Discussion Point

Beginning as an illustrator and discovering the practice as not his preferred aspect, Oswald Bruce Cooper pursued a career in type and graphic design.  Starting off as a designer for advertisements, Cooper later designed his most known famous typeface, The Cooper Series.  The Cooper Series published in 1918 was based on Cooper’s very distinct and unique hand style that he crafted earlier in his career.  He was approached to design a group of typefaces based around his letterforms.  Though, it was the Cooper Black Series that was published in 1922 that provided evident exposure to himself and his design studio, that being the intention of Fred Bertsch.  Cooper’s typeface was based around the idea of creating a heavy modernist typeface in both terms of height and weight.  It allowed for heavy black type to resonate and impact typographers and graphic designers.  As a result to the immense up rise, Cooper Black was pronounced as The American Type Founder’s 2^nd best font at the time.  Cooper’s type face evolved in the later years, with the induction of the Cooper Fullface series in 1929, with the creative imagery of a post modern ‘swing’, flavour.  The ideal destination of this font was to be placed upon advertisements, due to its capability to provide accessible vision for long sightedness because of its heavy structure.  

The 20^th and 21^st Century lead to the increase of digital typography, and with the influence of Adrian Frutiger, the impact arose.  Alike Cooper, Frutiger had a first strive towards a career other than type, this being in sculpture.  But being looked down upon as his wanted profession, Frutiger took up print and design as a career with the influence from family and peers.  Beginning in the world of print as a wood carver, he was adopted into the industry along Charles Peignot.  With his passion in calligraphy, he designed the type face Ondine in 1954, although Frutiger was predominantly known in the print world for the iconic and prolific designs of Avenir, Univers and Frutiger type.  Produced after the Frutiger Series, Avenir was characterized around the idea of a geometric sans-serif in 1988.  Taking the name Avenir meaning future, the intention was to design a typeface embarking an organic nature with precise background of geometrics.  Being of less in weight compared to the previous Frutiger series, Avenir has been widely distributed and presented within many 21^st Century corporations, specifically, through the LG Electronics and BBC Two. 

The nature of each font is ideal for different and diversified applications within the design and print industry.  Cooper and his Family Series, is depicted to be presented within the confines of a poster like advertisement, whereby it is utilised  for long-sightedness for the audience due to its noticeable and obvious heavy structures.  As a result, this idea is in contrast to the application is usage of Frutiger's Avenir, whereby the use is present within products rather than print media.  All in all, these two designers, Cooper and Frutiger have left their mark within not only the type and print world and aspect but within design and visual communication as a whole.  They both contribute to publication and advertising are innovative in their own respect.

References

Typedia.  2009.  Oswald Bruce Cooper.  Available at: http://typedia.com/explore/designer/oswald-bruce-cooper/

Linotyoe.  Type Gallery, Avenir.  Available at: http://www.linotype.com/1116-13417/interviewwithafrutiger.html?PHPSESSID=22ed7b38a29d021006a5ca0d1c44f0b6