Will Ransom
Encyclopedia
Will Ransom was an American
graphic designer
, letterer
, typeface designer, and the foremost bibliographer
of private presses.
, Ransom grew up in Snohomish, Washington
and began his career as a reporter, book-keeper, and printer’s devil for several papers in the Northwest. Long interested in design, and having printed several art books on his own, Ransom was persuaded in 1903 to study at Frank Holmes’ School of Illustration. There he soon fell in with a group of young designers including Oswald Cooper
, W.A. Dwiggins, and Frederic Goudy
. Later that year, Ransom and Goudy founded the Village Press in Park Ridge, Illinois
. After an unprofitable year of operation, Ransom turned the Village Press over to Goudy’s sole proprietorship and, for the next nine years, took work as a book-keeper. In 1911 he married Helen Ruhman, a piano teacher, who gave him one child, a daughter, Frances Rose.
and Marshall Field's
department stores and the Rock Island Rail Road
, as well as books for several publishers. At this point he designed his famous type face, Parsons, which he named for I.R. Parsons, an advertising manager for Carson’s department store. The face was an immediate success, not only popular with printers, and used in all of Carson’s advertisements for many years, but was among the most frequently used faces in motion picture titles and captions.
, and generally well regarded. The publishing venture proved unprofitable, however, and was abandoned in 1925.
where he was employed by the Printing House of Leo Hart as a book designer for five years. In 1935 he moved to Buffalo
where again he worked free-lance. By this time, Ransom had an impressive reputation as an historian of printing, so in 1939, Melbert Cary
gave him a job in New York
with the American Institute of Graphic Arts
supervising the celebration of the 500th anniversary of printing. After this job terminated, he took work designing books for the Limited Editions Club
and for Little and Ives. In 1941 Ransom became art editor for the University of Oklahoma Press
. This last was his most satisfying position, as it allowed him not only to design books, but to continue his work on bibliography.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
, letterer
Letterer
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and...
, typeface designer, and the foremost bibliographer
Bibliographer
"A bibliographer is a person who describes and lists books and other publications, with particular attention to such characteristics as authorship, publication date, edition, typography, etc. The result of this endeavor is a bibliography...
of private presses.
Youth and early career
Born in St. Louis, MichiganSt. Louis, Michigan
St. Louis is a city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,494. The 2010 census estimate places the population at 7,482.-Geography:...
, Ransom grew up in Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County founded by the british, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. The mayor of Snohomish is Karen Guzak, and the City Manager is Larry Bauman...
and began his career as a reporter, book-keeper, and printer’s devil for several papers in the Northwest. Long interested in design, and having printed several art books on his own, Ransom was persuaded in 1903 to study at Frank Holmes’ School of Illustration. There he soon fell in with a group of young designers including Oswald Cooper
Oswald Bruce Cooper
Oswald Bruce Cooper was an American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and teacher of these trades.-Early life and education:...
, W.A. Dwiggins, and Frederic Goudy
Frederic Goudy
Frederic W. Goudy was a prolific American type designer whose typefaces include Copperplate Gothic, Kennerley, and Goudy Old Style. He also designed, in 1938, University of California Oldstyle, for the sole proprietary use of the University of California Press...
. Later that year, Ransom and Goudy founded the Village Press in Park Ridge, Illinois
Park Ridge, Illinois
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 37,775 people, 14,219 households, and 10,465 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,374.6 people per square mile . There were 14,646 housing units at an average density of 2,083.8 per square mile...
. After an unprofitable year of operation, Ransom turned the Village Press over to Goudy’s sole proprietorship and, for the next nine years, took work as a book-keeper. In 1911 he married Helen Ruhman, a piano teacher, who gave him one child, a daughter, Frances Rose.
Design career
Encouraged by his wife, Ransom again tried his hand at design, setting up shop as a free lance artist, designing advertisements for bothCarson Pirie ScottCarson Pirie Scott
Carson Pirie Scott & Co., known informally as Carson's, is an upscale chain of department stores that have been in business for over 150 years. Their product price points are targeted to the moderate-to-upscale shopper...
and Marshall Field's
Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
department stores and the Rock Island Rail Road
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
, as well as books for several publishers. At this point he designed his famous type face, Parsons, which he named for I.R. Parsons, an advertising manager for Carson’s department store. The face was an immediate success, not only popular with printers, and used in all of Carson’s advertisements for many years, but was among the most frequently used faces in motion picture titles and captions.
Maker of books
In 1921 Ransom began publishing under the imprint of Will Ransom, Maker of Books. These volumes of fine printing were designed and decorated by Ransom, printed on paper made by Dard HunterDard Hunter
William Joseph "Dard" Hunter was an American authority on printing, paper, and papermaking—especially by hand, using the tools and craft of four centuries prior...
, and generally well regarded. The publishing venture proved unprofitable, however, and was abandoned in 1925.
Later career
After again free-lancing, Ransom took the position of director of typography at the Faithorn Company. In 1927, Ransom began writing a series on private presses for Publisher’s Weekly, a task for which he was well suited, and leading to the publication of his noted book Private Presses and their Books (R.R. Bowker, N.Y.C., 1929). In 1930 he left Chicago for RochesterRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
where he was employed by the Printing House of Leo Hart as a book designer for five years. In 1935 he moved to Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
where again he worked free-lance. By this time, Ransom had an impressive reputation as an historian of printing, so in 1939, Melbert Cary
Melbert Cary
Melbert Brinckerhoff Cary Jr. was a graphic artist who imported numerous typefaces from Europe. He married Mary Flagler Cary, an heiress of one of the founders of Standard Oil...
gave him a job in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with the American Institute of Graphic Arts
American Institute of Graphic Arts
AIGA is an American professional organization for design. Organized in 1914, AIGA currently has more than 22,000 members throughout 66 chapters and more than 200 student groups nationwide...
supervising the celebration of the 500th anniversary of printing. After this job terminated, he took work designing books for the Limited Editions Club
The Heritage Press
The Heritage Press was an imprint of George Macy Companies, Ltd., from 1937 to 1982. The Heritage Press reprinted classic volumes previously printed by more exclusive Limited Editions Club.Today, Heritage Press books can still be found at used bookstores....
and for Little and Ives. In 1941 Ransom became art editor for the University of Oklahoma Press
University of Oklahoma Press
The University of Oklahoma Press is the publishing arm of the University of Oklahoma. It has been in operation for over seventy-five years, and was the first university press established in the American Southwest. It was founded by William Bennett Bizzell, the fifth president of the University of...
. This last was his most satisfying position, as it allowed him not only to design books, but to continue his work on bibliography.
Books
- Private Presses and their Books, R.R. Bowker, N.Y.C., 1929.
- The first days of the Village Press: extracts from the diary of Will Ransom, Press of the Woolly WhaleMelbert CaryMelbert Brinckerhoff Cary Jr. was a graphic artist who imported numerous typefaces from Europe. He married Mary Flagler Cary, an heiress of one of the founders of Standard Oil...
, N.Y.C., 1937.
Typefaces
- Parsons series This font featured unique alternate characters that Ransom wished designers to use sparingly. However, as the font proved hugely popular, these letters were used indiscriminately and with bad taste. Ransom was so disgusted with this misuse of his font, that he all but refused to design any more faces.
- Parsons (1917, Barnhart Brothers & SpindlerBarnhart Brothers & SpindlerBarnhart Brothers & Spindler Type Foundry was founded as the Great Western Type Foundry in 1873. It became Barnhart Brothers & Spindler ten years later. It was a successful foundry known for innovative type design and well designed type catalogs. Oz Cooper, Will Ransom, Robert Wiebking, and...
(BB&S), later American Type FoundersAmerican Type FoundersAmerican Type Founders was a business trust created in 1892 by the merger of 23 type foundries, representing about 85% of all type manufactured in the United States...
(ATF)) - Parsons Bold (1918, BB&SBarnhart Brothers & SpindlerBarnhart Brothers & Spindler Type Foundry was founded as the Great Western Type Foundry in 1873. It became Barnhart Brothers & Spindler ten years later. It was a successful foundry known for innovative type design and well designed type catalogs. Oz Cooper, Will Ransom, Robert Wiebking, and...
, later ATFAmerican Type FoundersAmerican Type Founders was a business trust created in 1892 by the merger of 23 type foundries, representing about 85% of all type manufactured in the United States...
) - Parsons Italic (1918, BB&SBarnhart Brothers & SpindlerBarnhart Brothers & Spindler Type Foundry was founded as the Great Western Type Foundry in 1873. It became Barnhart Brothers & Spindler ten years later. It was a successful foundry known for innovative type design and well designed type catalogs. Oz Cooper, Will Ransom, Robert Wiebking, and...
, later ATFAmerican Type FoundersAmerican Type Founders was a business trust created in 1892 by the merger of 23 type foundries, representing about 85% of all type manufactured in the United States...
) - Parsons Swash Initials were designed for BB&SBarnhart Brothers & SpindlerBarnhart Brothers & Spindler Type Foundry was founded as the Great Western Type Foundry in 1873. It became Barnhart Brothers & Spindler ten years later. It was a successful foundry known for innovative type design and well designed type catalogs. Oz Cooper, Will Ransom, Robert Wiebking, and...
by Sidney GauntSidney GauntSidney Clyde Gaunt was an American typographer, and artist.Prolific producer of type designs while "shop artist" for Barnhart Brothers & Spindler Type Foundry...
, not Ransom
- Parsons (1917, Barnhart Brothers & Spindler
- Several series of Border Units (1920 - 1922, BB&SBarnhart Brothers & SpindlerBarnhart Brothers & Spindler Type Foundry was founded as the Great Western Type Foundry in 1873. It became Barnhart Brothers & Spindler ten years later. It was a successful foundry known for innovative type design and well designed type catalogs. Oz Cooper, Will Ransom, Robert Wiebking, and...
) - Clearcut Shaded Capitals, sometimes called Ransom Shaded Initials (1924, BB&SBarnhart Brothers & SpindlerBarnhart Brothers & Spindler Type Foundry was founded as the Great Western Type Foundry in 1873. It became Barnhart Brothers & Spindler ten years later. It was a successful foundry known for innovative type design and well designed type catalogs. Oz Cooper, Will Ransom, Robert Wiebking, and...
, later ATFAmerican Type FoundersAmerican Type Founders was a business trust created in 1892 by the merger of 23 type foundries, representing about 85% of all type manufactured in the United States...
), capitals only, font does not include an X or Z.
External links
- http://new.myfonts.com/person/Will_Ransom/Samples of Ransom's Parsons font by MyFontsMyFontsMyFonts is a digital fonts distribution, location based in Marlborough, Massachusetts, selling fonts through the web site. It launched in September 1999 , and started selling fonts in March 2000....
.] - Will Ransom Papers at Newberry LibraryNewberry LibraryThe Newberry Library is a privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences in Chicago, Illinois. Although it is private, non-circulating library, the Newberry Library is free and open to the public...