If retro styling is your preferred graphic trope, then Roadhouse, an extended family of inline, outline, shadow, extrude, bevel, stripe, dropline, and many more options, is all that is needed for a toolkit of revival typefaces. Kimmy Kirkwood claims that his welcome collection of variegated display faces derives from the American Prohibition era of the 1920s; in fact, the type forms go back a few decades earlier to the wood type explosion of the late nineteenth century. Whichever and wherever these bold and light gothics and scripts come from, they evoke a homestyle aesthetic that looks good on everything from newspapers and magazines to packages and labels to signs, book covers, and advertisements with a contemporary old fashion-ness.
With over forty variations on the base concept, the design possibilities are enormously satisfying. Roadhouse Base is a sans serif with squared off ends; Base+Bevel adds highlights to all these letters. For some designs, those two complimentary styles are all that is necessary; however, for the disciplined eclectic design-adventurer, the two weights of Stripe, Half Fill+Outline, and Bevel Line Bold increase the chances of striking typographic harmony and disharmony — at the same time.
And there is more fun with scripts: Roadhouse Script Upright and Oblique provides a counterpoint to the rigidity of the Base font. These scripts are like a completely different relative, rather than a sibling font. It can be well used with the Roman and Bevel versions or by itself. Nonetheless, for an extravagant retro sensibility — that says now and then — using multiple versions of the display fonts will assuredly grab the eye — in a most pleasing way. And if that is not enough to start a veritable typographic festival, Roadhouse also includes a generous selection of text faces. In short, Roadhouse has it all — that is, all except serifs. . . but who needs serifs when you’re having fun.
| Font of the Month: Roadhouse | |
|---|---|
| Designer: Kimmy Kirkwood | Foundry: Kimmy Design Co |
Steven Heller is nothing short of a legend in the design community. Award-winning graphic designer, author and editor of hundreds of books (yes, 100s!) and one of the world’s foremost authorities on graphic design history; and arguably its best design commentator. Follow Steven on the must-read The Daily Heller and read his latest book, Growing Up Underground: A Memoir of Counterculture New York.
