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Created to reflect both the past and the future, the strong and the beautiful, and the imaginative and realistic. The Azalea typeface combines all to create a classic, but unique typeface. This book details the typographic journey to reach the final result: an elegant and whimsical typeface called, “Azalea.� content.............................................................................................................................................................2 concept............................................................................................................................................................4 inspiration ......................................................................................................................................................8 process ........................................................................................................................................................12 problems & solutions..............................................................................................................................14 azalea............................................................................................................................................................18 azalea in context.....................................................................................................................................24
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Glen St. Mary Nursery, founded in 1882, is the is the oldest continuous run plant nursery in the state of Florida. Founded and run by my great-great grandfather, George Taber I, Glen St. Mary Nursery has had an international influence on both gardeners and landscapers for generations. Many flowers, trees, and other plants have been grown or created here. Historic homes, abandoned glass greenhouses, potted plants, and citrus groves dot the property and allude of times past. Wanting to create a typeface that was inspired by the Glen’s history, as well as its present and future, I began looking at some of the old promotional material from between 1906 and 1949. While they were refined, timeless, and somewhat commanding, they were also soft, flowing, and elegant. I had to make a typeface combining all of these elements. Easy, I know. Pretty much a contradiction.
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Although the Glen is historically a nursery, the property now offers both plants and multiple picturesque wedding settings. I knew needed to create a typeface that was going to be versatile for both the nursery and wedding industry. My main concept was for the nursery side of things, but the typeface had to be elegant enough for the wedding side as well. The idea was to use it for signs and plaques around the property and houses, as well as for signs that are put out as guides for guests who come to explore or rent the grounds. Also, I needed to create a typeface that could be used for the website and for headers on business cards.
Having grown up on the property, my childhood was pretty extraordinary. Spanish moss draped oak trees, swamps, Victorian houses, flowers and citrus groves were something I thought everyone had. A totally normal childhood. Old stuff was everywhere. Houses were ancient. Everything was antique and belonged to some long gone relative. When I started, I began collecting images I had to find out what made me think of The Glen. I looked at magnolia trees, satsumas, oaks, kumquats, rhododendrons, camellias, and azaleas. The azaleas were my main inspiration and muse for the typeface. A symbol of womanhood in China, the azalea thrives with or without the help of a gardener. Like, the Glen, with all its beauty and charm, both are strong and constant. Thus, the ‘Azalea’ typeface was planted.
Azalea indica, the ‘George L. Taber’ azalea is a “southern classic.” Glen St. Mary Nurseries was the first to create this azalea breed via grafting different azaleas to create this one. This azalea print, as well as all the other hand drawn sketches and hand colored pictures featured in this book, were from a catalog the Glen released in March 1949. Shown on the first page, this forward by the company puts the my concept quite eloquently... “We have seen wars, booms, depressions, storms, floods, droughts, recessions, moratoriums, and other less serious situations come and go over a period of sixty-seven years. And through them all we have preserved our integrity... Tomorrow, with its hopes and fears, minute by minute becomes today with its realities. It is that tomorrow that we are planning for with all our hearts and with all the imagination we can muster.”
First, I found old promotion material from Glen St. Mary. This was my spring board. I started pulling ideas from about ten typefaces. Garamond, Tieman, Korinth, and every typeface in a wonderful vintage typography book I found in the library. I had a lot. I mean a lot of trouble because I kept trying to make my typeface be unique. I kept adding elements and making it look special. “Too much of good thing,” is what happened. I loved it all. I wanted to add every element to every letter. After starting my alphabet over and over again (and never completing a full set of letters) I finally decided what I needed to do. Creating a few basic characters and type design “rules” I began on the vellum. I have to say, the weeks that this project covered made me a different and more appreciative person. I will NEVER look at type the same way again. It haunts me and this project haunts me. I cannot shake it’s presence. When my normal sleep schedules are back again (ha!) I still we have constant reminders of this project every time I read anything.
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It’s always the letters you least expect to cause the most problems. I officially hate the letter C, O, B, U, J, and S. Why? Because of the slight curve at the bottom (and the fact that they just don’t cooperate in the way I want them to.) “S” is for Satan, and that’s what it is. I have spent probably 12 hours on it, and I am done looking at it. In the meanwhile, notes to self... 1) Save, save save. 2) Yes, it can take a whole day to do one letter. 3) Yes, it feels like you are running on a treadmill going nowhere, but, hey! At least you beat that cursed anchor point. 4) Put letters into words. Mind blown. 5) You think it’s done, but it’s not. One changes in one letter means twelve changes in twelve other letters. 6) It’s okay not to be perfect. Sometimes you have to back away and know you need a mental break.
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7) Get others to look at your work. Give them your computer and have them tell you what’s wrong. You go a little crazy and lose common sense, so ask for help. How do you think I conquered that S? 8) You will know more about yourself, your computer, your classmates, and typography than you ever wanted to know after this project. 9) Ask Google stuff. 10) Always improve 11) Get a support group of art friends who understand such things as the pen tool, curves, and everything else mere mortals do not fathom. The Torment, Misery, and Emotional Death of Anna Tabor. Pen Tool on Artboard, 2015