TUSCANS. Some intriguing questions over this singular ornamental type style

Tuscan letterforms can be subtle or extravagant, sumptuous or delicate, but in an inexplicable way this very singular genre populates streets and typographic catalogs of all times. A product of decorative ingenuity, Tuscan vernaculars dress the street signs of Mexico as much as the stained glass windows of Paris, the “porteño” filleting of Buenos Aires signs or the hulls of fishing boats in the waters of the Amazon. But where do Tuscan letters come from? Are they just another expressive addition to the decorative sections in type founders and printers’ catalogs? Is it possible that they were born from a mischievous interpretation of Roman inscriptions engraved in stone? These and other questions will be raised — not necessarily answered! We will also be delighted with some images of Tuscan vernaculars of certain places.

Alejandro Lo Celso (Loche) worked as an art director for magazines and newspapers in Buenos Aires before graduating with honors from the MA in Typeface Design (1st generation), Reading University, UK, and later from the ANRT, Atelier National de Recherche Typographique in Nancy, France. In 2001 Loche founded PampaType, the first digital type foundry in Argentina, which has been one of the pioneers in the region. Their work has been awarded worldwide for its originality and quality. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, PampaType’s international team is passionate about designing bespoke typefaces for branding and identity projects, as well as creating catalogue fonts, available in part on TypeNetwork and Adobe, and in full on its own website.Loche has taught and lectured extensively on type, lettering and the history of letterforms in various locations in the Americas and Europe. He has also written for magazines and blogs since the 1990s, on a variety of topics: information design, infographics, editorial design, typography, type design, type history. Some of his writings can be found in Academia.edu, in the “Scriptorium” (PampaType’s blog), and in the archives of “Tipográfica”, the legendary design mag from Buenos Aires. Loche lives with his partner and their two children on a quiet hillside on the outskirts of a small town in the sierras of Córdoba.

Host or Publisher The Herb Lubalin Study Center & Type@Cooper