We developed a flexible identity system, using big bold typography in a playful way to showcase the composers around which the programs are built. The circular and diagonal forms move like melody and harmony, working as a counterpoint to the rhythmic gridded elements.

The logo mark is built of geometric shapes which get deconstructed and rearranged for each poster and application.

The website uses Dunbar Low for large headlines. The very low x-height of this typeface gives it lots of vertical movement and an expressive, lyrical quality. For body copy and navigation Dunbar Text provides solid and complementary accompaniment.

Identity and website design for CJType.com, an independent digital type foundry.

The site includes e-commerce for selling digital fonts as family packages or individual styles.

The first release for CJType is the Dunbar series, including Dunbar Tall, Dunbar Low and Dunbar Text families. For promotion of this release, we built a Dunbar “mini-site” to show off the design features, research, and process.

More than just eye candy, the site includes meaningful content via an essay by typographer and professor Indra Kupferschmid on the history of geometric sans serifs, which helps to contextualize this release and provide meaningful background information.

Website before redesign

Website after redesign

For the site’s typography, we chose the humanist sans-serif Agenda by Greg Thompson (Font Bureau). As it is based on the work of Edward Johnston, considered a father of modern calligraphy, it is sympathetic to the calligraphy showcased on the site while remaining firmly typographic and not competing with the calligraphic work. For the serif type we chose Georgia by Matthew Carter (Font Bureau) for it’s high level of craftsmanship and readability on screen at small sizes.

More about the logotype:
As an organization focused on the lettering arts, the fine details of the logotype required special care. Precise attention was given to the width of each letter depending on its surroundings, for example the “S” in Society is not the same as the “S” in Scribes, all to create a balanced effect across the logotype. The same was true for the spacing between the letters, adjusted contextually and done according to calligraphic spacing conventions (which are in some ways different from typographic spacing conventions). Additionally during the digitization process we made sure to precisely capture the letterforms while maintaining the warmth of the original calligraphy.

Original calligraphy detail:

Digital logotype detail:

Special thanks to Alice Koeth, Society of Scribes Founding Member, and Cara DiEdwardo, Society of Scribes President.

The Team Nike NYC campaign I designed for Nike Basketball is now live.