#versatile font

Single Sleeve (2010)

With the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and their self-titled "white album", the Beatles had established the LP as the new dominant medium in pop and rock music. Seven-inch singles were slowly becoming passe in the 1970's, but that changed with the sudden late-Seventies explosion of punk rock and independent labels, particularly in Britain. Amateur bands couldn't afford to spend studio time making entire albums, and focused on singles instead. Likewise, custom 'picture sleeves' for singles became very popular.

Single Sleeve is one of my more recent fonts. It doesn't carry a particular theme or mission the way most of my others have, and is pretty multi-purpose as a result. Some say versatile, some say vanilla. Vanilla goes with everything, though...

Helsinki (2004)

On a map of Europe, it's easy to assume that Finland is a Scandinavian country, due to its similar appearance to neighbours Norway and Sweden. However, these other countries' populations are mostly clustered near Denmark, whereas Finland's people are a long way off from there, closer to the Baltic States. The issue is further confused by the similarities among the nations' flags.

This font started as my own handwriting in black marker, then got whittled away bit by bit until it resembled something much more smooth and accessible. Ideal for word balloons in comics, if you want my opinion.

above left: graphics for Penguin Puzzler [link] (2014)

above center: text in Dubmarine online comic (Vic Fieger, 2004)

above right: graphic from The Young Turks (February 2014 episode)