My 5 Favourite Fonts

Clarendon Bold
I love the individual letterforms in this slab-serif typeface: the lowercase "a" is the epitome of what an "a" can be! The Clarendon family can be used in diverse situations: it can be commanding (think of an Old West wanted poster) or friendly (an ABC children's book) or fashionable (gourmet food packaging). Looking at this typeface makes me happy.

Bodoni Egyptian Thin
Another slab-serif, this typeface was designed by Toronto typographer Nick Shinn in 1999. This is a very delicate typeface that hints at a typewriter font. It has a beautifully quirky lowercase "g" that resembles an old-fashioned pair of spectacles.

Interstate Regular
As the name suggests, this typeface design was inspired by highway signage and was designed for clarity and legibility. The versatile family has a range of weights, from hairline to extra bold and varying widths from regular to compressed. It was released in the mid-1990s, around the same time I graduated from ACAD, and I was immediately enamored with its iconic letterforms. I longed for this typeface for years and had to save up for it. It is by far the most expensive font family I've ever purchased - $1,200! - but it was worth every penny. I use Interstate on a daily basis and is as indispensible as a good employee.

Berthold Baskerville
The original Baskerville typeface style dates back to the 1700s. The Berthold version is an elegant serif typeface in which each letter and numeral is drawn with love and care. This is the typeface that graces my UPPERCASE line of typographic greeting cards: each letter or numeral is presented at three to four inches in height so that the elegant curves can be appreciated.

Adobe Caslon Italic
When I want a special ampersand, then I look to Adobe Caslon Italic. Its curly-cue, vine-like form is simply beautiful.