Cooper & Beatty spot ad for Palatino typeface, Jim Donoahue, 1960

For many years Cooper & Beatty did all the typesetting for Canadian Art, they also ran a regular black and white spot ad in each issue of the magazine. The ads were usually simple, often clever, and appear to have been an opportunity for the designers to have a little fun with type. This ad for the typeface Palatino is one of the later two-colour spot ads and was designed by Jim Donoahue under the direction of C&B Creative Director, Allan Fleming. Released by Linotype in 1949, Palatino was the first major typeface from Hermann Zapf. It was also the first of the ‘old style’ classification of typefaces to be based on calligraphy. A revolutionary design at the time of its release eleven years later it had become a favourite of graphic designers throughout the world.

Typographers and designers have always enjoyed ‘playing’ with type. Rotating letters and creating patterns with them can lead to wonderful, and often unexpected, results. Simply by flipping a basic letter such as a ‘P’ produces a startling effect in the mind of the reader. A letter they may never have given a second thought to suddenly becomes interesting and worthy of a second look.

Artifact Text

Palatino, a type face that builds character and dignity into any message. Designed by Hermann Zapf, this letterform is based on the famous Italian Renaissance hand, and in fact is named after its greatest exponent. Palatino, Palatino Italic, and Palatino Semi-Bold from 8 to 54 point, excluding 36 point are available now at … (mark)
COOPER & BEATTY, LIMITED
type craftsmen
401 Wellington West, Toronto 2B Empire 4–7272