Be Equitable

Tre Seals · January 9, 2023

Established in 1989 and formerly known as Cook Ross, Be Equitable is a mid-size consultancy working with organizations to advance Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) in the workplace. Offering consulting, strategy, and training services to clients like NASA, Nintendo, Oracle, and Verizon, Be Equitable helps businesses realize the power of difference and cultivate workplaces where everyone can be. They do this not through one-off training sessions but through becoming a long-term strategic partner to help drive systemic transformations. Recently, with a new owner at the helm — who has been with the company for more than 15 years — Be Equitable introduced its new name and identity, conceived and designed by For The People.* ¶

To prepare for the launch of this fantastic competition, Rich Tu collaborated with Tré Seals of Vocal Type to design a bespoke wordmark and typeface for launch of the 2021 competition.

To ensure that the firm had an identity that was unapologetically black and powerful, Vocal created a bespoke typeface inspired by the remnants of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ When Black Panther Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the party in 1966, their goal was to end police brutality in Oakland. But a faction of the Civil Rights Movement led by SNCC member Stokeley Carmichael began calling for the uplift and self-determination of African-Americans, and soon black power was part of their platform. * ¶ With this new concept in mind, the Black Panthers started the People’s Free Food Program. This program provided free food to black and other oppressed people. The intent of the Free Food Program was to supplement the groceries of black and poor people until economic conditions allowed them to purchase good food at reasonable prices. The Free Food Program provided two basic services to the community: 1. An ongoing supply of food to meet their daily needs. 2. Periodic mass distributions of food to reach a larger segment of the community than could be serviced from the ongoing supply. The community was provided with bags of fresh food containing items such as eggs, canned fruits and vegetables, chickens, milk, potatoes, rice, bread, cereal, and so forth. A minimum of a week’s supply of food was included in each bag. * ¶

The final typeface, aptly named “Impactful,” is inspired by the grocery bags of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ While they only needed an all caps headline typeface, I thought it would be important for the typeface to have some versatility, should they need it. Characters such as ‘C,’ ‘G,’ 'S,’ and most numerals allow the graphic designer to switch between flat and angled terminals, allowing for two different tones. ¶

Stacey Abrams

Tre Seals · January 9, 2023

While we all had wished the election results would have swung a different way, we’re immensely proud to share our brand identity work from Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign launch earlier in 2022. ¶ From the outset, the amazing folks at Wide Eye collaborated with Vocal Type to design a fully typographic logo adapted from our VTC Marsha typeface. ¶ In collaboration with Ben Ostrower, Wide Eye co-founder, we explored different weights and widths of VTC Marsha. ¶

After a week’s worth of exploration, we ended where we started, making very few modifications to the strong, sensitive, and sophisticated VTC Marsha. ¶

More to come…

The Wedge Collection

Tre Seals · January 9, 2023

The Wedge Collection was established in 1997 in Toronto by Dr. Kenneth Montague. It is one of Canada’s largest, privately owned contemporary art collections that explore African diasporic culture and contemporary Black life. ¶ Originally conceived as The Wedge Gallery, this was a private and public experience, with the original gallery literally wedged inside the narrow hallways of Montague’s home. ¶ Today, the Wedge Collection comprises over 400 original works by artists from Canada, the United States, and throughout the Diaspora. It also houses an extensive catalog of resource materials, including books, art journals, newspapers, magazines, and exhibition and artist documentation, and lends works to international traveling exhibitions. ¶ In early 2022, Dr. Kenneth Montague tapped Vocal Type to design a new logo system inspired by their mission. ¶

It’s extremely rare that the first concept a creative pitches is the one the partner chooses, but that’s precisely what happened in this case. ¶ We started with the icon (above). Inspired by the name and mission, the icon was created by combining three canvas wedges to form this 'W' icon. It speaks simply to what the collection is about and who it is for. ¶ Once the icon was complete, we took those wedge shapes to create what’s known as a wedge serif. ¶

Once all of the wedge serif characters and wedge-shaped icons were completed, a series of 3 complete logotypes were created.

Jimi Hendrix

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

JIMI is the ultimate tribute to the greatest guitar player in rock and roll history, celebrating what would have been Jimi Hendrix's 80th birthday on November 27, 2022. This comprehensive visual celebration is an official collaboration with Jimi's sister, Janie Hendrix, and John McDermott of Experience Hendrix L.L.C. JIMI significantly expands on the authors' previously published titles, including An Illustrated Experience, and features a new introduction by Janie, extensive biographical texts, and a trove of lesser known and never-before-published photographs, personal memorabilia, lyrics, and more. ¶ Additionally, JIMI includes quotations by legendary musicians, such as Paul McCartney, Ron Wood, Jeff Beck, Lenny Kravitz, Drake, Dave Grohl, and others who have spoken about Hendrix's lasting influence. ¶ In the four years before his untimely death at age 27, Jimi Hendrix created a groundbreaking musical legacy, one that includes revered classics such as "Purple Haze" and "Voodoo Child." His signature guitar playing, provocative songwriting, and charismatic performances have continued to inspire legions of musicians and fans alike. ¶ For this book, we designed 5 typefaces housed within a display and a text family, as well as the wordmark on the cover. ¶

Inspired by Jimi's style and the fashions of the 1960s and 70s, we revived a series of old wood type specimens that looked like sans serifs wearing bell-bottoms and oversized sleeves.

To ensure that the firm had an identity that was unapologetically black and powerful, Vocal created a bespoke typeface inspired by the remnants of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ When Black Panther Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the party in 1966, their goal was to end police brutality in Oakland. But a faction of the Civil Rights Movement led by SNCC member Stokeley Carmichael began calling for the uplift and self-determination of African-Americans, and soon black power was part of their platform. * ¶ With this new concept in mind, the Black Panthers started the People’s Free Food Program. This program provided free food to black and other oppressed people. The intent of the Free Food Program was to supplement the groceries of black and poor people until economic conditions allowed them to purchase good food at reasonable prices. The Free Food Program provided two basic services to the community: 1. An ongoing supply of food to meet their daily needs. 2. Periodic mass distributions of food to reach a larger segment of the community than could be serviced from the ongoing supply. The community was provided with bags of fresh food containing items such as eggs, canned fruits and vegetables, chickens, milk, potatoes, rice, bread, cereal, and so forth. A minimum of a week’s supply of food was included in each bag. * ¶

The final typeface, aptly named “Impactful,” is inspired by the grocery bags of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ While they only needed an all caps headline typeface, I thought it would be important for the typeface to have some versatility, should they need it. Characters such as ‘C,’ ‘G,’ 'S,’ and most numerals allow the graphic designer to switch between flat and angled terminals, allowing for two different tones. ¶

Brooklyn Museum

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

Presented in partnership with the Brooklyn Museum, Instagram’s #BlackDesignVisionaries aims to uplift, center, and invest in rising Black designers and Black-led design businesses who offer experimental expressions of Black culture and have a powerful vision for the future. ¶

The Brooklyn Museum named Tré Seals of Vocal Type one of its #BlackDesignVisionaries for 2021, recognizing his innovative work in typography. As part of the grant, Seals was challenged to create a capsule collection for the museum shop. He went back into our archives, unearthing and modernizing the museum’s first logo. Seals’ typographic genius comes to life with a capsule of graphic tees, sweatshirts, hats, and bandanas—each a modern reinterpretation of a piece of our museum’s history. ¶

To ensure that the firm had an identity that was unapologetically black and powerful, Vocal created a bespoke typeface inspired by the remnants of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ When Black Panther Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the party in 1966, their goal was to end police brutality in Oakland. But a faction of the Civil Rights Movement led by SNCC member Stokeley Carmichael began calling for the uplift and self-determination of African-Americans, and soon black power was part of their platform. * ¶ With this new concept in mind, the Black Panthers started the People’s Free Food Program. This program provided free food to black and other oppressed people. The intent of the Free Food Program was to supplement the groceries of black and poor people until economic conditions allowed them to purchase good food at reasonable prices. The Free Food Program provided two basic services to the community: 1. An ongoing supply of food to meet their daily needs. 2. Periodic mass distributions of food to reach a larger segment of the community than could be serviced from the ongoing supply. The community was provided with bags of fresh food containing items such as eggs, canned fruits and vegetables, chickens, milk, potatoes, rice, bread, cereal, and so forth. A minimum of a week’s supply of food was included in each bag. * ¶

The final typeface, aptly named “Impactful,” is inspired by the grocery bags of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ While they only needed an all caps headline typeface, I thought it would be important for the typeface to have some versatility, should they need it. Characters such as ‘C,’ ‘G,’ 'S,’ and most numerals allow the graphic designer to switch between flat and angled terminals, allowing for two different tones. ¶

Arthur Ashe

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

Established in New York City in 2017, Rowing Blazers is an American clothing brand and design lab for the classics founded by Jack Carlson. They are dedicated to authenticity, quality, and craftsmanship; and simultaneously to irreverence, inclusivity, sustainability, empowerment, and fun. ¶

In August of 2022, Rowing Blazers launched the Arthur Ashe fashion brand. ¶ Named for the tennis legend who not only became the first Black man (and the first amateur) ever to win the US Open, but as well as taking home titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and a doubles championship at the French Open, but also served as an outspoken activist for racial justice and for those suffering from HIV and AIDS. The brand is a partnership between Ashe's widow, photographer Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the Arthur Ashe estate, Jack Carlson (founder of Rowing Blazers, which revived Princess Diana's iconic black sheep sweater) and Karl-Raphael Blanchard.* ¶

Nearly a year before the launch, in October of 2021, Rowing Blazers tapped Vocal Type founder, Tré Seals, to craft the wordmark for the brand’s sport collection. A modified version of VTC’s The Neue Black was created in collaboration with the design team at Rowing Blazers.

Modifications to The Neue Black included weight and width adjustments and tests to see how these adjustments interacted with the Rowing Blazer’s color palettes.

The result was a collection of 4 lighter weights stemming from The Neue Black. ¶ This can be best seen in the Arthur Ashe Pop-Up that took place during the 2022 U.S. Open.

Since the launch of the Arthur Ashe brand, it has been featured in Esquire, Town & Country, Golf Digest, Nylon, and more. A few celebrities have also been spotted wearing pieces from the sport collection.

Will Ferrell spotted at a Lil Nas X concert wearing a green ASHE sweater. Image courtesy of Rowing Blazers.

Letterform Archive

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest is a new exhibition beginning July 23, 2022, at the Letterform archive. Curated by Silas Munro with Stephen Coles of Letterform Archive, the exhibition will feature more than 100 objects of protest spanning the 1800s to today. The visual history of protest on display will range from nineteenth-century antislavery broadsides to the colorful affiches of the Paris 1968 uprising, from the revolutionary Black Panther newspaper to the public awareness posters of the AIDS crisis. ¶ The hardcover exhibition catalog, Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest, is authored by Munro, with an introduction by Colette Gaiter. The catalog tells the story of graphic design in protest with 250 images, including high-resolution reproductions from Letterform Archive’s collection, archival imagery of the art in action, informative historical features, and a contribution on type by Coles. Designed by Munro with Brian Johnson, Michelle Lamb, and Randa Hadi of Polymode, it features custom typefaces by Tré Seals of Vocal Type, and Ben Kiel and Jesse Ragan of XYZ Type. ¶

To prepare for the launch of this fantastic competition, Rich Tu collaborated with Tré Seals of Vocal Type to design a bespoke wordmark and typeface for launch of the 2021 competition.

To ensure that the firm had an identity that was unapologetically black and powerful, Vocal created a bespoke typeface inspired by the remnants of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ When Black Panther Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the party in 1966, their goal was to end police brutality in Oakland. But a faction of the Civil Rights Movement led by SNCC member Stokeley Carmichael began calling for the uplift and self-determination of African-Americans, and soon black power was part of their platform. * ¶ With this new concept in mind, the Black Panthers started the People’s Free Food Program. This program provided free food to black and other oppressed people. The intent of the Free Food Program was to supplement the groceries of black and poor people until economic conditions allowed them to purchase good food at reasonable prices. The Free Food Program provided two basic services to the community: 1. An ongoing supply of food to meet their daily needs. 2. Periodic mass distributions of food to reach a larger segment of the community than could be serviced from the ongoing supply. The community was provided with bags of fresh food containing items such as eggs, canned fruits and vegetables, chickens, milk, potatoes, rice, bread, cereal, and so forth. A minimum of a week’s supply of food was included in each bag. * ¶

The final typeface, aptly named “Impactful,” is inspired by the grocery bags of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ While they only needed an all caps headline typeface, I thought it would be important for the typeface to have some versatility, should they need it. Characters such as ‘C,’ ‘G,’ 'S,’ and most numerals allow the graphic designer to switch between flat and angled terminals, allowing for two different tones. ¶

Adobe

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

Throughout the month of February (2022), Adobe launched a social media campaign that highlighted the stories of Black hidden figures from our creative past (think Lisa Gelobter, the creator of GIF’s and Bruce W. Smith, Animator/Designer and Creator of Proud family).

As a part of this campaign, Adobe tapped Vocal Type to help bring one of these creative historical figures and their story to life via the creation of an original asset. Who that figure was and what that asset was, was completely up to us. Naturally, we decided to make a family of 3 typefaces (uppercase only) inspired by the works of Charles Dawson.

As an illustrator, fine artist, and letterman, Charles worked towards creating a grander historical vision in African heritage and modern progress coexisted. With this in mind, we, naturally, chose to craft a font family (uppercase only) of 3 styles

To ensure that the firm had an identity that was unapologetically black and powerful, Vocal created a bespoke typeface inspired by the remnants of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ When Black Panther Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the party in 1966, their goal was to end police brutality in Oakland. But a faction of the Civil Rights Movement led by SNCC member Stokeley Carmichael began calling for the uplift and self-determination of African-Americans, and soon black power was part of their platform. * ¶ With this new concept in mind, the Black Panthers started the People’s Free Food Program. This program provided free food to black and other oppressed people. The intent of the Free Food Program was to supplement the groceries of black and poor people until economic conditions allowed them to purchase good food at reasonable prices. The Free Food Program provided two basic services to the community: 1. An ongoing supply of food to meet their daily needs. 2. Periodic mass distributions of food to reach a larger segment of the community than could be serviced from the ongoing supply. The community was provided with bags of fresh food containing items such as eggs, canned fruits and vegetables, chickens, milk, potatoes, rice, bread, cereal, and so forth. A minimum of a week’s supply of food was included in each bag. * ¶

The final typeface, aptly named “Impactful,” is inspired by the grocery bags of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ While they only needed an all caps headline typeface, I thought it would be important for the typeface to have some versatility, should they need it. Characters such as ‘C,’ ‘G,’ 'S,’ and most numerals allow the graphic designer to switch between flat and angled terminals, allowing for two different tones. ¶

Spike

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

Spike Lee is a world-renowned, Academy Award–winning filmmaker, a cultural icon, and one of the most prominent voices on race and racism for more than three decades. His prolific career has included over 35 films, including his directorial debut She’s Gotta Have It (1986), his seminal masterpiece Do the Right Thing (1989), and more recently, his Oscar-winning film BlacKkKlansman (2018). Spike Lee’s provocative feature films, documentaries, commercials, and music videos, have shone the spotlight on significant stories and have made an indelible mark in both cinematic history and in contemporary society. ¶ For his career-spanning monograph titled SPIKE, a visual celebration of his life and career to date, we designed 5 bespoke typefaces for the book. Once the typefaces were completed and approved by the publisher, Chronicle Chroma, Vocal Type founder, Tré Seals, designed the monograph as well. ¶

The first typeface designed for this monograph was VTC Spike Headline. A square monospaced typeface with semi-mono alternates, VTC Spike Headline was specifically used for the chapter spreads. ¶ This headline typeface was inspired by multiple aspects of Spike’s life and work: from the “LOVE” and “HATE” rings from Do The Right Thing to the “MARS” chain from She’s Gotta have it; from over a dozen film posters to New York Knicks jersey numbers, and beyond. ¶ The oversized periods were used like blank spacers in letterpress printing, but were designed to emulate Brooklyn city blocks. ¶

Stemming from the design of VTC Spike Headline is VTC Spike Bold. Originally designed to introduce characters within the captions, this display typeface is a lighter and more condensed version of VTC Spike Headline, and was used exclusively on the spine of the monograph. ¶

Based on our previously released VTC next 2 typefaces in this family are VTC Spike Text and VTC Spike Italic, both of which were used, primarily, for all of the captions and body copy within the monograph. Oversized versions of these typefaces were also used for chapter quotes and introductions. ¶

Last, but certainly not least is VTC Spike Tag; a modified version of VTC Spike Italic but Anthony a bit more flare and movement inspired by NYC tags. ¶ This typeface was used exclusively in the introduction and back cover of the monograph for moments when Spike wrote letters to the readers. ¶

NOMA

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

ARCHITECT Magazine is the leading authority on the future of architecture and design, as well as the official journal of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). ¶ For the October 2021 issue of ARCHITECT, “The Equity Issue,” we designed a bespoke headline typeface inspired by remnants of NOMA’s archives and their goals for the future. ¶

Since NOMA’s founding in 1971, finding remnants of those early days proved quite difficult. However, thanks to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, we found a draft of the program for the organization’s second annual conference, set in the handwriting of Wendell Jerome Campbell. ¶ Wendell Jerome Campbell graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1957 with a B.A. in Architecture and City Planning. Campbell was instrumental in diversifying the canvas of professionals practicing architecture in the United States. ¶ These unique characters are used as alternates within the font. ¶

The alternate round characters stem from NOMA’s current abstract monogram.

Once the design team at ARCHITECT Magazine received the font files, they immediately fell in love with it. Naturally, the handwriting-inspired alternates were an instant favorite as you’ll see from some of the spreads in “The Equity Issue.”

Colorful

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

The One Club for Creativity is a non-profit organization that exists to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community. Home to The One Show, Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, Young Guns, Young Ones, and Allies in Recruiting, TOCC is a diverse community of creative thinkers and doers who believe creativity is the most powerful element to business success. ¶ Since 1996, their elite portfolio-based competition, Young Guns, has taken the profiles of young creative professionals already on the rise and helps elevate them even further. And while the program has made major strides since the early days, there's always room for more diversity. ¶ Enter COLORFUL: A Prelude To Young Guns 19. Ahead of the 2021 Young Guns competition, TOCC teamed up with acclaimed first-generation Filipinx designer and Young Guns 8 winner Rich Tu to co-found a free portfolio competition and a grant exclusively for young BIPOC creative professionals who qualify for Young Guns — they just haven't entered and won it yet. ¶

To prepare for the launch of this fantastic competition, Rich Tu collaborated with Tré Seals of Vocal Type to design a bespoke wordmark and typeface for launch of the 2021 competition.

To ensure that the firm had an identity that was unapologetically black and powerful, Vocal created a bespoke typeface inspired by the remnants of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ When Black Panther Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the party in 1966, their goal was to end police brutality in Oakland. But a faction of the Civil Rights Movement led by SNCC member Stokeley Carmichael began calling for the uplift and self-determination of African-Americans, and soon black power was part of their platform. * ¶ With this new concept in mind, the Black Panthers started the People’s Free Food Program. This program provided free food to black and other oppressed people. The intent of the Free Food Program was to supplement the groceries of black and poor people until economic conditions allowed them to purchase good food at reasonable prices. The Free Food Program provided two basic services to the community: 1. An ongoing supply of food to meet their daily needs. 2. Periodic mass distributions of food to reach a larger segment of the community than could be serviced from the ongoing supply. The community was provided with bags of fresh food containing items such as eggs, canned fruits and vegetables, chickens, milk, potatoes, rice, bread, cereal, and so forth. A minimum of a week’s supply of food was included in each bag. * ¶

The final typeface, aptly named “Impactful,” is inspired by the grocery bags of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ While they only needed an all caps headline typeface, I thought it would be important for the typeface to have some versatility, should they need it. Characters such as ‘C,’ ‘G,’ 'S,’ and most numerals allow the graphic designer to switch between flat and angled terminals, allowing for two different tones. ¶

Broome

Tre Seals · January 8, 2023

Umber Magazine, an Oakland, California-based printed publication that focuses on creative culture and visual arts from the perspective of black & brown people, commissioned Vocal to create a bespoke font family for issue 3.

In every release, the content is curated around a theme with an inspiring group of contributors from across the globe. The theme for issue 3 was sound. In 2019, for this issue, Vocal crafted a typeface based on remnants from the first black-owned record label, Broome Special Phonograph Records.

However, once the sans serif was finished, we felt the issue needed more than just another sans serif. So, we decided to create a larger font family by taking the original sans serif and break it down into sound waves. ¶ This concept would allow the designers at Umber to create more dynamic compositions and more compelling titles and emphasize specific words within a quote. ¶

A view of all 5 weights of Broome Sound overlaid on top of each other.

Impactful for Impact Strategies

Tre Seals · January 7, 2023

IMPACT Strategies is a Washington D.C.-based political advocacy firm founded by attorney, political analyst, entrepreneur, and economic parity advocate Angela Rye. The organization seeks to encourage young professionals in three core areas: economic empowerment, civic engagement, and political involvement. The organization has quickly become a powerful voice and advocate for today’s young professionals of color nationwide. Under Angela’s leadership, IMPACT has formed critical partnerships with the National Bar Association, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, National Urban League, Rainbow PUSH, Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute, Black Leadership Forum, and many others.

IMPACT Strategies’ current identity was developed upon its founding in 2013—a point in time at which our political climate was quite different from the one we’re experiencing today. The election of Donald Trump has greatly shifted IMPACT’s focus from more traditional political advocacy work to teaching civics, teaching clients about social justice and economic parity, and taking on significantly more diversity and inclusion work. As a result, it’s imperative that their new brand identity reflects this shift away from stereotypical D.C. firm towards a powerful, unapologetically black, professional yet edgy advocate for a better tomorrow. ¶

To ensure that the firm had an identity that was unapologetically black and powerful, Vocal created a bespoke typeface inspired by the remnants of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ When Black Panther Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the party in 1966, their goal was to end police brutality in Oakland. But a faction of the Civil Rights Movement led by SNCC member Stokeley Carmichael began calling for the uplift and self-determination of African-Americans, and soon black power was part of their platform. * ¶ With this new concept in mind, the Black Panthers started the People’s Free Food Program. This program provided free food to black and other oppressed people. The intent of the Free Food Program was to supplement the groceries of black and poor people until economic conditions allowed them to purchase good food at reasonable prices. The Free Food Program provided two basic services to the community: 1. An ongoing supply of food to meet their daily needs. 2. Periodic mass distributions of food to reach a larger segment of the community than could be serviced from the ongoing supply. The community was provided with bags of fresh food containing items such as eggs, canned fruits and vegetables, chickens, milk, potatoes, rice, bread, cereal, and so forth. A minimum of a week’s supply of food was included in each bag. * ¶

The final typeface, aptly named “Impactful,” is inspired by the grocery bags of the People’s Free Food Program. ¶ While they only needed an all caps headline typeface, I thought it would be important for the typeface to have some versatility, should they need it. Characters such as ‘C,’ ‘G,’ 'S,’ and most numerals allow the graphic designer to switch between flat and angled terminals, allowing for two different tones. ¶