Template Gothic
Barry DeckIf period typefaces such as Broad-
way from the 1920 s, Helvetica
from the 1960 s, or Avant Garde
from the 1970 s had been designed
at any other time in history,
would they have been as symbolic
of their times? Or were they such
total products of their eras that
the question is moot? When
William Caslon designed his only
sans-serif typeface back in the
early 1800 s, it was considered an
aesthetic monstrosity. Had it been
created in the 1920 s, however,
when geometric sans-serif faces
stood for progressive ideals, it
would have been accepted
without question. Typefaces, like
automobile and clothing design,
contribute to the Zeitgeist. But
what makes the character of a
particular type so endemic? “The process by which particular typefaces
come to embody the look, mood, and aspirations of a period is mysterious
and fascinating,” wrote Rick Poynor in Eye (No. 6 , Vol. 2 , 1992 ).
Timing may not be everything, but it does have a lot to do with
why typefaces appeal to the public’s taste at any given moment. It certainly
explains why CalArts graduate Barry Deck’s (b. 1962 ) Template Gothic
( 1990 ), a vernacular-inspired yet futuristic-looking typeface, became the
most emblematic font in an epoch replete with emblems. At the time of
Template Gothic’s inception graphic design was experiencing technological
shifts that altered methods and mind sets. Modernism was being
challenged by a growing number of heretics opposed to its dogma;
universality had become the hobgoblin of cultural diversity; and Swiss-
influenced typography had become cold and trite. Template Gothic was one
designer’s attempt to explore alternative influences that were more or less
deemed taboo. “The design of these fonts came out of my desire to move186