This poster is an ad for a film encompassing the history of Gotham typeface. Created for Typography II, a class taught by Jake Dugard at Louisiana Tech University, America's Typeface portrays how Gotham "[is] not German. It's not French. It's very American" (Andrew Romano, Newsweek). Gotham was created by Tobias Frere-Jones in 2000, and has only become more and more popular since. The typeface of Obama's "Hope" poster, Saturday Night Live, Spotify, and even Taco Bell, Gotham really is America's Typeface.
When I began this poster, I wanted to create something that sparked curiosity. Something that didn't just show the visual aspects of Gotham typeface, but its history, influences, and uses since being released. After reading about how Gotham was originally commissioned for GQ magazine, how Frere-Jones was inspired by the Manhattan skyline in making this typeface, and Gotham's uses today, it was clear that this is a very American-inspired typeface. That's when "America's Typeface" came to me.
The poster also includes other designers who helped in the creation of the typeface as well as publishers. I wanted to get creative with editors, producers, and music that would be used in this film, so I used myself as well as a couple favorites. There is an artist statement explaining a little of Gotham's history and influences, and, in addition, each letter of the alphabet shown in Gotham typeface. I hope you have enjoyed reading about Gotham and seeing this poster as much as I enjoyed researching and creating it.
