AMADOR
Typeface Specimen Book
ACADEMIC PROJECT
Printed and bound type specimen book
Duration
3 weeks
Feb–Mar 2025
SOFTWARE
Adobe InDesign
Procreate
IDEATION
For this assignment, we were given no limitation on font selection, as long as we had enough information and letterform details to fill 50 pages. My final book contains information on the background of the font Amador, designed by Jim Parkinson. In addition, it has a detailed analysis of the various forms, as well as information on one of its most famous uses, the movie branding for Greta Gerwig film, Lady Bird.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Though not a specific target audience, this book was designed for those interested in learning about typeface histories, and diving into the details that make each font unique
FoTypefacent Selection
Searching for typefaces that not only interested me in their forms, but also had enough information about their history. I was extremely interested in using a blackletter font, and though I loved Aeronaut and Cabazon, I was unable to find sufficient information on their background. My further search led me to find Amador, something I couldn’t have been more happy about
Typeface Research
When researching Amador, I first looked deeply into the history of the designer and the foundry it is currently housed under. Though Jim Parkinson is still alive, I was unable to get in contact with him directly due to personal reasons. However, I had the opportunity to speak with Delve Withrington, founder of Delve Fonts and current seller of the font. He provided me with information on Parkinson’s background, as well as text drafts written about Amador by Parkinson himself. This text is later to be published by Withrington, in collaboration with Parkinson’s wife, in a memoir on Jim Parkinson.
After this research, I printed each character in the font in large format. This allowed me to closely analyze the individual letters, numbers, and symbols. I compared the forms and details to those of other blackletter typefaces, looking for what was similar to Amador, and also what made Amador unique.
Early iterations
Early conceptual development of book theme, decorative elements, and layout design. Some spreads were refined and kept in the final book, others were scrapped entirely
Binding
Since the submission was due in both digital and print, each page was printed and cut, then glue-bound with a double-fan binding. The inside book contained special pages printed on vellum paper
Final Solutions
Digital Booklet
The final booklet was styled after the film Lady Bird, the reason Amador was brought into the public eye. The film is a raw coming-of-age drama following a teenage girl, her struggles with religion, and a tumultuous relationship with her mother. I wanted the booklet to reflect messiness and complexity of the movie, while maintaining dynamic and engaging layouts.
My favorite spreads are pages 4–5, 16–17, 24–25, and 44–45. Please note that the colors were adjusted for print, leaving some of the blue/teals much lighter in the digital document.
The final booklet measured at 7” x 9.5”.
Print Booklet
Reflection
CHALLENGES
I was very intentional about the spreads in my book, wanting to maintain the dynamic feel while keeping each spread unique and thoughtful. At first, I struggled adding too many elements and cluttering the pages, but once I stepped back and allowed myself to leave purposeful white space, I was much happier with how my spreads were looking. As far as the print side of the assignment, this was my first time binding any kind of book. It took lots of trial and error, in addition to a lot of prep and working time. However, I’m extremely happy with the final result.
CONCLUSION
In this project, I deeply enjoyed learning more about a type designer, his font, and the thought process behind his design. So many times, the faces behind fonts go unnoticed, but I’m honored that I was able to bring light to the history of Amador and the background of its designer.
POST-SUBMISSION
After the submission for this assignment, my booklet was selected for a juried student exhibition in my university’s gallery.