It’s Fair Time – full-page newspaper ad, No.1, Ontario Foodland, Typsettra, 1977

These copy-heavy ads were designed to evoke the look and feel of 19th-century newspapers and farmers’ almanacs. Text and illustrations were densely arranged to suggest an abundance of information. To heighten that impression, a variety of typefaces were used – intentionally breaking one of advertising typography’s traditional rules: to limit a design to just one or two faces. The result was not one unified ad but a collection of smaller, interwoven pieces – more bulletin board than billboard.

Despite their complexity, the ads were carefully controlled. Creative director Denis Case and designer Bill Yip worked closely with lettering artist and typographer Les Usherwood at Typsettra. The masthead was hand lettered to resemble vintage magazine covers, and even what might appear to be poor typesetting was deliberately crafted to replicate the inconsistencies of early print. The campaign earned high readership scores and was so successful it ran, in various forms, for the next ten years. In 1978 the first ad also received a gold medal for typographic excellence at the tenth annual International Typographic Composition Association competition held in Boulder, Colorado.

The collaboration between Case and Usherwood was emblematic of a broader shift in Canadian advertising typography. While agencies retained responsibility for creative direction and strategic briefing, typographers were increasingly trusted to determine how best to achieve the visual goals. For more than two decades, Typsettra was among the most respected advertising type houses in Toronto, and Usherwood, in particular, earned the lasting admiration of many of the city’s leading art directors. – Rod McDonald

Artifact Text

Ontario Foodland News
It’s Fair Time!
Royal opens Friday, features fabulous food festival.