Create an original typeface inspired by a muse.

For my original typeface, the person assigned to me was Brad Horn, a Professor in Public Relations at Syracuse University. However, if I took the opportunity to choose my muse initially, I would have likely chosen Professor Horn because of his exciting and respectable background and experiences. Initially, I met with Professor Horn over Zoom. After gathering some context to his upbringing and adult life, I narrowed down my theme centered around baseball. More specifically, vintage baseball cards and the typefaces and design often seen on Topps baseball cards. After the initial meeting, I would often follow up using email. I would send Professor Horn various baseball cards from the 1980s to identify specific typefaces that appealed to him. Before designing my typeface, I had one last meeting over Zoom with Professor Horn and a few more follow-up emails. My typeface, Cooperstown, is much inspired by my muse Brad Horn. Brad's specialties include Sports communications, public presentation, Web site management, and more. Cooperstown's main inspiration is Brad's loyalty to the game of baseball and extensive experience within Major League Baseball's corporate operations. Brad worked at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and the Assistant Director of Public Communications for the Texas Rangers. Cooperstown's design is primarily inspired by the typography used on the baseball cards that Brad collected as a kid. I considered typefaces from Topps Baseball Cards between the years 1980 and 1985. However, the typeface most intriguing to me was the 1984 Topps Houston Astros card because of the characters' legibility, uniqueness, and ties to Brad's Houston upbringing. The panels that I designed are inspired by the hierarchy and template design of the 1982 Topps Baseball Card. I chose to use the colors directly related to Syracuse University's colors, orange and blue, which Brad both currently teaches and attended as a student.
To an audience that does not necessarily know the inspiration behind Cooperstown before viewing it, the typeface would portray a somewhat vintage yet modern aesthetic as well as a nostalgic yet unique feel. The typeface would likely make a person think of a time where they have seen a typeface like it before. However, my prediction would be that each person who attempts to compare Cooperstown to another typeface would find vastly different comparisons. I believe that that is what makes Cooperstown so unique. Its ability to spark memories while maintaining a never before seen, individual style.
Two significant challenges that I faced in translating the qualities of Professor Horn's childhood interests and adult experiences into form were learning an utterly foreign software, Glyphs Mini 2, and focusing on a project over a long period while completing many other design projects simultaneously. Glyphs Mini 2 was a challenge that was not overwhelming, rather, more tedious. Learning new software for me is always a great example of the saying, "you only know what you know." I like to keep this mantra in mind while learning new design software to ground myself and remind myself that I don't know everything yet, but I am getting there. In the end, I feel that I now "know" how to use glyphs Mini 2 enough to make my typeface, but more importantly, this project put me in a proficient enough position using the software to learn on my own and "catch my own fish." Regarding focusing on this project while completing other design projects, designing multiple creative projects to me is something that is always a challenge to me. I have a hard time maintaining a creative train of thought when I am focused on multiple creative projects. I prefer to put forth all of my effort and creativity into a project. Hover, I overcame this preference by managing my time and creating workable windows to put 110% of my effort into my typeface at one time.
Overall, I worked for around five weeks total on this project. Just allowing myself to get creatively distracted and lost in thought regarding Cooperstown took up pretty much every second of my time until the panel exhibits. That is often how my creative process works; I can never turn it off. In the end, I think my ability to relate to my muse and access his interests over multiple interview sessions proves my effort and overall passion towards progressing as a designer and making it further in the field. I honestly believe I deserve an A for my effort and ability to be independent while finding the time to answer many of my peers' questions regarding their typefaces. I am very proud of Cooperstown, the newfound confidence I have as a designer, and my ability to comprehend, analyze, and utilize typography.
Regarding the design itself, I believe I deserve a B+/A- since it is only my first attempt at drafting my typeface. However, I still managed to produce beautiful work, I believe. I love how I was able to tie in my muse's interests through every aspect of Cooperstown's design and its presentation. My interest in vintage sports cards and their unique design that transitions and signs of progress yearly. I could make my typeface better by spending 100 percent of my design time and creative thought, and energy toward Cooperstown. If allowed to truly obsess over the little details of Cooperstown, who knows what it's aesthetic limits are? I learned so much after designing Cooperstown. The main thing I learned was a better understanding of the individual terms and vocabulary attached to each individual glyph's anatomy.

Ultimately, my muse loved his personalized and original typeface.