New Mexico Speed Study 1976
Cover of the New Mexico Speed Study from 1976, prepared by the New Mexico State Highway Department, Planning and Programming Division, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.
The origin of the unicase typeface with the unconventional weight distribution is unclear. A version for dry transfer lettering is shown in a 1974 catalog by Formatt as Program. Dan X. Solo included a film version named Tuxedo in his Art Deco Display Alphabets, published by Dover Books in 1982. I don’t know whether Tuxedo preceded Program, or who designed it. Both Formatt and Solotype are known for adopting designs from other sources, often under new names. The font comes with one to three alternates for most alphabetic characters – note the different forms for E in this use. In 2010, Dick Pape made a freebie digitization based on the Solo showing, named DXS Tuxedo. Kryton by Ben Balvanz appears to be based on (the same source as) Tuxedo, too.
Via Rachel Cole, librarian at Northwestern University’s Transportation Library. A digitization of the full study is available from Hathi Trust.
