Nameplate for Toronto Life
"Farnham, but not Farnham"
Commercial Type redesigned the Toronto Life magazine nameplate in 2024–25. Greg Gazdowicz led early rounds of exploration; Julien Priez was subsequently brought in to execute the final mark—a custom sloped roman delivered in single-line, stacked two-line, and TL monogram configurations for cover, website, and social media. Design director Colleen Nicholson guided the brief throughout. The new nameplate succeeds a series of geometric sans treatments that gained and lost a holding rectangle over several decades.
Set in Sanomat Condensed, Jargon
Insights
- Three rounds moved from geometric sans and Bookman-inspired sketches to serif italics before settling on a sloped roman.
- Event-sponsorship contexts drove the single-line and stacked two-line configuration requirement from the outset.
- Round two included modifications of Sanomat Condensed and Jargon before Priez joined and produced original hand sketches.
- The client's framing—drawn, not just set—prompted enlisting Priez to close the project.
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