Les Usherwood
Encyclopedia
Les Usherwood was born in England
, studied in Kent
and started his career as a lettering artist. He came to Toronto, Canada in 1957 and worked for various companies until he started Typsettra with David Thompson
in 1968. The company supplied typographic layouts, headline (on Typositor) and text typesetting (on Berthold Diatronic), mechanicals, custom lettering and notably typeface design.
Typsettra did work for many important designers and art directors. In his role as a Type Director, Usherwood help create the unique style of detailed ‘jigsaw’ layout typography typified by tightly spaced custom headline faces, long text with many run-arounds. There is a clear comparison to the work of Herb Lubalin
, Ed Benguiat
, and U&lc magazine.
His untimely death in 1983 at 51, at the height of his career, was a shock. The Advertising & Design Club of Canada uses his name for their annual lifetime achievement award for which he was the first recipient.
designer creating over 200 faces for a variety uses and clients. His typefaces include Administer, Caxton (for Letraset), Flange (for Berthold), Kingsley, ITC (International Typeface Corporation) Leawood, and ITC Usherwood.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, studied in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and started his career as a lettering artist. He came to Toronto, Canada in 1957 and worked for various companies until he started Typsettra with David Thompson
David Thompson
David Thompson may refer to:In exploration:*David Thompson , founder of the first European settlement in New Hampshire, United States...
in 1968. The company supplied typographic layouts, headline (on Typositor) and text typesetting (on Berthold Diatronic), mechanicals, custom lettering and notably typeface design.
Typsettra did work for many important designers and art directors. In his role as a Type Director, Usherwood help create the unique style of detailed ‘jigsaw’ layout typography typified by tightly spaced custom headline faces, long text with many run-arounds. There is a clear comparison to the work of Herb Lubalin
Herb Lubalin
Herbert F. Lubalin was a prominent American graphic designer. He collaborated with Ralph Ginzburg on three of Ginzburg's magazines: Eros, Fact, and Avant Garde, and was responsible for the creative visual beauty of these publications...
, Ed Benguiat
Ed Benguiat
Ed Benguiat is an American typographer. He has crafted over 600 typefaces including Tiffany, Bookman, Panache, Edwardian Script, and the self-titled typefaces Benguiat and Benguiat Gothic...
, and U&lc magazine.
His untimely death in 1983 at 51, at the height of his career, was a shock. The Advertising & Design Club of Canada uses his name for their annual lifetime achievement award for which he was the first recipient.
Typeface designs
Les Usherwood was a prolific typefaceTypeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
designer creating over 200 faces for a variety uses and clients. His typefaces include Administer, Caxton (for Letraset), Flange (for Berthold), Kingsley, ITC (International Typeface Corporation) Leawood, and ITC Usherwood.
External links
- Myfonts My Fonts
- Typographica Typographica
- Advertising & Design Club of Canada http://www.theadcc.ca/awards/les_usherwood_award.asp
- Berthold Type Foundry http://www.bertholdtypes.com/category/les-usherwood/