Typeface Poster: Rockwell (Student Work)
Assignment: Choose a typeface, research it, and create a poster based on some aspects of its history.
Rockwell was often used for newspaper headlines, as it is a legible, evenly-weighted serif that can be printed big and bold. It was created in 1920 by Morris Fuller Benton, who was the head typography designer at American Type Founders. He modeled it after a typeface called Litho Antique. Later, Frank Hinman Pierpont (featured on front page of paper) collaborated with a company called Monotype to touch up and reissue Rockwell. In 1934, the new and improved Rockwell font family was available for printing.
Learning Point
With this assignment, I took a chance. My poster idea was different from the example posters my professor showed. However, after constantly worrying in previous assignments if I was making what my professor was looking for, I decided to go full speed ahead with my idea. Maybe he would like it, maybe he wouldn’t, but I decided to create what I was compelled to create, and still have an open mind to his suggestions during the group critique. My professor ended up enjoying the unique take on displaying Rockwell’s history, and I was joyful to see my classmates were pleasantly surprised by it, too!
My Advice to Designers!
Definitely learn from and take into account the things that more experienced designers and artists teach you, but don’t be afraid to use what you've learned from them to pursue your unique ideas! Creating the way you love to create develops your style, inspires others, and moves the world forward to better things!
F. Hinman Pierpont Image Citation: Bullen, Henry Lewis. "The Typograph and the Monoline Machines." The Inland Printer. Vol. 73, No. 1 (April, 1924): 65-67 .
