TYPE DESIGN INFORMATION PAGE last updated on Wed Nov 20 11:45:45 EST 2024

FONT RECOGNITION VIA FONT MOOSE

LUC DEVROYE

ABOUT

Wordshape [Ian Lynam]

Commercial fonts at this boutique type foundry and publisher operating in Tokyo, jointly run by Ian Lynam and Thien Huynh. Ian Lynam is a New Yorker who studied Graphic Design at Portland State University (B.S.) and California Institute of the Arts (M.F.A.). He is professor at Temple University Japan, as well as at Vermont College of Fine Arts. He operates the Tokyo design studio Ian Lynam Design and the hybrid publishing imprint and type foundry Wordshape. MyFonts link. Images of most of Ian Lynam's typefaces.

• Cern (2013). A sans family based on Helvetica, Akzidenz Grotesk and Univers, with large x-heights.
• Vaud (2013). Ian writes: Vaud is a family of 40 weights of neutral, yet formally nuanced grotesk typefaces that takes inspiration from Helvetica, Akzidenz Grotesk, Univers and the original metal types from Switzerland, yet had a slightly larger x-height for more pronounced legibility.
• Plural (2013). A futuristic sans family.
• Sketch Caslon Italic (2013).
• Raffish (2013). This is an ornamental caps typeface based on Henk Krijger's Raffia typeface.
• Entity (2012). A basic sans family with slightly rounded corners.
• Okojo (2012), Okojo Slab (2012) are geometric sans and slab serif typefaces influenced by the type designs of Paul Renner and Herb Lubalin. They were followed by Okojo Slab Display (2012) and Okojo Display (2012). In 2016, he rebundled everything as Okojo Pro and Okojo Slab Pro, Okojo Pro Stack and Okojo Slab Pro Stack.
• Pompeian Cursive (2010). An elegant calligraphic script based on the original drawings by Oswald Cooper for BBS in 1927.
• His Cooper series. Cooper Swash Italic Traditional & Cooper Swash Italic Custom, Cooper Italic (2010, after Cooper's original from 1924), Boul Mich (2010, after Oswald Cooper's 1927 art deco typeface), Cooper Initials (2010), Cooper Old Style (2010), Cooper Capitals (2010), Cooper Text (2010), Cooper Black Condensed (2010), Cooper Black Swash (2010), Cooper Screamers (2010, oversized exclamation points), Cooper Black Italic Pro (2013), Cooper Italic Pro (2013), Cooper Fullface Italic Pro (2013).
• Cruller (2010). A spidery display typeface that is based on lettering from a 1910 German lettering book.
• Hanger (2004).
• Rubber Vloeren. A geometric display typeface adapted from an alphabet used by Piet Zwart in the Netherlands for a series of advertisements for rubber flooring.
• Ensenada is a typeface designed based on hand-cut lettering that adorns businesses throughout the city of Ensenada in Baja California in Mexico.
• Clobber Grotesk (2010) is a grotesk typeface designed for readability at very small sizes. It is accompanied by a nice stencil style.
• International Blackletter (2010) is a collaborative display typeface designed for fun, together with Simon Gane and Selena Hoy.
• Devil's Advocate is a digital version of the heavy blackletter typeface Cathedral Text found in the 1934 ATF typeface from the American Specimen Book of Type Styles (by ATF).
• Sandberg Honorarium (2003) is inspired by the work of Dutch typographer Willem Sandberg.
• Inversion (2010) is an uncial face.
• Designer with Eli Carrico of the heavy stencil typeface Black-Out (2010, Wordshape) and the paperclip family Interno (2004), which was based on Walter Ballmer's logo for Olivetti in 1960.
• Neuerland (2010) is an update of Rudolf Koch's Neuland.
• Dorsal (2011) is a splendid versal lettering typeface that cries Absinthe Overload.
• Off Broadway (2011) is a casual art deco face related to Oz Cooper's Boul Mich and to Nubian (ATF).
• Cinta Adhesiva (2011, done with Mexican designer One Eye) began as a typeface designed for the masthead of a graffiti fanzine called Free Copy---the monumental letters painted by L.A.-based graffiti writers Crae and Hael greatly influenced the feel of the typeface.
• Maat (2011) is a modular geometric stencil piano key face. It is a loose interpretation of a handlettered alphabet by the late Dutch designer Jurrian Schrofer called Sans Serious which was included in Wim Crouwel's publication Letters of Maat. It is inflected with a bit of influence from British designer Ken Garland's similar lettering form the cover of his textbook, The Graphics Handbook.
• Effete (2011) is a tall stylish typeface similar in weight and proportion to fonts like Imre Reiner's skyline typeface Corvinus.
• Adora (2011) is a typeface similar to Walter Tracy's AdSans.
• Kihachiro Swash Italic (2011) has garalde forms but Caslonian curved terminals and weighty serifs. Kihachiro Geometric (2011) recalls Antique Olive and Futura.
• Kirimomi Swash (2011) is a pair of garalde typefaces. Kirimomi Geometric (2011) is a humanist sans.
• Kommisar (2012) is Lynam's version of the Trajan capitals alphabet.
• Smythe Sans (2012) is a contemporary geometric sans serif family that is quite readable on-screen and in print.
• Stebl Grotesk (2012) and Stebl Slab (2012) are workhorse typefaces for sturdy jobs.
• Raker (+Stencil) and Raker Display (+Stencil) is a 40-style octagonal typeface family published in 2015. It was inspired by science fiction and space travel.
• Iggy (2015) is based on the lettering of Australia-based Oklahoman artist, animator and lifelong skater Darin Bendall.
• Stamen (2016). A 12-style sans typeface lost in time.
• Smythe Sans Pro (2016) and Smythe Soft Pro (2016).
• Biwa and Biwa Display (2017). A grotesk family by Ian Lynam and James Todd.
• Glot (2019). A 10-style flared terminal sans family by James Todd and Ian Lynam. See also Glot Round from 2020.

Speaker at ATypI 2019 in Tokyo on the topic of From Bijin-ga to Brutus, in which he explains the work of graphic designers Hokuu Tada (1889-1948) and Seiichi Horiuchi (1933-1987).

EXTERNAL LINKS
Wordshape
 [Buy fonts]
 [Designer info]
Fontspring link [Buy fonts]
Monotype link
Monotype foundry link
Behance page
Creative Market page
Klingspor Museum page
MyFonts search
Monotype search
Fontspring search
Google search

INTERNAL LINKS
Commercial fonts (small outfits) ⦿ Type design in Japan ⦿ Stencil fonts ⦿ Type scene in Oregon ⦿ Type scene in California ⦿ Type scene in New York ⦿ Calligraphic typefaces ⦿ Blackletter fonts ⦿ Graffiti fonts ⦿ Piano key typefaces ⦿ Bauhaus and type design ⦿ Paperclip faces ⦿ Piano key typefaces ⦿ Uncial typefaces ⦿ Cooper Black ⦿ Typefaces inspired by the Trajan column in Rome ⦿ Ornamental caps typefaces ⦿ Caslon ⦿ Skyline Typefaces ⦿ Art deco typefaces ⦿ Octagonal typefaces ⦿ Sci-Fi fonts ⦿ Type design in Japan ⦿