Re: [CR]what font is them decals ???

(Example: Racing:Jean Robic)

From: <BobHoveyGa@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 20:08:14 EDT
Subject: Re: [CR]what font is them decals ???
To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

In a message dated 4/27/2006 7:09:04 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, chuckschmidt@earthlink.net writes:

On Apr 27, 2006, at 10:36 AM, BobHoveyGa@aol.com wrote
>
>>
>>
>> Ben Kamenjas wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Yo Chuck, Kim et al ....
>>>
>>> Perusing through Mssr. Maasland's most excellent auctions I came
>>> across the following Masi Prestige decals ....
>>>
>>> http://ebay.com/<blah>
>>> restoration_W0QQitemZ7237581374
>>>
>>> Now this may just be me but I love and have always loved that
>>> "masi" graphic and wish to know if there is a font or typeset that
>>> is a known or standard reference for this type. And if you a Mac
>>> user and have just this type feel welcome to send it to me ;) ... I
>>> always wanted to make my "own" decals !!!!
>>>
>>
>>
>> Company logos are never existing fonts; but sometimes an existing
>> font is used as a starting point in the design of the logo. A
>> professionally designed logo is always handlettered so no font is
>> going to match.
>>
>> Chuck Schmidt
>> South Pasadena, Southern California
>>
>
>
> That's not quite true, there are MANY companies that select unmodified
> commercial typefaces for their logos. I've been converting them
> from print
> to
> video for the last 13 years so I know this for a fact. And we're
> talking f
> olks
> like TOYOTA here, not Jimmy Dean's Sausages. I can't count the
> number of
> times I've seen Copperplate, Cooper Black (who came first, the tire
> or the f
> ont?
> ;-), Antique Olive, Optima Extra Black or any number of other fonts
> used as
> is, even by larger companies who have ample budgets to come up with
> somethin
> g
> unique. Often they'll just mess with the kerning a bit and call
> it a day.
>
> Not the way I'd do things, but that's how it is.
>
> I don't have time to look thru all my fonts right now but I believe
> you can
> get a close match to Alberto's font (the one in the eBay sale
> you're looking
>
> at) with lower-case Bauhaus Heavy (except for the "s"). There's
> another
> typeface out there that has the swoopy "S", I've seen it. I just
> don't kn
> ow if
> it's in my collection or not, but I'll let you know if I find
> it. In the
> meantime, you can start with Bauhaus in a vector-based program like
> Illustat
> or or
> Freehand, type the letters and select "convert to paths", then
> massage the
> vector points to fit the decal.
>
> Bob Hovey
> Columbus, GA

I think you missed my point Bob. If a company's logo looks like an existing font I think you'll find on close inspection that a lettering artist has reworked it so that it is not an existing weight and modified the individual letters so that they work better together as a logo.

I don't think I missed your point at all, maybe you should read my message again. I disagreed with your statement "Company logos are NEVER existing fonts" (emphasis mine) because I know for a fact that it is not true. Some company logos ARE existing fonts. Yes, it is a good idea to modify it to make it "yours" but that doesn't always happen... sometimes all they do is kern a letter or two.

Yes Bauhaus might be close to Alberto Masi's logo... close but no prize. Personally close doesn't work for me or my clients.

Well Chuck, I didn't know Ben was a client, I thought he was a friend asking for some advice about a Masi logo. If he was in the edit suite with me paying my $140 an hour rate-card, then yes, we would not be doing "close."


>Much easier and more logical to trace the logo rather than modify a typeface that is only close Bob.

Gee, that sounds like another unqualified absolute statement that is only occasionally true. It depends on how substantial the changes are and how many letters in the logo, don't you think? In the case of converting typed Blippo font to the Masi logo, all you have to do is delete three vector points and raise a fourth (to flatten the top of the "M") and delete the dot on the "i". Done. What, you're still tracing? I'm going for coffee, want some?

Bob Hovey
Columbus, GA