Type Specimen Book: Brandon Grotesque
The objective of this project was to research and familiarize ourselves with a particular type family. From the list of options, I selected 'Brandon Grotesque'. I quickly found myself diving down the rabbit hole that is the history of grotesque fonts. The history is rich, and I wanted to be sure to infuse this historic feel into my book spreads.
When researching 'Brandon Grotesque', I read about the creator of the font, Hannes von Dohrem. I learned that he was inspired by the geometric, sans-serif style type faces from 1920's and 30's magazines that he had found in his grandmothers attic. I wanted to capture the feel of these old magazines, as well as the geometric quality that initially inspired 'Brandon Grotesque'. Below, you can find examples of my initial layout sketches versus the final versions of those pages.
With an art-deco feel, the page corners were made from the glyphs of the font. My color palette was inspired by paint and wallpaper samples from the 20's and 30's. I laid out my pages and titles in an engaging, magazine-style. It is intended to feel a bit busy, but intriguing and eye-catching at the same time.
Enjoy!
