Play “Name That Designer” with the Type Directors Club’s New Birthday Book

Posted inDesign Books
Thumbnail for Play "Name That Designer" with the Type Directors Club's New Birthday Book

This year, the Type Directors Club celebrates its 65th year. To mark the occasion, the storied organization dedicated to “excellence in typography” just published Celebrate 65, a birthday book of sorts. In it, Paul Shaw reminisces on his guided type tours of New York City, TDC executive director Carol Wahler traces her family’s long history running Cardinal Type Service, and Roger Black muses on how much the field—or at least the terminology—has changed in 65 years. (“What on earth is a type director?”)

For Celebrate 65, the TDC also called on 65 designers and typographers from 25 countries (including Hermann Zapf, Jessica Hische, Garth Walker, and Carin Goldberg) to create a numeral for each of the club’s 65 years. In some, it’s easy to see the designer’s fingerprints. But many others would have left us scratching our heads if a credit hadn’t been supplied. That led us to the game you’ll find after the jump: Name That Designer! We’ve posted nine numerals below—your job is to name their designers. Answers are at the bottom. No peeking!

Scoring:

0-3: So you’re the one who keeps leaving passive-agressive notes in Comic Sans!

4–6: You can probably deliver a rambling, mildly convincing monologue on the difference between a font and a typeface.

7–8: Didn’t we share a taxi at TypeCon 2010?

9: I’m sorry, Matthew Carter, but you’re ineligible.

10

11

20

35

38

40

42

47

49

Answers: 10, Michael Bierut; 11, Marian Bantjes; 20, Alexander Isley; 35, Underware; 38, Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko; 40, George Lois; 42, Erik Spiekermann; 47, Milton Glaser; 49, Paula Scher