, among many others.
CaptainsVoyage.com has details from the illustration, drawn by Pierre Parreton and Miche Lezla.
Detail crop.
Cover: Hand lettered “SS France” with Antique Olive Compact and Futura.
