Process

For my introductory type class at CalArts I was assigned to create a type specimen brochure. I chose to make one for ITC Galliard by Matthew Carter.

Galliard—the lively 16-century European dance that Carter named the typeface after—is referenced throughout the brochure. ITC Galliard’s most recognizable attribute, it’s italic ‘g’, undergoes the basic moves of the Galliard dance: the ‘g’ kicks right, left and then jumps. (The ‘g’ actually kicks other letters into the distance on occasion).

The Galliard dance.

Other references are less obvious. The colors are also a tie to the Galliard: they are the same as a popular Italian painting of the dance. Also, the classical grid used on the cover pages is a reference to the typeface's traditional forms.

The brochure's copy is specifically intended to help anyone considering the typeface. The cover has many different pangrams (sentences that use every letter in the alphabet) to show a variety of letterforms and letter combinations. One page into the brochure, the panel quotes reviews of the typeface. The inside spread, which I wrote, covers Matthew Carter and unique aspects of the ITC Galliard. Lastly, the back of the specimen is a timeline of Matthew Carter's life displayed using different weights of ITC Galliard.