When legendary designer Alvin Lustig passed away in 1955 at the much-too–young age of 40, he had already built up an incredible body of acclaimed work — work that would eventually lead him to a 1986 posthumous induction into the ADC Hall of Fame. Now, more than 60 years after his death and 30 years after his induction, Lancaster, PA-based designer and ADC Member Craig Welsh seeks to revive one of Lustig’s fonts as digital and wood type, all under the guidance of Alvin’s wife – and internationally acclaimed designer in her own right – Elaine Lustig Cohen.
Craig has spent the past five years developing “Lustig Elements” – recreated from Alvin’s 1930s font “Euclid” – and after building a prototype, is bringing the final stretch of this labor of love to life through a Kickstarter campaign.
“The limited edition specimen sheets represent a solid summary of the project,” explains Craig. “Imagine: an Alvin Lustig design from the 1930s, revived with the help of Elaine Lustig Cohen, letterpress printed with original wood type cut via pantograph at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers, WI. and signed by an American design icon who was directly involved in the project. This will be a very rare and unique set of design history in one print.”
The Kickstarter campaign has surpassed the halfway point of its goal, with two weeks left to go – plenty of time to help shine a spotlight on a piece of design and typographic history!
