interviews with leading designers, artists, and authors... Emerson Schwartzkopf
popular lettering in use for signs. . .
Emerson: Probably the biggest use, whether with a computer or by hand, comes with the script fonts, such as Commercial Script or Brush Script.
As far as straight informational use, it's still Helvetica, with the other sans-serif lagging behind, such as Futura.
On the serif side, I probably see more Souvenir than anything else, along with variations on some Goudy faces.
DT&G Why do you suppose the scripts are leading the pack?
Emerson: It's a matter of being distinctive. Scripts can say a lot about a business; Commercial Script shows a sense of elegance and style, which is great for a fashion shop or a jewelry store. It's also an accent that gives some class to anything, from bowling alleys to wreckers. "Real" designers kind of look upon this stuff as cheesy, but customers really think the scripts dress up their businesses. And, if they think it increases their own business traffic, I won't argue.
DT&G What's your favorite font? (I ask everyone this!)
Emerson: Probably Gill Sans. It's clean-looking, has the sans-serif look that's important for the short bursts of text that's in most signage, and it hasn't been done to death like Helvetica. It also has a continental look, since it's derived from the British face used in the London subway systems.
DT&G What's the most awesome new product to appear on the horizon in the sign industry?
Emerson: Anything to do with direct color imaging on pressure-sensitive vinyl films. Vinyl is the medium for signmaking nowadays, but the only way to decorate it in the past was to overlay vinyl or paint on the stuff. None of this addressed most of the abilities of desktop publishing and graphics, such as scanned photos or fountain fills or anything like that.
Because of the nature of vinyl materials, it's been hard to find a machine to image on it; ink won't soak in, and the protection of images from ultraviolet-ray deterioration -- vital for outdoor use -- is nearly nonexistent with typical inkjet applications.
That's changing, however. A company called Gerber Scientific Products has a printer called the Edge, which puts images on vinyl using a thermal-transfer process. I just talked a few days ago to EnCad who is selling a NovaJet inkjet plotter that applies inks to specially treated vinyl. And, I'm seeing new applications coming from electrostatic plotters.
This may not sound like much to people who output this work on laser printers and imagesetters every day. But, it's bringing direct output of computer graphics to a huge new level, such as being able to decorate signs, trucks and billboards. That's a big canvas, both in size and profitability.
DT&G Any advice, or tips you'd like to pass along to the computer user just starting their first sign job?
Emerson: Don't let go of the last thought there on the big canvas.
When you design for laser output, the whole world of that design in on an 8.5" X 11" sheet.
# Signs are either part of an indoor environment that encompasses an entire building, or literally all outdoors. You need to conform to the idea that an effective sign will distract someone just enough to notice, and that the message needs to be simple and easy to read.
# White Space Use plenty of white space, or dead space, or negative space or whatever you want to call it. You can crowd a lot onto a sheet of paper and make it look good; put the same on a 4' X 8' sign board, and it's far too busy.
# Be creative, but don't get too cute.
# Inform Remember that the job of a sign is to inform. If you think that's too conforming, remember that thought the next time someone uses esoteric language or graphics on restroom-door signs. If you've got to go bad and you can't figure out which is which, and there's no one to ask, you'll realize how bad you can fail if you don't inform. And. . .
# Don't squeeze the Helvetica!
DT&G Thank you Emerson Schwartzkopf! We hope to be hearing more from you in future issues of DT&G.
Emerson: My pleasure! Thank you, Fred, for inviting me!
DT&G So there you have it folks -- a great chat with Emerson Schwartzkopf, the old man of the sign industry.
Emmerson is columnist for Sign Business Magazine, a former Review Committee member for the Digital Printing & Imaging Association and is active in both the sign and digital printing industries.
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