The
typefaces issued by Alphabet Soup, the new foundry established by
veteran lettering artist Michael Doret, are not your run-of-the-mill
fonts. Each of the three initial offerings—Orion, Metroscript
(above), and PowerStation—consists of more than a character set.
PowerStation, based on Doret’s work for the Hershey’s
flagship store in Times Square, is a sturdy, faceted sans serif in two
widths that is intended for two-color work. Orion is an Art Deco script
whose letters join so seamlessly that every word set in it looks like a
jazzy logo. The letters of Metroscript, an homage to the American
commercial scripts that were used for everything from matchbook covers
to baseball uniforms between 1920 and 1960, also link up perfectly. In
addition, Metroscript has alternates and swash “tails” that,
with the help of OpenType-friendly programs like InDesign, can turn
virtually any keyboard jockey into a professional lettering
artist.
The Alphabet Soup fonts are carefully thought out and
produced, reflecting Doret’s long experience designing distinctive
lettering for logos (Universal Studios Hollywood), book and magazine
covers (Time), scorecards (Toronto Blue Jays), album covers
(Kiss), posters, and even stamps. For PowerStation and Metroscript,
Doret has included PDF user manuals explaining how to get the most out
of each font. These guides are beautifully designed, informative, and
simple to follow. More foundries should be providing extras like this.
Alphabet Soup is m’m m’m good. PAUL SHAW
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