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Graphic Art Products Catalog by Letraset USA

Contributed by Florian Hardwig on Jun 3rd, 2015. Artwork published in .
Graphic Art Products Catalog by Letraset USA
Source: popularsizes.tumblr.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Stripes was designed by Tony Wenman in c. 1972 and came with several alternates that enabled settings like this one for the cover of Letraset USA’s Graphic Art Products Catalog, where the multiline letters are joined up to form racetrack-like logotypes.

There is a commercial digitization by Ralph M. Unger (profonts, 2006, also sold by Thinkdust), but it doesn’t include the alternates, let alone an intelligent OpenType substitution feature. What a missed opportunity!

5 Comments on “Graphic Art Products Catalog by Letraset USA”

  1. A really great design!

    It was difficult to perfectly align the letters in Letraset® to create a smooth 'racetrack’ effect — the plastic sheets buckled, the letters cracked or shifted while you were rubbing them down, the board you were applying it to might be unreceptive…a good digital version would solve those problems.

  2. Here’s a page from the inside, with more info about Stripes. It is reproduced in the 1976 issue of Modern Publicity. Scan courtesy of IADDB.

    For Lovers of Type
    Stripes is a new concept in type design

    Stripes© was created and designed by Tony Wenman, a member of the Letraset type design team. This face was based on an idea for instant sheets which give designers more versatility when creating word settings. With Stripes there is the opportunity to make graphic shapes with settings, thus making the words an integral part of the design, or even the complete basis of the design. A good example of this is shown on the catalog cover where its use in Red, White and Blue has become a flowing symbol with Graphic appeal. This and the setting below can be made from a single sheet of Stripes. The variations opposite have been created just by eliminating some lines, or filling them in.

    Tony Wenman said that the basic idea for this face came very easily while working on an idea for a Triline face. First there were a few ligatures such as ST IP, then came the thought of a completely flowing, linking face, and before long, the studio walls were covered with ideas on Stripes. Within a week, most of the basic characters were formed. Then came several weeks work completing and perfecting the artwork for each character.

    Since the innovation of Stripes, the Type Design Studio is increasingly thinking of Typestyles specifically designed for the instant Sheet medium.

  3. Unit Editions has shared snapshots of several pages from the interior.

  4. This font would be a nice one if the line weights matched. Unfortunately, the transitions from angular to non-round are terrible. That’s why I disabled them.

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