I Heart Design

no. 1

SELECTED BYCYRUS HIGHSMITHBANCO TYPEDESIGNED BYROGER EXCOFFON

When someone asks me what my favorite typeface is, I reply, “Banco.” The follow-up question is almost always, “No really, what’s your favorite typeface?” “Banco,” I say again. I admit that Banco is unusual and not found in the most prestigious places. However, it’s a daring, imaginative design that has had a big impact on some of the most important type designers working today.

Banco was drawn in 1951 by Roger Excoffon for Fonderie Olive. Excoffon’s other typefaces include Mistral, Choc, Calypso, and Antique Olive. These are all primarily advertising typefaces, designed to catch the reader’s eye. Their outspoken flair makes them effective.

Excoffon had a fine arts background ...