Clip Books of Line Art, Volk (1970)
“Communications” from the Paste Pot & Scissors subseries, ft. Mike Hinge’s Hinge Computer. Illustartion by Tom Sawyer.
Covers for various clip books of line art issued in 1970 by Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio, Pleasantville, New Jersey. The series provides a glimpse into the topics that were in demand by the press – and by the media in general – in the United States at the time. The covers paint a slightly more progressive image than those from a decade before, e.g. with a women in the driver’s seat (for “Transportation”, see below). The vast majority of the portrayed people still is white and male. The cover for “Communications” (above) with three protesting women is an exception.
The series is also a snapshot of what was in fashion in display typography. The chosen faces – almost each cover features a different one – are diverse in style. Many were issued only shortly before. There are several exclusive designs by the NYC-based typesetting studio Photo-Lettering (Hinge Computer, Brave and Free, Calendar, Microcircus, Benguiat Indian, Bauhaus Prisma, Bordonaro Black Magic, West Kangaroo) and also a few recent releases by VGC (Giorgio, Antikva Margaret).
See also the dedicated post about the subseries titled Grafika which was introduced in 1970. For more information on Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio, see the post about the clip books issued in 1955.
“Happy Birthday” (No. 190) ft. Davison Dimensional (1969). The small text is in Helvetica.
“Holidays” (No. 191) ft. Brave and Free with stretched letterforms.
“Travel” (No. 195). While the title is set in caps from Georg Trump’s City fett, rasterized and repeated at varying angles like stamps in a passport, the names of the destinations are hand-lettered. Some are probably based on existing faces, e.g. “Orient” appears to emulate Benguiat Newlock. “Greece” might be patterend after Copeland Trillium.
“Winter” (No. 197) ft. Giorgio (Giorgio Giaiotto, 1966).
“Men” (No. 198) ft. Profil. Illustration by Tom Sawyer.
“Women” (No. 199). Illustration by Tom Sawyer. The constructivist stencil caps are from Futura Black.
“Holidays” (No. 200) shows tightly spaced lowercase Clarendon.
“Crowds” (No. 201) ft. Davison Arabesque. The portrait format and the use of ITC Avant Garde Gothic Light as secondary typeface suggest that this was a late edition, already in the style used in subsequent years.
“Groups” (No. 526) ft. Calendar (1969).
“Transportation” (No. 527). Illustration by Tom Sawyer. The typeface is PLINC’s Microcircus, a squooshed variation of Microgramma/Eurostile.
“Insurance” (No. 529) again features Microcircus.
“Western” (No. 533) ft. a depiction of a Native American with feathered headdress. The type was apparently chosen for its name – it’s Benguiat Indian.
“Food” No. 539 ft. Prisma Graphic.
“Human Relations” (No. 541) in Cartier (Carl Dair, 1967), with slightly stretched letterforms.
“Education” (No. 542) ft. caps from Antikva Margaret (Zoltán Nagy, 1966).
“Handyman” (No. 543) ft. Goudy Oldstyle Bold, with a shortened ascender for d.
“The Golden Years” (No. 544) ft. Augustea Open. Illustration by Tom Sawyer.
“Teens” (No. 545) ft. Bauhaus Prisma K (1970).
“Family” (No. 546) ft. Jana (1965). Illustration by Tom Sawyer.
“Sales” (No. 547) ft. Eurostile stretto. Illustration by Tom Sawyer.
“Spring & Summer Sports” (No. 548) ft. Permanent Headline in solid and open styles.
“Worry-Fear” from the Paste Pot & Scissors subseries (No. PP132) ft. Black Magic by Lewell Bordonaro.
“Son of Little Guy” (No. PP136) ft. West Kangaroo Demibold, an informal face with horizontal stress by Dave West.
