Industry: Design

Document Journal

A used-bookstore find became the reference

Commercial Type has worked with Document Journal since its first issue, sharing studio space and lending typefaces still in development. In 2020 editor Nick Vogelson sought a new nameplate; a Phaidon book on Leonardo da Vinci found in a used bookstore supplied the reference. The resulting logotype debuted on issue 17 in early 2021, and a monoweight sans derived from it was later adapted for Document Global, a creative agency run by the same team, in 2022.

Set in Austin, Canela, Styrene, Portrait, Chiswick Sans, Nicola

Insights

Portrait, Chiswick Sans, Canela, and Nicola each appeared in Document before their public release.
The nameplate moved from a modified Austin to Canela, then to a custom logotype referencing 1945 Phaidon lettering.
When sharing the Phaidon reference, Vogelson identified the qualities he valued: low stroke contrast, sharp serifs, unusual proportions in the DO pair, and a handmade feel.
A monoweight sans was later adapted from the logotype for Document Global.