Time to Catch Eyes

With the body of my poem set, I was at a bit of a loss. The poem itself looked pretty, sitting quietly in Goudy Old Style, set and spaced the way I wanted it (but for the "t"s in the last stanza). What next? Oh, right. A title.

But what font would best represent the poem as well as catch the reader's eye?

I consulted Lindsay one evening during the workshop. She ran straight to a case tucked away behind the stairs and pulled out 24 pt Camelot, which is very leggy and curvy. Its serifs are subtle and it generally feels very elegant, so I went with it happily. I set the title and put it aside for the evening.

Later, 24 points just didn't feel like enough. I went to grab the 30 pt case and see if it was large enough, when I noticed an unlabeled case beneath it. I pulled it out with a little difficulty, in hopes that it was an even larger version of Camelot. It was better.

What it looks like: all capitals and large, larger than 30 pt Camelot and much bolder, with a "hand-tooled" sort of open space in each letter. Each line feels hand chiseled, no line is perfectly straight but bends or bellies a little, and this makes the font appear to move a little, even though it stands firm and bold on the page. It has life, and flourish, particularly in the "A." More importantly, it feels imposing and grand, much like the feeling I tried to create in the poem.


The only thing that bothers me about this font is that I do not know its name. Its impressions on my broadsides are like those of the crystal slippers outside Cinderella's ball, and I have the fallen slipper and no idea who she really is. I can make more impressions. I just can't give her credit.



Note: The letters in this picture are particularly juicy because I used too much ink when proofing. The edges in the final printing are more cleanly cut.