Template Gothic is an experimental,

sans-serif In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, sans serif, gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif typefaces tend to have less stroke width variation than seri ...

typeface A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font. There are list of type ...

designed by Barry Deck in 1989. It was not commercially released until type designer Rudy VanderLans was exposed to the font, when Deck's California Institute of the Arts graduate class visited his studio. In 1991, it was released by Emigre, a

type foundry A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Before digital typography, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces for hand typesetting, and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Mono ...

, of which VanderLans was a co-founder. In 1992, Deck developed a

serif In typography, a serif () is a small line or stroke regularly attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter or symbol within a particular font or family of fonts. A typeface or "font family" making use of serifs is called a serif typeface ...

variation of the font. Template Gothic is considered one of the most defining fonts of the 1990s

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

aesthetic.

History

Deck designed Template Gothic while studying at California Institute of the Arts under artist and graphic designer

Edward Fella Edward Fella (born 1938) is an American graphic designer, artist and educator. He created the OutWest typeface in 1993. His work is held in the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, the Brauer Museum of Art, and the Museum of ...

. Deck chose to eschew the predictability and uniformity of typefaces such as Helvetica and

Univers Univers () is a large sans-serif typeface family designed by Adrian Frutiger and released by his employer Deberny & Peignot in 1957. Classified as a Grotesque (typeface classification), neo-grotesque sans-serif, one based on the model of nineteen ...

, paying more attention to organic shapes and natural variations in order to create a more imperfect look. In an interview with Emigre, Deck describes how he received the inspiration for Template Gothic from a sign in his local laundromat, which had been lettered by hand with a template.

Usage

The font was used in posters and promotional material of the 1993 popular coming-of-age comedy film '' Dazed and Confused''. It was also notably used on the posters and advertising material of other films such as 1994's Reality Bites and 1998's

The Negotiator ''The Negotiator'' is a 1998 American action thriller film directed by F. Gary Gray. It stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey as two expert hostage negotiators and Chicago police lieutenants. The film was released in the United States on July ...

. It was also featured prominently in Issue #19 of '' Emigre'', designed by Rudy VanderLans, in the cover art as well as inside the magazine. It was also used in the logo for

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

from 1995 to 1998. Template Gothic was one of the first digital typefaces acquired by the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

for its ''Architecture and Design Collection'' in 2011. Along with twenty-two other fonts, it was displayed in MoMA's '' Standard Deviations'' exhibition from March 2011 to January 2012. The cover for

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

's debut album '' Pablo Honey'' uses a slightly distorted form of Template Gothic, while the back cover uses it unedited. The cover for

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reach ...

's 1998 ''

Stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...

'' uses a bolder version of Template Gothic.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Template Gothic on BarryDeck.com
Typefaces and fonts introduced in 1991 Sans-serif typefaces