PEIGNOT. The Typeface

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3 PEIGNOT The Typeface

4 Published in North America by The UMBC Advanced Type Press 1000 Hilltop Road Baltimore, MD First published in 2008 Copyright Lydia Michalitsianos All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Introduction The DeBerny Typefoundry Charles Peignot and A.M. Cassandre Cassandre s Design Style Peignot Today Library of Congress Control Number: ISBN Design Concept: Lydia Michalitsianos Design: Lydia Michalitsianos

5 Introduction eignot When we read a book or type a research paper on our laptops, we don t really think about where the letters come from or how the different typefaces came to be. All we do simply scan the list to find a font that we like, but have you ever stopped to think about how the individual typefaces came to be? Typography refers to the evolution of typefaces and the study of the type and the different typefaces. This study does not just stop at the typefaces that you see on your computer, but goes way back to before the medieval days where people used chisels, brushes, and quail pens. It is the handwriting that developed from the early centuries in Europe, Asia and the United States. It is from this; we base our fonts that we create today. Peignot, a geometrically construced, sans serif typeface, remains one of the most dynamic and original typefaces ever created.

6 The Deberny Typefoundry One of the leading French type founders in the early 1900 s in France, was Charles Peignot, who had taken over the type foundry after Gustave Peignot, had passed away and handed the foundry down to his son, who passed it down to Charles (1-1) and his brothers 1. Charles assumed leadership after his three brothers were killed in World War I. The Deberny side, however, goes back way before the Peignot family. In the 18th century, three men ran the foundry: Jean Franco Laurent, Joseph Gille, and J.L. Duplat. In 1826, the entire enterprise was passed on to Laurent. Laurent eventually collaborated with Honore Balzac, a legendary writer, and his mistress Louise-Antoinette-Laure De Berny, who supported the print shop financially 2. Being the godchild of Marie Antoinette, she had a lot of financial flexibility but ended up passing the shop onto her son, Alexandre DeBerny, which led to the development of the DeBerny half of the foundry. Both DebBerny and Peignot merged on July 1, 1923;at that point Charles Peignot had assumed much authority over the shop 3. Charles Peignot Hugill-Fontane, Amelia. History of Deberny Et Peignot. Accessed 23 February Medlej, Jourmana. A.M. Cassandre, Genious of Poster and Type Design. cassandre.html, Accessed 21 February Heller, Stephen. Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design. (Allworth Communications, Inc: New York, 2004), 160

7 Charles Peignot and A.M Cassandre As an apprentice of Henri Menut, who was currently working for the foundry, Charles learned the art of typeface designs and even completed two typefaces that were left unfinished by his father: Naudin and Deberny & Peignot Garamond. After collaborating with Menut and his cousin, Pierre Payet, they began negotiations with the Laurent & Deberny Type foundry and eventually merged together in 1921 to form the Deberny & Peignot Type foundry. After the merger, Charles began to collaborate with Art Deco and modernist artists where he commissioned A.M. Cassandre (1-2) to design the Peignot typeface (1-3), which he designed in honor of his boss, Charles, and is now one of Cassandre s most memorable works. Cassandre wanted to remove all of the decorations from the letters that had deveoped over the past centuries from periods such as the renaissance and the medieval time. He felt that this was the only way to restore the dignity of a letter. In creating Peignot, Cassandre mixed upper and lowercase letters in its lowercase form, and added longer ascenders and descenders to the small caps for legibility reasons. Because the uppercase letters have similar rectangular shapes and no additional distinguishing features, this made it harder for the eye to recognize the specific letters. To fix this, he added the extended ascenders and descenders as he mixed the upper and lowercase letters. This mix of uppercase letters in the lowercase form, made this typeface popular for advertising, and became known as biform 4. A. M. Cassandre Medlej, Jourmana. A.M. Cassandre, Genious of Poster and Type Design. cassandre.html, Accessed 21 February Heller, Stephen. Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design. (Allworth Communications, Inc: New York, 2004), 162 Peignot was designed as a sans serif typeface with vertical stresses and high contrasts in the line weights. Cassandre s original intent was for it to be a text face, however, it was not used for that purpose. Originally, the only lowercase letter to keep its form was the letter d. Letters such as B, F, and L turned into lances, and letters such as H and K dropped from the baseline. After being launched in 1937, this typeface almost became the symbol for France, and things that were French 5. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

8 Cassandre s Design Style Palais de Challiot Facade 1-4 Palais de Challiot 1-3 Charles Peignot wrote Copying the past does not create tradition, meaning that he wanted to start with fresh ideas and new concepts rather than using ideas that he had seen in past typefaces. He wanted to avoid creating anything that he had seen done before, so Cassandre looked back at the origin of the letterform, that had developed during the medieval times. His goal was to create a new theme that would put an end to the decoration that had gathered on letters. Cassandre s belief was that this would be the next step in the evolution of the letter. He believed that lowercase letters only existed because they were easier to write than uppercase letters, so he mixed the upper and lowercase letters in the lowercase form of Peignot. This mixture of letters, Peignot believed would take the public some time to get used to 6. 6 Heller, Stephen. Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design. (Allworth Communications, Inc: New York, 2004), Heller, Stephen. Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design. (Allworth Communications, Inc: New York, 2004), 162 After the typeface was released, it was used as the official typeface of the World Exhibition in Paris. It was used to create inscriptions on the two towers of the Palais de Chaillot (1-3). The reaction to the release was so overwhelming, that Peignot kept close tabs on who used it. In Design Literacy, Steven Heller even mentions that after Paul Rand, an American graphic designer, used Peignot as the typeface of his Ski poster, he received a telegram from Charles Peignot giving his thanks 7. Peignot commissioned Cassandre for the development of his typeface, not just because his spectacular poster designs, but because of Cassandre s hand drawn, art deco style. The text he included on his posters was always somehow integrated into the design. His work was heavily influenced by mechanization and the modern age. Cassandre developed other typefaces for the Peignot & Deberny typefoundry including Bifur in 1929, Acier in 1930, and Cassandre in Bifur was a typeface that where the letters were reduced back to their simple geometric forms and is a good example of Cassandre s art deco stlye (1-4). Neither Acier or Bifur were financially a success but Charles believed that the company could afford to take some risks. Countless new typefaces were introduced as a result of the Deberny & Peignot foundry, one of them being Cochin, which was one of the company s most popular faces for decades. Although Cochin had been revived during this time, it only played a small part in the foundry s success compared to the catalog that was published annually and featured traditional and contemporary typefaces. This catalog displayed typefaces such as Bifur, Photo, Film, Europe, Éclair, and Peignot. These books set a new standard, which other foundries often tried to match but did not come close because of the uniqueness and the pride that was found in French letterforms. According to Steven Heller s book, Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age, Heller states that during the period between the world wars, France was only second to the United States in the amount of published and printed work that was released to the public 8. 8 Heller, Steven. Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age. (Chronicle Books: San Francisco, 1999), 103

9 Although Cassandre referred to himself as a poster designer, his posters were also well known for the emphasis that he placed on typography. In 1925, Cassandre worked with Jean Carlu to form a group called The Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM), which Charles Peignot joined along with other artists who specialize in jewelry, textiles, furniture and lighting. Charles quoted that the goal of this group was to break away from the style that survived the First World War 9. Cassandre believed that geometry was a fundemental part of design. His many posters depict advertisments for smoking, travel, drinking, and entertainment. Much of his work relied solely on basic shapes and simple straight lines. Cassandre wanted his work reflect the coming age of the machine, therefore, used gradients to create a metallic feel and his images were usually either flat or had a one point perspective. The posters to the right (1-6, 1-7), are ads promiting the use of the train, being the transportation of the future. In 1927, Charles created a magazine entitled Arts et Metiers Graphiques (1-8, 1-9, 1-10, 1-11), which eventually became a leading magazine in graphic art trends. He stated that his, goal with this magazine was to create the most interesting and luxurious magazine in the world 10. This magazine included things such as photography, the history of writing, and articles based on artists such as Picasso. It was after the debut of this magazine, that the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques da ns la Vie Moderne was held where Peignot became the official typeface for the exposition signs. The typeface abandoned the traditional curves of the lowercase letterforms that evolved from the fifteenth century. At the exposition, the letterform was used everywhere but is most famous for it s use on the two towers at the Pallais de Challiot museum edifice (1-6), where it remains to this day. Bifur Typeface Hugill-Fontane, Amelia. History of Deberny Et Peignot. Accessed 23 February Nord Express Poster 1-6 Nord Express Poster Hugill-Fontane, Amelia. History of Deberny Et Peignot. Accessed 23 February 2008.

10 Peignot Today Cover for Arts et Metiers Graphiques 1-8 Cover for Arts et Metiers Graphiques 1-9 In the twenty first-century, we don t see the use of Peignot very often. Every now and then it will pop up on advertisements or store signs. One particular store in Portland, Michigan, Dutch Bros. Coffee (1-17) uses the typeface for their logo on the front of their store. This was most likely triggered by its use on the titles of the The Mary Tyler Moore Show and also by ABC in its titles to it s evening movie broadcasts. However, Dutch Bros. cleverly takes this dated typeface and uses it to create a unique and modern logo. The logo (1-18) features the words Dutch and Bros in the typeface with a light blue color and a white outline, while coffee is in a scripture typeface. They continue to carry this out on all of their cups (1-12) they serve their coffee in, throughout their website, and on all of their promotional items such as mugs, t shirts, accessories, etc. They even created a logo for their group name, which is Dutch Mafia (1-16). This logo features a dark cartoon looking man who looks like he would be in a mafia, in a trench coat and a hat, holding a nice hot cup of coffee. Even though today we don t see this typeface being used that often, the Dutch Bros. Coffee franchise continues to grow which means we will be seeing it more and more. The chain has just opened their 113th store. Peignot is slowly making a comeback in today s society while being the official typeface of the company and appearing as signage for other various stores. Another store, which has taken notice of this typeface, is Armstrong International Movers (1-15). They have utilized the typeface for their logo and their motto We Navigate the World For You. In their logo (1-14), they have used just the uppercase letters of the Peignot typeface, which makes it very clean and clear. They take a more dynamic approach to it as they use it in their motto. Unlike Dutch Bros. Coffee, they don t utilize the typeface all over their website (1-13). They only use it for their recognizable features being the logo and their motto. Another difference is that in the logo for the moving company, they just use the uppercase. The uppercase, being a sans serif typeface, is a very clean approach to the logo. Because of the mix of uppercase and lowercase letters in the lowercase letterform, the lowercase tends to be a bit messy, but readable. Even though Cassandre intended Peignot to be a text typeface, it is usually used as a display typeface. Cover for Arts et Metiers Graphiques Cover for Arts et Metiers Graphiques

11 Sherwood Digital Copying Centre has also taken part in the reviving of this typeface. Once again, they have used it in their logo (1-19). In the word Sherwood they have mixed the upper and lowercase forms, making it dynamic. Underneath Sherwood it says Digital Copying Centre in the all caps version of Peignot. Sherwood has taken advantage of Peignot s ascenders on the h and the d and connected them with a blue line, which fits nicely as it shoots across above the letters in-between. I found another example of Peignot s use on signs in Bethesda, Maryland. Outside a little shop called Hamilton Construction Co. (1-20), there is a sign promoting the company and what they do, their store phone number, and public parking. In this sign they are using the upper and lowercase forms of the typeface, and unlike the other examples I talked about, they are also utilizing the numbers of the typeface in the phone number. The numbers are all lining figures that are slender and connected by a dash, as you would see in a telephone number. The only thing different about the Peignot typeface and its punctuation is that the dashed line runs on an upward slant from left to right. Dutch Bros. Coffee Cup 1-12 Armstrong Intl. Movers Truck 1-14 Armstrong International Movers Logo 1-15 Northern Virginia Community College also uses the Peignot typeface in their logo (1-21). The logo, however, only uses the uppercase form of the typeface, which include a drop shadow behind each letter. What makes Peignot so distinct and easy to recognize, are the lowercase letterforms. Without the lowercase letters, Peignot begins to resemble other sans serif typefaces. Dutch Bros. Coffee Website 1-13 Dutch Bros. Coffee Logo 1-16 Dutch Bros Coffee Store 1-17

12 Dutch Bros. Coffee Logo 1-18 Sherwood Digital Copy Centre 1-19 Peignot is a very dynamic and useful typeface. It is eye-catching, with its unusually long ascenders and descenders and shift in line weights within each character. Whether you use all caps or the lowercase type, the message is clean and the letters can be read smoothly. Although it was developed in the early 1900 s, it comes off as a very modern looking typeface which is making a comeback as it is slowly pops up on various signs and websites. It has a very distinct style that can be recognized instantly, as Peignot and Cassandre intended it to be. As I was walking around Bethesda, I knew right away that it was Peignot. Being different from most of the other sans serif typefaces that you see on signs, it immediately caught my eye. Peignot is now also now a trademark of Linotype Corp., which is a company that was founded in 1886 and used to sell the linecaster invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler. This company started the use of the Linotype machine, which climbed to the top as the worlds leading book, newspaper, and typesetting equipment manufacturer. All of the elements that Cassandre used in creating Peignot, helped to make it one of the most dynamic typefaces created in the 20th century. With it s easily identified extening ascenders mixed with a sans serif typeface with contrasting line weights makes it a timeless piece of work, much like Cassandre s posters. Although it was not popular for it s time, today in the 21st century, we are begining to see it more often on store signs, logos, and iis slowly becoming more frequently used all over the internet. Northern Virginia Community College 1-21 Hamilton Construction Co. 1-20

13 19 Bibliography Baudin, Fernand. How Typography Works. London: McGraw-Hill, 1988 Consuegra, D. American Type Design And Designers. New York: Allworth Press, 2004 Eskilson, Stephen. Graphic Design: A New History. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2007 Heller, Stephen. Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design. New York: Allworth Press, 2004 Heller, Stephen. and Fili Louise. Typology: Type Design From The Victorian Era To The Digital Age. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1999 Hugill-Fontane, Amelia. History of Deberny Et Peignot. ellie.rit.edu:1213/dphist1.htm, Accessed 23 February Jaspert, Pincus. Encyclopedia Of Typefaces. London: Blandford Press, 2001 Macmillan, Neil. An A-Z Of Type Designers. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2006 McLean, Ruari. How Typography Happens. London: Oak Knoll Press, 2000 Medlej, Jourmana. A.M. Cassandre, Genious of Poster and Type Design. Accessed 21 February Updike, Daniel. Printing Types. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966 Book Design and Cover Design by Lydia Michalitsianos Typeset in Geneva and Peignot on a Macbook Pro with Adobe InDesign