Spike version 3

The Quadrat Spike fonts, including the popular Spike Bold, have now been upgraded. New features include:

• OpenType format for full cross-platform use
• web fonts for @font-face use on the web
• full Western European character set, including the all-important @
• fractions
• new ff, ffi, ffl and ft ligatures
• and new swash caps

The version 3 Spike fonts are a free upgrade for all current licencees. As well, current licencees can also recieve the corresponding web fonts as a free upgrade. Just email me to ask about the upgraded fonts.

Toronto Subway Regular web font as viewed in Safari.

Web fonts for Toronto Subway are now available in the Quadrat font store.

The Quadrat web font licence allows purchasers to use the web fonts on any and all websites they own or maintain. The web font packages include instructions for installing the web fonts and sample settings using the web fonts.

As well, the Toronto Subway desktop fonts have been updated to OpenType, a format which allows the same font file to be used on Macintosh, Windows or Linux.

The web fonts and the OpenType fonts are free updates for all current licensees of Toronto Subway. If you have purchased a licence for Toronto Subway, email me with your name, the email address used when you purchased your licence, the date of your purchase and your invoice reference number. Please also let me know whether you are interested in the web fonts, the OpenType fonts or both. Please allow one or two business days for your request to be processed and the fonts to be sent to you via email.

These updates are open to everyone who has purchased a licence for Toronto Subway, either through the Quadrat font store or through MyFonts.com.

Sparkling wine and a custom-made drinks tray at the exhibit opening on April 7, 2011. Photo: Dominion Modern

A modest, intimate launch was held on the evening of Thursday, April 7, 2011, to mark the opening of Dominion Modern’s exhibit on the creation of the Toronto Subway fonts, entitled “Toronto Subway: A Love Story.” The exhibit has been extended until July 16, at the George Brown College School of Design at 230 Richmond Street East in Toronto (the entrance is on the side lane). Hours are Monday–Friday, 9am–9pm; Saturday, 10am–5pm.

Dominion Modern's Toronto Subway exhibit at the George Brown College School of Design. Photo: Dominion Modern

Display boards from Dominion Modern’s exhibit on the Toronto Subway fonts. Photo: Dominion Modern

The exhibit includes samples of the rubbings and photographs I took of the subway lettering as part of my research, the actual Minolta film camera I used for the photos and a brief explanation of the process involved in developing the Toronto Subway fonts .

If you’re unable to visit the exhibit, you can visit Dominion Modern’s exhibition page. You might also want to check out the latest related video posted on Vimeo, from John Martins-Manteiga’s interview with me, where I talk about why I think modernist heritage and the Toronto subway lettering in particular are important.

Nothin’ new here

I’ve let my subscription expire, but the May 2011 issue of The Walrus magazine still landed in my mailbox this morning.

The cover draw proclaims: “The New Newfoundland,” right on top of a photo of… a mummer. A very nice photo of a mummer, but still…

What’s the message, here? Meet the new Newfoundland, same as the old Newfoundland.

DOMINION MODERN\ David Vereschagin, Xtra Logo from dominionmodern on Vimeo.

On February 9, 2011, I spoke with John Martins-Manteiga, as part of Dominion Modern’s oral history project. Dominion Modern is “Canada’s foremost archive of 20th Century Canadian architecture and design” and works to increase awareness of Modernist design in Canada.

I spoke with John for about 3 hours about my career as a graphic designer, and specifically about Toronto Subway, my revival of the iconic Toronto subway lettering.

Part of that discussion included my reminiscing about my creation of the now-retired logo for Xtra magazine.

Original logo for Xtra magazine

John has now posted that particular bit of our talk on Vimeo, as a teaser for the display about Toronto Subway that will go up early this spring at the George Brown College School of Design in Toronto.

Still to be posted: me yakking about how I reconstructed the Toronto Subway typeface. Stay tuned!

TTC Northbound

It’s always interesting to see examples of how people are using the Toronto Subway fonts.

On December 16, BlogTO posted an article on Toronto designer Jonathan Guy’s TTC posters. You can read the full BlogTO post here. Two of the posters use the Toronto Subway font, plus directional arrows, in a handsome white and black treatment that echoes the subway’s old wayfinding signage — one poster is for the Yonge line stations from Union to Bloor, the other is for the stations from Rosedale to Lawrence, including a nice extra “Exit and Buses” treatment. The third poster is a collage of actual TTC station signage.

If you’re interested in owning one of these posters, visit Jonathan’s online store.

Behind the Walls

One of the joys about designing a magazine (and  not everything about magazine design is joyful) is that you get to try out new ideas and use new photographers and illustrators on a regular basis. The Winter 2011 issue of The Positive Side gave me the bonus opportunity to work with two new-to-the-magazine illustrators, John Webster and Raymond Beisinger.

I’m always on the watch for potential new illustrators. (Yes, Canadian illustrators with a strong conceptual basis, please contact me.) But I can’t quite remember when Raymond’s illustrations first caught me eye, whether it was in the pages of The Walrus or of Quill & Quire. Anyway, his highly graphic style and excellent conceptual abilities had me quickly searching for him on the web, bookmarking his website and adding him to my mental “Find projects for these illustrators” list.

When I got the first draft of “Behind the Walls” I knew I wanted Raymond. I first approached him about illustrating the article back in the spring of 2010. Unfortunately he was too busy, but he let me know that he found The Positive Side and the article interesting and that I should keep him in mind for future projects. As it turned out, the article didn’t make it into the summer issue and was postponed until the fall. When I knew for certain the article was back in the mag, I followed up with Raymond and he agreed to take it on.

I think the article really played to Raymond’s strengths as an illustrator: it was on a topical subject (HIV and hepatitis C in Canadian prisons) and it dealt with a number of complex, inter-related issues. The full-page illustration to lead the article, shown above, met all of my expections. The spot illo he also provided was an extra bonus.

To see more of Raymond’s work, check out his website.

Million-dollar Smile

When it comes to collage, it sometimes seems there are two kinds of illustrators: those who are John Webster and those who aren’t. Once you have experienced John’s collage illustrations, the work of many other collage artists just seems like mere cutting and pasting.

I was forcefully reminded of this last year, when John did a series of illustrations for the 2009-2010 season of Théâtre français de Toronto. His illustrations were so full of energy and colour and, well, fullness, that, despite my modernist minimalist tendencies, I immediately thought, “I have to get him to illustrate something for me!”

My chance came with the Winter 2011 issue of The Positive Side, the free magazine for people with HIV/AIDS published by CATIE, which I design. (Info on how you can get a free subscription is on The Positive Side website.) Ron Rosene’s “Million-dollar Smile” was an article that I just knew John would be able to help me with.

To see more of John’s work, visit his blog, The John Webster Book, or see his portfolio online at the website of his representatives, i2iart.

Hello world! Blograt is the blog for the Quadrat website.

Here you will find announcements of new font releases and font updates, Quadrat projects and collaborators, and general musings about type and design.

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