Banco (typeface)
{{infobox typeface
| name = Banco
| familyname =
| image = Banco font.svg
| style = Display
| classifications =
| creator = Roger Excoffon
| commissioned_by =
| foundry = Olive
| releasedate = 1951
| sample = 220px
}}
Banco is an inclined titling typeface designed by Roger Excoffon for the Fonderie Olive foundry in 1951.{{cite book |last1=Highsmith |first1=Cyrus |title=I Heart Design: Remarkable Graphic Design Selected by Designers, Illustrators, and Critics |date=March 2011 |publisher=Rockport Publishers |isbn=9781610580328 |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=64CW2LkAqHwC |access-date=23 February 2023}}
History
Like Excoffon's prior fonts Mistral and Choc, Banco was designed to be eye-catching, with what designer Cyrus Highsmith called an "outspoken flair."
The font was considered old-fashioned and unappealing by designers of the time,{{cite web |title=Roger Excoffon, a part of the mythology of French typography |url=https://typofonderie.com/gazette/post/roger-excoffon-a-part-of-the-mythology-of-french-typography/ |website=Typofonderie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404164746/https://typofonderie.com/gazette/post/roger-excoffon-a-part-of-the-mythology-of-french-typography/ |access-date=23 February 2023|archive-date=2012-04-04 }} and after launch it was primarily used by small businesses in Europe. The font's popularity was renewed when it appeared on the cover of Bob Marley's 1974 album Natty Dread, and subsequently on many other reggae records. The skateboarding magazine Thrasher, which was heavily influenced by reggae and dub culture, adopted it for its 1981 launch and later issues.{{cite web |last1=Roazen |first1=Ben |title=A Brief History of Banco, aka "The 'Thrasher' Font" |url=https://hypebeast.com/2016/8/thrasher-font-history-fashion-banco |website=Hypebeast |access-date=23 February 2023}} It was used on the PK Ripper BMX, the tv series Darkwing Duck or the video game Shinobi Legions.https://www.mobygames.com/game/23073/shinobi-legions/screenshots/sega-saturn/197829/
While Excoffon did not design a lowercase alphabet for Banco, Phill Grimshaw and the ITC font foundry released a lighter-weight version of the font in 2000, which included lowercase letters.{{cite news |title=Art director's choice |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/september-2010-online/art-directors-choice-4/ |access-date=23 February 2023 |agency=Design Week}} Banco was also translated into Cyrillic in 2000.
Corporate identity uses
- Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) - Korean television broadcasters logo in 1986–2005
See also
{{Commons category|Banco (typeface)}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banco (Typeface)}}
Category:Letterpress typefaces
Category:Photocomposition typefaces
Category:Typefaces and fonts introduced in 1951
Category:Typefaces designed by Roger Excoffon
Category:Fonderie Olive typefaces
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