Figure 1. Valentine uses all-cap copy to create a sense of elegance in the "Coffee Series" catalog for Neocon, but takes care to ensure that readability is not impared.
The “Coffee Series” catalog he produced for Neocon (an industry
trade show) is quintessential Valentine. The piece was handed
out with coffee at the show booth and is based around the idea
that good carpet is like good coffee—a part of everyday life that is
capable of being a luxury and comfort.
Product shots imply a story: a rumpled bed, a half-opened box,
a pair of women’s shoes tossed casually aside. Flooring material is
the product; the visual story makes it engaging. Text is sparse and
set in Eureka with headlines in Franklin Gothic. Copy is centered
but limited to three lines with open line spacing so there is no loss
of readability.
Although the type is reversed out of the photographs, Franklin
Gothic and Eureka are robust enough to maintain their integrity.
Valentine also carefully placed the reversed copy in an area of the
image where the background was solid or nearly solid.
Valentine skates to the edge of breaking a couple of important
typographic rules in the two catalogs, but it is obvious he knows
why the rules are there. He took the time and care to ensure the
typography is not only stylish, but also sensible.
Figure 2. The typography in Country Home Magazine is a study in simplicity and taking advantage of page real estate.
The redesign of Country Home magazine is another example of Valentine’s
melding of image and typography. Here, he used Bil’ak’s
Fedra and Benton Gothic from The Font Bureau, to create what
he calls “a typographic hierarchy.” While type plays a supporting
role in the FLOR catalogs, in Country Home it shares equal billing
with the photographs and images. Copy blocks take up a fair
share of page real estate and often the type is set large. Valentine’s
rule of not setting type in solid black, the occasional sprinkling
of color within the text, and ample line space, however, keep the
copy inviting and engaging. A simple yet elegant system of numbering
illustrations also ensures that the sometimes numerous
images on a page are easily linked to their captions.
While he was given a well-defined suite of parameters for the
redesign, Valentine was not given total control. Country Home only
wanted a design template and a few sample pages. In projects like
these, Valentine prefers complete control of the magazine for several
issues. “I think it is important to live with a magazine for several
issues before I turn it over completely to the internal design
staff,” he says. “It’s not an ‘ownership’ thing. Designing three to
four issues gives me the opportunity to work through the inevitable
design problems that will arise.” If Country Home continues to
follow his template, it should uphold Valentine’s high standards.
When asked if he had one piece of typographic advice for
young designers, Valentine’s answer was uncharacteristically
quick. “Be sure the type is appropriate to the piece, the environment,
and the reader.” His typography is that—and more. Robert
Valentine’s work is a lesson in grace and pulchritude, and a service
to readers.
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