Fine Typography – full-page print ad, Cooper & Beatty, Carl Dair, 1952

In this full-page print ad for Cooper & Beatty, Carl Dair uses Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man to bridge traditional art with modern design and typography. The imagery also highlights the underlying structure of the Latin Roman alphabet, often built on a similar circular grid. The ad is strategically designed to draw the viewer’s eye toward the new C&B mark that Dair had created the previous year. The large abstract shape featured in the design is one of many that Dair frequently used during that period.

While Jack Trevett, President of Cooper & Beatty, was often credited as Art Director, it was likely Dair who took the creative lead in developing this ad – though Trevett, as the company’s president, would have played a significant role in marketing and promotion. – Rod McDonald

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man

Artifact Text

Fine Typography is the common denominator of all art and design trends; whether the visual appeal is “modern” or “traditional,” the message calls for that fine craftsmanship which is at home in any setting. Cooper & Beatty, Limited, type craftsmen at 196 Adelaide St. West, Toronto