Contemporary type designers in Chicago

Marc Oxborrow

Hi gang,

I'm looking for contemporary type designers/foundries based/born in Chicago, with an eye toward potentially licensing their work for a very civic-minded client in that city. So far, I've compiled the following list. Any others I should be aware of? 

Thanks!

Foundries/Distributors
Avondale Type Co.

Okay Type (Jackson Cavanaugh)
Ascender (Terrance Weinzierl)
T26

Designers
Patric King
Jim Ford

Chris Lozos

Why must be Chicago?

Marc Oxborrow

"... for a very civic-minded client in that city."

The client's mission is promoting the work of Chicagoans in a particular field. Choosing a typeface with Chicago roots would dovetail nicely with that mission.

It's part of the initial exploration process. I'm not going to limit myself to "Chicago type" if the available options don't match the requirements/message/mood of the project.

Maxim Zhukov

Marc Oxborrow said:

I'm looking for contemporary type designers/foundries based/born in Chicago, with an eye toward potentially licensing their work for a very civic-minded client in that city.

TipografiaRamis (Ramiz Guseynov)

JoyceKetterer

Jackson  is  wonderful but slow. Still worth talking to.  Be open  to an existing typeface  or  a modification of  an  existing typeface.  You wont regret it. 

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

This sort of geographic specificity rarely makes sense... but in this case it does seem to (assuming the selected typeface doesn't evoke another geographic location more) so: all things being equal, from your list I would recommend Terrance Weinzierl.

Marc Oxborrow

Thanks, @Maxim Zhukov -- I added Tipografia Ramis to the list.

@JoyceKetterer: This would definitely involve licensing an existing face. The schedule and budget don't allow for custom typeface development.

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

BTW there's also our @george_thompson (No Bodoni) and you might ask Armin Vit for refs.

NickCurtis

I was born in the Windy City.

Marc Oxborrow

Duly noted, @NickCurtis!

Claudio Piccinini

Marc Oxborrow said:

Designers
Patric King
Jim Ford

Not just Patric and Jim, I would add the core of Thirst/Thirstype at the time, especially Rick Valicenti. Not those which were not Chicago-based, obviously, but I believe you truly must contact Rick.
https://3st.com/
https://3st.com/about/studio/rick-valicenti

Connor Davenport

Cris Hernández — he doesn't have any type published at the moment but he's a great designer from Chicago!

Marc Oxborrow

Thanks for continuing flow of suggestions, folks. 

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

You're welcome.

Stuart Sandler

I was also born in Chicago and both Filmotype and Lettering Inc have strong roots in Chicago.

Thomas Phinney

I wouldn’t expect to qualify for this thing, but fwiw my family has Chicago roots. My parents met in Chicago. I was born in nearby South Bend, IN, because my dad had left Chicago to go to grad school there. He and his family are originally from Chicago, and I spent many summers in the area. Indeed, I also started fifth grade there. (Give or take a year, my recollection is a bit fuzzy on that point.)

Marc Oxborrow

The hits keep coming! 

Craig Eliason

I’ve had quite a few layovers at O’Hare!

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

Well I actually like my pizza thick.

Stephen Coles

Greg Thompson

Claudio Piccinini

Stephen Coles said:

Greg Thompson

Right! Already implied in my Thirst/Thirstype suggestion as well. Greg designed Commerce with Rick Valicenti, which was one of the earliest Thirstype releases. Also: Bodega and Clicker, among the most distinctive early 1990s typefaces not depending on "post-structural" reflections.

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

BTW, I should've pointed this out before, but as we speak there's a type conference going on in and concerning Chicago!
https://www.typemag.org/typetales/

Marc Oxborrow

Man, that looks like a great conference!

Patric King

hi marc—I actually just began releasing a family that you may be able to use that’s specifically made to speak about being chicagoan. it’s OFL licensed. look for big shoulders on google fonts, or fork it from my github, username xotypeco.or call if you want to talk about something different.

if I’m not right for you, 100% advocate calling rick at thirst or jackson or cris hernandez. all are wonderful. barry deck also has deep roots here and recently started making type again; his site is barrydeck.com.

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

Good to see pushback against the false notion that a typeface cannot evoke a place (or nation).

@Patric King Concerning the Big Shoulders typeface, I'm curious whether it was commissioned by the city of Chicago, or a sort of spontaneous project.

Patric King

Hrant H. Papazian said:

@Patric King Concerning the Big Shoulders typeface, I'm curious whether it was commissioned by the city of Chicago, or a sort of spontaneous project.

there is a brand standards project in progress and making its way through the government, and that is why this was made. additionally, the point was to make a freely available collection any chicagoan could use, hence its existence on google fonts.

Barry Deck

Hi Marc. I grew up in the Chicago area from age 2 through 24, but was born in Iowa and currently live in Florida. Not sure if I just disqualified myself, but a Chicago type project sounds like fun.

Marc Oxborrow

Congrats to @Patric King on the unveiling of the Chicago Design System, featuring his Big Shoulders Display and Text typefaces.

https://design.chicago.gov

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

{Nevermind, posted in a better place.}

Marc Oxborrow

I realized recently that I never posted the completed project that prompted this thread. 

The client was Cedille Records, a non-profit record label that focuses solely on classical music in Chicago. They nurture emerging talent and provide a place for established artists to realize their passion projects. 

They asked my firm to redesign their website, and responded favorably to the idea of using type that had a Chicago connection.

We used a single weight of Harriet Display (Okay Type) for headlines; Big Shoulders (Patric King) for subheads, slugs and the like; and Miramonte Pro (Steve Matteson) for body text, intros, etc.

We're pleased with the results and, more importantly, so is the client.

https://www.cedillerecords.org

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

Thanks for sharing.

To me using a libre font for branding is counter-productive.