Aetna Type Specimen
Project Details
Spring 2023
Type Specimen Brochure & Poster
Deliverable:
Promotional Brochure
A collaboration between P22 Type Foundry and the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum, the Hamilton Wood Type Collection releases digital versions of classic wood typefaces originally created by Wm. H. Page & Co.
Originally released in 1870 by Wm. H. Page & Co., Aetna is a chromatic wood typeface that can be used to create dimensional layered type effects. Digitized in 2017 and released as HWT Aetna, the target audience for this brochure is primarily designers.
The history of the digitization of this Victorian font family inspired me to make a classic type specimen brochure with a playful twist to pique the interest of modern type enthusiasts.
Discovery
Because Aetna has been faithfully digitized from the antique chromatic wood typeface by Wm. H. Page & Co., I drew inspiration from other type specimens from the late 1800s. Particularly helpful was the book Specimens of Chromatic Wood Type Borders &c. (2017) by Esther K Smith. These sources provided me with historically accurate color palettes and layout ideas for the type specimen poster portion of the brochure.
Sketches
Fold-In
Inspiration
As I began prototyping the layout of the brochure, I researched and experimented with different folds and thought about the experience of the end user as they open it. I wanted something fun that would surprise the viewer, and then I remembered the fold-in cartoons that Al Jaffee made for Mad Magazine. I started to think about how I could create a fold-in for the Aetna brochure that would reveal a message about the typeface. It took many rounds of printing and tweaking the alignment, but ultimately it paid off.
Here is my final fold-in spread, unfolded and folded
The second Mad Magazine fold-in by Al Jaffee (inspiration)
Poster Design
Inspired by the nonsense phrases often used in classic wood type specimens, I decided to create some playful phrases of my own that would be used to showcase the capabilities of the Aetna font family.
I made a large list of words, printed it, cut each word out, and separated them into two piles: nouns and adjectives. I then drew one word from each pile and recorded the combined result. From this list, I chose the ones that captured the lighthearted tone of the piece and that would also help show off the typeface.
Finished Brochure
Reflection
I learned a lot about designing for print and working with pure typography in the process of creating this piece. It was necessary to lay out the piece with exact precision so that it would fold properly, and it took a few tries to get everything properly aligned. Another facet of the project that required refinement was striking a balance between the vintage and modern aspects of the typeface's history. Initially, I explored very bright color palettes that didn't translate very well to print, and obscured the antique origins of the typeface. Returning to a softer, more classic color palette allowed the type to be the star. This was also a good exercise in working with a limited color palette.
This project deepened my appreciation for and understanding of antique wood type, and it was very cool getting to highlight the work of one of my favorite type foundries.