Not Retro, but Vintage

摘要

When I ask veteran letterer and type designer Daniel Pelavin whether he refers to his historically inspired typography as "retro," his impatience with the question is palpable. "Using words like 'retro' is a hobbyist's way of catego- rizing and stripping away most of the meaning from complicated concepts," he snarls, "much like the way design dilettantes pride themselves on eschewing the use of Comic Sans, thereby exposing their closed-mindedness and sheer ignorance of typography." Fair enough, I think. But what about his body of work, which he has pinched from Art Nouveau, Art Deco and other nostalgic styles-isn't that, in fact, "retro"? As though reading my mind, he adds with a sly grin. "I will entertain a client's interest in having a retro design, but only after they provide me with cogent examples of what the hell they think they are talking about."