Amador (2004)

In 2004, Jim Parkinson of Parkinson publishing company created Amador, a black letter font “designed in the spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement.” With a thick calligraphic stroke, this typeface demends the readers attention. This typeface was originally released as a Type 1 font and then re released as a simple open type in 2012. Amador has one variant only, Std Regular.

Parkinson’s creation reflects those works of Frederic Goudy and Rudolf Koch. To the left is one of Goudy works, “Art in Type-Design” which is evidently similar to Amador. Frederic Goudy was an American printer and typographer prevelant in the 1940s as he created over 100 elegant typefaces. Taking after Goudy's elegant and old english inspired typeface, Parkinson's birthed, Amador, a modern take on those of Goudy.

Amador appears on the movie poster and full branding of the 2018 film, Lady Bird, directed by Greta Gerwig. This typeface became the face of the film. It is recognized by individuals as the “Lady Bird Typeface” due to its prevalence in the branding qnd marketing of the film. The old english look to the typeface speaks to the films plot, as the main character, Lady Bird is attending a catholic school, which this typeface reflects very nicely. Lady Bird also dreams of becoming a writer; this typeface is correlated with Old English, the classic typeface used for the New York Times, which speaks to the designers choice of this typeface.

I have throughly enjoyed learing about this typeface and diving into how it correlates with this film. I have and pushed forward this research in my own designs and type choices as I require each of my design choices be well thought, mindful, and purposeful. As a designer you must contemplate how the typeface will be recieved, how it will read, what emotions will it invoke? All of these thoughts are present when choosing a typeface. It is interesting just how well Amador pairs with the Lady Bird storyline. As I move forward as a designer, each choice will be taken into consideration.