Herb Lubalin was an interesting character when it came to graphic design. His typeface Avant Garde is just as interesting as well. Beginning as no more than a a simple logo for the publication having the same name, Avant Garde was made into a typeface with the help of Herb himself and a partner in his design firm by the name of Tom Carnase. For the time it was quite the sight to see with its letter forms and tight-fitting combinations that aided in creating the interesting look that was achieved for the logo of the magazine publications. After its publishing the font became quite popular, so popular in fact that many used it for creative purposes. While it might have been great for them Herb wasn't happy with how Avant Garde was being abused as a typeface, for Herb it wasn't just a typeface but a kind of lifestyle that one had to be engrossed in to fully understand just how certain letters went together in order to get the full effect of the typeface. This abuse went on so long that an art director at the New York Times claimed that in everyone else's hands the typeface was flawed for they didn't truly understand how to use it, it was only within the hands of Herb that the font flourished and sprouted with character.
For me Herb is did something with typography that many strive to do. He was able to create not only a wonderfully designed typeface, but a typeface that had character and style, a typeface that could be recycled in several ways, a typeface that offered new creations at various turns, a typeface that stood out, and a typeface that still speaks the name of its creator Herb Lubalin. Designers continue to struggle with utilizing the font properly today and only one can truly tell a designer whether or not they are utilizing it correctly. The font's purpose is difficult to master and continues to call those with Herb's skill and creativity to the challenge of creating logos or headings with the right tight combinations necessary to show off the modern beauty of the typeface itself. No doubt Herb is one of my favorite type designer's for he left behind something that designers can utilize and that still call them to speak of him because of it.
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