The designer Kim Buker Chansler created the fonts
Birch™ (1990),
Cottonwood™ (1991, with Barbara Lind and Joy Redick),
Pepperwood™ (1994),
Ponderosa™ (1990),
Rosewood™ (1994) and
Zebrawood™. Pepperwood™, Ponderosa™, Rosewood™ and Zebrawood™ are joint works of Kim Buker Chansler, Carl Crossgrove and Carol Twombly.
Birch is based on a Latin Condensed wood type found in a 1879 William Page specimen book. The font is a particularly legible condensed display typeface notable for its angled serifs. Use frugally in display work.
Pepperwood is a so-called wood type. The origin of this kind of typeface can be found in the early 19th century. Called Italian or Italienne, these typefaces quickly became very popular. They are distinguished by square serifs whose width is larger than the stroke width of the characters. When the letters are set together, the heavy serifs build dark horizontal bands. Pepperwood has a couple of unique characteristics of its own. Small squares decorate the middle of the letters and the edges of the serifs are not straight, rather, they have small, fine tips. Pepperwood is reminiscent of the Wild West with its shootouts and heroes, but also suggests the glamor of the 1970s with their platform shoes and wild hair-dos. The different weights allow a large range of design possibilities. Used carefully in headlines, Pepperwood is sure to draw attention.
The origins of Ponderosa can be found in the early 19th century. Called Italian or Italienne, these typefaces quickly became very popular. They are distinguished by square serifs whose width is larger than the stroke width of the characters. When the letters are set together, the heavy serifs build dark horizontal bands. The distinguishing characteristic of Ponderosa lies in its extremely fine figures between heavy serifs. The designers approached the boundaries of the impossible with this contrast. The typeface is reminiscent of the Wild West with its shootouts and heroes as well as of the 1970s with their platform shoes and wild hair-dos. When used carefully in headlines, Ponderosa will surely attract attention.
Rosewood has its roots in the slab serif style. The first weight displays the simplicity typical of display typefaces at the end of the 18th century, the other weights are playful variations on this theme. The tendency toward display and ornametal typefaces began with the English Industrial Revolution. The introduction of new machines made mass production possible in the print industry, a technique meant to constantly produce new and unusual products to sell to more and more consumers. Many of the typefaces created in this time were meant simply to catch attention and to advertise products. The two ornamental weights of Rosewood reflect this tendency and never fail to catch the reader’s eye. Rosewood, like Zebrawood and
Schwennel™, is a bicolor font, meaning that the weight Rosewood fill can be used as a decoration for the inner spaces of Rosewood regular.
Zebrawood displays a kind of Wild West character. Its style can be traced back to the Toscanienne typefaces which appeared in advertisements and on signs at the end of the 19th century. Typical of this capital alphabet are the split serifs and robust base forms, which emphasize the typeface’s decorative character. Zebrawood is, like Rosewood and
Schwennel, meant as a bicolor font, meaning that the weight Zebrawood fill complements the inner spaces of Zebrawood regular. When used carefully in headlines, Zebrawood will be sure to attract attention.
