DOYALD YOUNG (PHOTO: DON PERDUE PHOTO)

Doyald young is a man of letters. He is a compassionate perfectionist, a meticulous draftsman, and a master of sensuous curves. He is a beloved (if feared) teacher as well as the author of three books on logo and letterform design. Now one of his typefaces is taking your TV screen by storm on channels such as Comedy Central, MTV, and TV Land. I caught up with Doyald at the tail end of a 40-city speaking tour organized by smart papers. I asked him about becoming a force in pop and youth culture at the tender age of 79 and about his ongoing adventures in life and design.

SB: You have the hot font of 2005 with Eclat, a font you released in 1985. When was the first time you saw it get a really big public reaction?

DY: This is the first time. Several years ago it was used for an Israeli airline logo, and for some food products. Last year Steve Hartman used it for a Mary Bianchetta Trio concert poster and modified it, which pleased me because he made it more elegant, less a sports script. Now TV has found it, which is where it should’ve been all along.

SB: I’ve also seen your Young Baroque used in some interesting places—as the logo of the QM2’s Princess Grill dining room, and as the official photo backdrop at the launch of Paris Hilton’s Heiress nightclub. It’s the year of Doyald. How does it feel to put out a font and have it adopted in the way that it has been?

DY: Of course there’s some satisfaction in the recognition, and in these instances I thought the font was appropriately used. Any formal script suggests a certain kind of luxury, doesn’t it? Paris Hilton is an heiress. If you’re careful you can use a refined script to suggest quality and superb craftsmanship.

SB: Tell me about your new font, Home Run Script.

DY: I thought Eclat wasn’t being used as much as it should because it was too wide. Art directors sometimes need to crowd a lot of information in a small space so they use condensed fonts. They have more impact. Home Run Script is condensed. I call it a sports script, because it has been used for so long on the backs of sports jerseys and baseball clubs. Home Run is more carefully drawn—in essence a very bold formal script. There are a lot of different bold scripts. Some of them are more casual. I felt that a well-drawn, condensed script face would be popular and more useable.

SB: I do have to say that Home Run is probably the most immediately usable script I know. Usually you have to go in and fix the kerning. This one looks great right out of the box. Did you start developing the font by hand or did you do it all on the computer?

DY: I make lots of pencil sketches, and with a few exceptions, each lowercase letter connects. Only the freestanding caps required kerning.

SB: You’re also a teacher at Art Center where you teach classes in letterform design. In fact, you’ve said that you don’t see yourself as a font designer, as much as a logo designer and a teacher. Please explain.

DY: I have taught 4,000 students or more—difficult to count them up over the years, but it’s in that neighborhood. I truly enjoy teaching. Some of my dearest friends are former students and teaching is one of the most rewarding things that I’ve done.

TOP: Home Run Script, designed by Young.

LOGOTYPES DESIGNED BY YOUNG.

LEFT COLUMN (TOP TO BOTTOM): Art Directors Guild, 2002. Client: Local 876. Elvis, 1988. Client: Mgm/Ua Home Video Library; Creative Director: Bob Hardenbrook; Art Director: Sam Mccay. Kd Lang Ingenue, 1992. Client: Warner Bros. Records; Creative Director: Jeri Heiden; Art Director: Greg Ross. Hilton International, Japan, 1993. Client: International Design Associates; Creative Director: Mari Makinami. Charles Krug, 2005. (Top) New Logotype, (Bottom) Historic Logotype. Client: Cf/Napa; Creative Director: David Schuemann; Design Director: Kristin Beckstoffer; Designer: Sara Golzari.

MIDDLE COLUMN: Tokyo Interior, 2001. Client: Bikohsha; Creative Director: Tohru Uraoka. Lobby Lounge, 1999. Client: Hotel East 21, Tokyo; Creative Director: Makinami. Seasmoke, 2003. Client: Cf/Napa, Creative Director: Schuemann; Design Director: Beckstoffer; Designer: Golzari.

RIGHT COLUMN: Pacific Star Hotel, Guam, 1992. Client: International Design Associates; Creative Director: Makinami. Max Factor & Co., 1980. Creative Director: Jim Englemann; Art Director: Bert Pearse. Prudential Financial, 1993. Creative Director: John R. March. Pax, 1993. Client: International Design Associates; Creative Director: Makinami. Genji, 1990. Client: International Design Associates; Creative Director: Makinami.