“I do not think of type as something that should be readable. It should be beautiful.” Ed Benguiat
Can you spot Mister Earl at 20 paces?
If not, where can you turn to in the case of an elusive typeface?
Click over to WhatTheFont, an online app from the lettering gurus at Bitstream’s MyFonts. Simply upload an image to the site and see what the vast WhatTheFont database turns up as among the likeliest matches. If the trusty algorithm doesn’t get you any closer to the identity of your mystery typeface, try posting a query to the WhatTheFont Forum (also free), where, according to the site’s creators, “cloak-draped font enthusiasts lend a hand.”
FYI: Mister Earl, released in 1991, was designed by Jennifer Maestre. She states that inspiration came from a page in a “how-to” book published in the 1930s. The typeface is named in honor of Earl Biscoe, a type designer who retired in the mid-1980s due to illness. So, there really is a Mister Earl.
FYAI (For Your Additional Information): Jennifer Maestre now channels her creative energy toward fashioning remarkable sculptures out of pencils. Check out her work at Jennifer Maestre Sculpture.
BTW: I uploaded Mister Earl as a “mystery font” and the app nailed it. (It should, it’s a Bitstream font.)
Gotta go. Gotta meeting with Mr. Eaves (Modern).