Reimagining an Icon of the Past
Some Context
Futura Grand is a type revival, incorporating the bold, geometric forms included in Paul Renner's original sketches of the futura typeface. This new release of the typeface explores the relationship between speed and tradition. Futura Grand stands in harmony with the bold, iconic skyline of a city constructed by looking into the future: a world sustained by industry and machine.
Futura Grand glides forward to daring new terrains. She is the bright dawn, the end of the age. A paradox. With a presence that belongs beyond our world, she creates a future that refuses to conform. She is the spirit of innovation.
“The city had a place to fill, a work to do. Doubtless the country places would not have approximated their livableness had it not been for the cities. By crowding together, men have learned some secrets. They would never have learned them alone in the country. Sanitation, lighting, social organization—all these are products of men’s experience in the city.”
- Henry Ford
- Henry Ford
This project came about from the influences of 4 sources: “Creativity Inc.”, City in Motion, Art Deco architecture in Detroit, and “Paul Renner, the Art of Typography”, a biography on Paul Renner, who designed the modernist typeface Futura.
Cadillac Tower, opened 1927 in Detroit. Photograph by Nathan Johnson.
Outlines of Futura copper plates. Image of Paul Renner, The Art of Typography.
Penobscot Building, opened 1912 in Detroit.
futura grand specimen book
I recorded a special podcast episode on the life, career, and mind of Paul Renner, the designer of Futura.
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