Riding the Toronto Subway

I’m not a font geek. Sure, I dabble every once in a while…cruizing blogs, enjoying the sight of a well-turned serif. But I can quit any time I want to, right?

If I were a font geek (or had ever been to Toronto) I would have already known about the 1954 Toronto Subway font which I stumbled across on Kern Your Enthusiasm this morning.

 

Subway Tunnel – Probably not in Toronto

 

They describe it better, but to me there’s something charmingly  innocent about this bold geometric font.  Perhaps a bit of a throwback to the typography of the 1920s.

Toronto Subway c1954

 

Reading a bit farther, I see that observation is not mine alone, as the post refers to the similar font Gil Sans, from 1926.

Gil Sans c1926

Perhaps Harold Lloyd shares my intermittant enthusiasm for fonts. He certainly seems to be impressed by something — doubtless an impressively lettered sign – in his highly enjoyable 1928 film Speedy.

Harold Lloyd in Speedy – Probably not actually on the New York subway

What’s the connection? Well, like these fonts, Harold Lloyd’s movie persona is innocent and maybe a little foolhardy. Seems to have been a really nice guy in real life, too. And it’s entirely possible that, at some time in his life, he visited Toronto.

 

 

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