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Clip Books of Line Art, Volk (1980)

Photo(s) by Bart Solenthaler. Imported from Flickr on Dec 6, 2020. Artwork published in .
“Holidays” (No. 329) ft. . Having been issued by the Dickinson Type Foundery in 1882, the Victorian face with the ornate caps is the oldest one in the mix. In 1980, it was available from Photo-Lettering, Facsimile Fonts, VGC, and others.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “aesthetic”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Holidays” (No. 329) ft. Aesthetic. Having been issued by the Dickinson Type Foundery in 1882, the Victorian face with the ornate caps is the oldest one in the mix. In 1980, it was available from Photo-Lettering, Facsimile Fonts, VGC, and others.

Covers for various clip books of line art issued in 1980 by Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio, Pleasantville, New Jersey.

The booklets from this volume exemplify the dominance of ITC for display typography in the United States in this period. There are nine different typefaces from the library of the International Typeface Corporation, including less common ones such as ITC Uptight Neon (1970) and ITC Quorum (1977).

Letraset (the company that would acquire ITC in 1986) was also influential: There are two originals by the British manufacturer of dry transfer lettering sheets, Compacta (1963) and Cathedral (1978). Many other faces were available from Letraset (as well as from various phototype providers), too, among them revivals like Harrington, Tintoretto, Dynamo, and Peignot, or adaptations of designs that originated in phototype like Tonight, Yagi Double, Checkmate.

Exclusive designs by Photo-Lettering are less frequent than in the late 1960s and 1970s. They are still represented by Benguiat Caslon and Hasler Circus. Filmotype faces – which used to be omnipresent on Volk booklets in the 1950s and 1960s – have largely disappeared, with the exception of Filmotype Quiet (1954), a stencil design that by 1980 had been copied by PLINC, VGC, and others.

All covers feature the logo designed by Herb Lubalin and introduced in 1976, here with the subline in caps from Kabel Black.

See the previous post about the clip books issued in 1955 for more information on Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio.

“Wedding” (No. 328) ft. partly overlapping caps from . The typeface was first issued by John Haddon & Co. in 1899.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “harrington”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Wedding” (No. 328) ft. partly overlapping caps from Harrington. The typeface was first issued by John Haddon & Co. in 1899.

“Graphic Arts” (No. 331) ft. . Because nothing says Graphic Arts like overlapping swash caps.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “aesthetic”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Graphic Arts” (No. 331) ft. Benguiat Caslon. Because nothing says Graphic Arts like overlapping swash caps.

“Birthday” (No. 332) ft. skewed caps (a contra-rotalic?) from  on candles. Illustration by Tom Sawyer.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “compacta”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Birthday” (No. 332) ft. skewed caps (a contra-rotalic?) from Compacta on candles. Illustration by Tom Sawyer.

“Religion” (No. 334) ft.  for a cover on a cover.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “cathedral”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Religion” (No. 334) ft. Cathedral for a cover on a cover.

“Winter” (No. 335) ft. the snow-capped letters of .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “nortonfrosted”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Winter” (No. 335) ft. the snow-capped letters of Igloo.

“Show Biz” (No. 336) ft.  from .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “tonight”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Show Biz” (No. 336) ft. stacked glyphs from Tonight.

“Occupations” (No. 338) ft. .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “yagidouble”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Occupations” (No. 338) ft. Yagi Double.

“Communications” (No. 340) ft.  Bold Condensed Italic (1979) and the comeback of the landscape format which would become the standard in subsequent years. The Volk logo is now shown in reverse on a black triangle. “Clip Book of Line Art” is set in .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcbenguiat”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Communications” (No. 340) ft. ITC Benguiat Bold Condensed Italic (1979) and the comeback of the landscape format which would become the standard in subsequent years. The Volk logo is now shown in reverse on a black triangle. “Clip Book of Line Art” is set in ITC Avant Garde Gothic.

“Fitness” (No. 748) with caps from , set on a curve.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcuptightneon”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Fitness” (No. 748) with caps from ITC Uptight Neon, set on a curve.

“Marine” (No. 749) ft. . Illustration by Tom Sawyer.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “filmotypequiet”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Marine” (No. 749) ft. Filmotype Quiet. Illustration by Tom Sawyer.

“Summer” (No. 750) ft.  Outline with the alternate M, filled with sunbeams.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcbauhaus”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Summer” (No. 750) ft. ITC Bauhaus Outline with the alternate M, filled with sunbeams.

“Tourism” (No. 751) ft. .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcbauhaus”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Tourism” (No. 751) ft. ITC Bauhaus.

“Couples” (No. 752) ft. tightly spaced caps from , here just with a single swash O and no overlaps. Primary Illustration by Tom Sawyer.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “benguiatcaslon”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Couples” (No. 752) ft. tightly spaced caps from Benguiat Caslon, here just with a single swash O and no overlaps. Primary Illustration by Tom Sawyer.

“Executives” (No. 754) ft.  and a border full of handshakes.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “peignot”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Executives” (No. 754) ft. Peignot and a border full of handshakes.

“Family” (No. 755) ft. .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “timesnewroman”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Family” (No. 755) ft. Times New Roman.

“Autumn” (No. 756) ft. .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcserifgothic”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Autumn” (No. 756) ft. ITC Serif Gothic.

“Homemaker” (No. 757) ft. .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “circus”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Homemaker” (No. 757) ft. Circus.

“Education” (No. 758) ft.  with , , and .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “atrax”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Education” (No. 758) ft. Atrax with middle dot (·), apostrophe (’), and mid-word linebreaks.

“Christmas” (No. 760) ft. , a typeface that was not made to be used in all caps, as the letter I shows: The J-like form works OK in initial form, but sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of a word.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “tintoretto”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Christmas” (No. 760) ft. Tintoretto, a typeface that was not made to be used in all caps, as the letter I shows: The J-like form works OK in initial form, but sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of a word.

“Energy” (No. 762) ft. stacked caps from .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “dynamo”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Energy” (No. 762) ft. stacked caps from Dynamo.

“Transportation” (No. 763) ft. caps from  by Lettergraphics [edit: it appears to have originated at VGC, see comments], which is  Bold Condensed customized with triangles cut from the letterforms.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “wedgebold”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Transportation” (No. 763) ft. caps from Wedge Bold by Lettergraphics [edit: it appears to have originated at VGC, see comments], which is Egyptienne Bold Condensed customized with triangles cut from the letterforms.

“Insurance” (No. 764) ft.  Bold Italic in lowercase, with an omitted i dot.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “compacta”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Insurance” (No. 764) ft. Compacta Bold Italic in lowercase, with an omitted i dot.

“Senior Citizens” (No. 765) ft. all-caps  with initial and terminal swash forms.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcsouvenir”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Senior Citizens” (No. 765) ft. all-caps ITC Souvenir with initial and terminal swash forms.

“Crowds” (No. 766) ft. .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcbauhaus”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Crowds” (No. 766) ft. ITC Bauhaus.

“Human Relations” (No. 767), again with oblique  in all lowercase and no i dot.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “compacta”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Human Relations” (No. 767), again with oblique Compacta in all lowercase and no i dot.

“Money” (No. 769) ft. . Primary Illustration by Tom Sawyer.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “moléfoliate”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Money” (No. 769) ft. Molé Foliate. Primary Illustration by Tom Sawyer.

“Circus-Fair” (No. 770) ft. .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “haslercircus”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Circus-Fair” (No. 770) ft. Hasler Circus.

“Spring & Summer Sports” (No. 771) ft.  and its sans-serif sibling .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itclubalingraph” and “itcavantgardegothic”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Spring & Summer Sports” (No. 771) ft. ITC Lubalin Graph and its sans-serif sibling ITC Avant Garde Gothic.

“Drop-Ins” (No. G111) ft.  Condensed. The logo of the Grafika subseries is in  with ligatures for ra and fi, accompanied by  Light with omitted tittles.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “pabstextrabold”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Drop-Ins” (No. G111) ft. Pabst Extra Bold Condensed. The logo of the Grafika subseries is in ITC Fat Face with ligatures for ra and fi, accompanied by Kabel Light with omitted tittles.

“The Gals” (No. G112) ft.   and a rare photographic cover.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcnewtext”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“The Gals” (No. G112) ft. ITC Newtext and a rare photographic cover.

“The Guys” (No. G114) with tightly spaced  caps.
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “city”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“The Guys” (No. G114) with tightly spaced City caps.

“Contests” (No. G116) ft. .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcquorum”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Contests” (No. G116) ft. ITC Quorum.

“Printed Forms” (No. G117) ft. overlapping caps with swash initials from  Outline. “We’re moving” is in an unidentified (homemade?) variation on the  theme, see also .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “itcbookman”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Printed Forms” (No. G117) ft. overlapping caps with swash initials from ITC Bookman Outline. “We’re moving” is in an unidentified (homemade?) variation on the Electric Circus theme, see also Electus.

“Gimmicks” (No. G119) ft. a fairy tale castle à la Neuschwanstein and caps from .
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “checkmate”. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Gimmicks” (No. G119) ft. a fairy tale castle à la Neuschwanstein and caps from Checkmate.

Typefaces

  • Aesthetic
  • Harrington
  • Benguiat Caslon
  • Compacta
  • Cathedral
  • Igloo
  • Tonight
  • Yagi Double
  • ITC Benguiat
  • ITC Uptight Neon
  • Filmotype Quiet
  • ITC Bauhaus
  • Peignot
  • Times New Roman
  • ITC Serif Gothic
  • Circus (Mecanorma)
  • Atrax
  • Tintoretto
  • Dynamo
  • Wedge Bold
  • ITC Souvenir
  • Molé Foliate
  • Hasler Circus
  • ITC Avant Garde Gothic
  • ITC Lubalin Graph
  • Pabst Extra Bold
  • ITC Newtext
  • City
  • ITC Quorum
  • ITC Bookman
  • Checkmate
  • Kabel Black
  • ITC Fat Face
  • Kabel

Formats

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Designers/Agencies

Artwork location

5 Comments on “Clip Books of Line Art, Volk (1980)”

  1. Yes! Thanks, Jay. I think it’s not only similar, but a direct copy. In their early years, Mecanorma adopted several Filmotype faces, without giving credit. This included Filmotype Quentin (as Gay Nineties) and Filmotype Quaker (as Jet). Filmotype Quilt has an entry now.

  2. And I notice Wedge Bold might be in a VGC Alphabet Library catalogue book published around 1976, which at least catalogues this face as OR-367.

  3. Top notch (pardon the pun)! I adjusted the publisher credits and added a sample. Thanks, Jay.

    Was the catalog published in 1976, or around 1976? Does it state a date?

  4. The spine identifier on the University of Manitoba’s acquired copy shows:

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