Anatomy of Design

6

Stencil writing is one of oldest methods of making ad hoc typefaces. The

rudimentary technology is accessible to all and is as simple as cutting

letterforms (however imprecisely) out of heavy paper or board, then painting

over the cutouts. The distinctive look of stencil type—the gaps between

horizontal and vertical portions of the letters—derives from adherence to a

single, overriding requirement: durability. When divided in this way, the

segments of a single letter endure longer than if the cutout were seamless.

Stencils were not originally designed as fine typography but rather served more

routine functions, that of reproducing marks, letters, words, and images in paint

or ink on rough surfaces like burlap bags or wooden barrels.

The common Stencil typeface designed by Gerry Powell (who codesigned

Stymie with Sol Hess) for American Typefounders Co. in 1939 was based on

bulbous letterforms the U.S. Army used as far back as the Civil War and that are

still favored by the military for branding numerals to names on everything from

sacks to howitzers. But even before Stencil became a popular commercial font

(and even the modernist Paul Rand used it on the cover of the distinctive 1942

catalog for the Autocar Corporation), type designers in the early twentieth century

drew inspiration from the stencil’s inherent quirks and universal familiarity. For

example, Paul Renner’s 1929 Futura Black was a stylized rectilinear stencil that

evoked a streamlined sensibility. New and novel stencil fonts have been common

throughout the twentieth century and never fall out of style. For example, Milton

Glaser’s 1970 Glaser Stencil is still frequently used today.

Stenciling is also a common means of conveying public messages,

sometimes benign but often politically charged. The practice of stenciling

politically alternative missives on sidewalks and buildings dates to the early

twentieth century, when conventional forms of printing were difficult or

expensive. But the stencil was not only a tool of rebellious causes; rather,

governments posted their official missives with this economy. In the latter part

of the century stencils were, however, more commonly used by alternative

groups and movements in urban areas where posters protesting or advocating

charged issues were more likely to be torn down. Spray painting a slogan or

image was an efficient means to hit and run. Once again, durability and

immediacy are reasons for using stencil. The spray of the spray paint has

come to symbolize social and cultural insurgence.

Nathaniel Cooper’s poster for the Heart of America Shakespeare

Festival may not be an overtly political statement, but his design draws on

the stencil’s immediacy to call attention to an annual summer festival

featuring a run of free, professionally produced outdoor performances in

Kansas City, Missouri. “Instead of simply conveying a message about an

individual play being performed,” he notes, “we felt the image and words

should go beyond to capture the essence of the annual festival. The

powerful, revolutionary-style graphic gives the piece a populist look

appropriate to the fact that it’s for the people. Therefore, everyone is

welcome to attend the performances at no charge.”

Free Will

Designer: Nathaniel Cooper

2005 Free Will, poster

d: Nathaniel Cooper c: Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Kansas City, MO

The image and words were created for the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Kansas

City, MO. The powerful revolutionary-style graphic gives the piece a populist look

appropriate to the fact that it's for the people.

Stencils

Stencil type

Printed pieces using stencil-art

ANATOMY OF DESIGN

1917 De Stijl

magazine cover

d:Theo van Doesburg Vilmos

Huszar

1930–40 Zero Fuselage

identification stencil

Painted on all Japanese Navy aircraft, listing

manufacturer of plane, plane’s serial number,

and date of manufacture.

1944 USA stencils

Spray-gun used with stencils to appl

y

number and star for Normandy.

1925 alphabet design for stencil lettering

a:Josef Albers

Alphabet is reduced to geometric shapes drawn

from a grid.

1941 Alphabet typeface

d:Bart van der Leck

8000 BC Cuevas Los Manos (Cave of the Hands)

rock art from Argentina

Ten-thousand-year-old art created by blowing paint

over the artist’s hands onto a surface.

2000 Out Market poster

d:Edwin Vollebergh, Petra Janssen

s:Studio Boot c:Theatre Kampen

1994 Inflatable Soule poster

d:Robynne Raye

s:Modern Dog c:Barbeau and

Rev. Bob Jones M.S.

Hand-lettering by the designer.

2001 Equipo Del Fuego ad

ad,d:Alvaro Sotomayor i:Dave Fikkert

s:Wieden & Kennedy, Amsterdam c:Nike

1985 Saga-Goryu School of Flower

Arranging poster

a:Tadanori Yokoo

c:Saga-Goryu School of Flower

Arranging, Daikakuji Temple

See Cuevas los Manos (Cave of Lost Hands).

1931

Time Machine—by H. G.

Wells

book spread

d:W. A. Dwiggins

c:Random House

Art in book created with a stencil.

Original stencil shown below.

Undated A is not for Apple

street stencil from Czech Republic

1990 Laudium Welcomes Comrade

Mandela poster

The poster welcomes Mandela for his visit

to the township Laudium, South Africa.

c1940s Djevojke U Nevoli (Girls In

Trouble) poster

a:Zvonimir Faist

Croatian poster for French movie. Because

of a small run, posters were produced with

a stencil then airbrushed.

1921 Comrade Have You Read The

Council of People’s Commissars’

Mandate

drawing

a:V. Mayakovsky

Gavpolitprosvet Window No 295.

2002 I Want You

Consumption ma

g

ad:Paul Shoebrid

g

c:Adbusters