Alphabets: Art Lettering

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 (Next post on Monday: Champion Papers in Art Direction)

Creator: A Few Details About Ronné Bonder, Graphic Designer and Entrepreneur

Ronné Bonder was born Chaskel Josel Bonder on February 4, 1935 in Poland. His birthdate is from the Los Angeles Medical Examiner. The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum said his birthplace was Poland.

The Registration of Liberated Former Persecutees, 1945–1950, at Ancestry.com, listed “Chaskel Bonder” and his father, David, who lived in Italy. Bonder’s obituary said he spent his formative years in Milan and “came to America at age 18 on the Andrea Doria speaking no English...”

On April 28, 1953, “Chaskel Josel Bonder“ and “Riezo Bonder” (age and sex unknown) were aboard the ship Andrea Doria when it departed Genoa, Italy. The manifest said they arrived at the Port of New York on May 7, 1953. Eighteen-year-old Bonder was detained at Ellis Island due to a medical issue.

Bonder resided in Brooklyn. A facebook page said he studied at Pratt Institute. The high school class information is confusing. In 1957 “Chaskel Bonder” and Harriet Krupenie obtained, in Brooklyn, marriage license number 13022. Brooklyn telephone directories listed “Ronne Bonder” at 191 East 17th Street for the years 1958, 1959, and 1960–1961. Bonder and his wife were registered voters; he was a Republican and she a Democrat.

In 1964 Bonder and Tom Carnase opened their studio, Bonder & Carnase. 

 

Art Direction, January 1967

 Art Direction, February 1967

 

Type Directors Club Thirteenth Annual Awards Show catalog was reprinted in Art Direction, June 1967.

Art Direction, November 1967 highlighted this Eastern Airlines advertisement.

A 1968 issue of Art Direction said

Peter Rauch joined Ronne Bonder and Tom Carnase to form Bonder, Carnase & Rauch, Inc., at 223 East 31st Street, New York. Rauch was AD at Carl Alley, Inc. New firm is design associate of Bonder & Carnase Studio, Inc.

Carnase left in 1969 to join Herb Lubalin and Ernie Smith. Bonder and Carnase designed several typefaces which were promoted by the studio, Lubalin, Smith, Carnase.

From 1972 to 1994, Fat Face was used on the

advertisements, What Becomes a Legend Most?

 

The above typefaces were released by the International Typeface Corporation in 1970. Fat Face was known as Fatface in the Photo-Lettering Inc.’s Alphabet Thesaurus Volume 3 (1971).

In 1967 Bonder and H. Diane Beck obtained, in Manhattan, marriage license number 1699. They had two children, Mark and Lisa.

Bonder designed the cover for My Rabbi Doesn’t Make House Calls (1969).

Perhaps Bonder’s biggest project was the flag design for Citicorp Center’s celebration of the Bicentennial in 1987.

In 1989 Bonder and Yvonne N. Grabert obtained, in Manhattan, marriage license number 8422. In the 1990s Bonder had the addresses 22-09 78th Street in Queens, New York; 2 Whipporwill Lane in East Quogue, New York; and 54 Cambridge Road in Great Neck, New York.

Newsday, July 4, 1999, said Bonder’s Hamptons Vodka was scheduled to be released in August. Bonder’s trademark application for Hamptons Vodka was published in the Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, February 22, 2000. Advertisements for Hamptons Vodka appeared in a number of publications including Los Angeles Magazine, June 2000 and Newsday, August 20, 2003.

At some point, Bonder moved to California. His address was 201 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.

Bonder passed away on October 12, 2015 in Los Angeles.

 

Further Reading and Viewing
American Type: Design & Designers (2004)
An A-Z of Type Designers (2006)
Classic Typefaces: American Type & Type Designers (2011)
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum


(Next post on Monday: Laurens Crossley, Letterer)

Typography: Blackglama 1968–1994

 

The Blackglama advertising campaign, What becomes a Legend most?, began in 1968. The typeface resembles Akzidenz-Grotesk. In 1972, the typeface, Fat Face, was used for the headline and brand name.

 

 

48th Annual of Advertising, Editorial and Television Art and Design (1969)

 

Fat Face was designed by Ronné Bonder and Tom Carnase in 1970. Fat Face was offered by Lubalin, Smith, Carnase (LSC). Later, Fat Face became part of the International Typeface Corporation (ITC). In the Photo-Lettering Inc. catalogs, the typeface was known as Fatface.

Alphabet Thesaurus Volume 3 (1971)

 

Blackglama Models

1968: Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Melina Mercouri, Barbara Streisand
1969: Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Lena Horne

1970: Brigitte Bardot, Maria Callas, Rita Hayworth, Leontyne Price (New York, December 20, 1971), 

          Rosalind Russell, Barbara Stanwyck
1971: Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, Ruby Keeler
1972: Pearl Bailey, Carol Burnett, Carol Channing (The New Yorker, October 8, 1972), Ethel Merman
1973: Peggy Lee, Liza Minnelli, Diana Ross (Ebony, October 1976)
1974: Raquel Welch
1975: Mary Martin, Beverly Sills
1976: Martha Graham, Lillian Hellman, Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev (New York, September 3, 1979)
1977: Suzy Knickerbocker, Shirley McClaine, Liv Ullmann (Vogue, October 1977), Diana Vreeland
1978: Faye Dunaway (The New Yorker, October 30, 1978), Joan Fontaine, Helen Hayes

1979: Lillian Gish, Angela Lansbury, Renata Scotto

 

1980: Merna Loy, Ann Miller, Maggie Smith, Lana Turner
1981: Luciano Pavarotti, Gloria Swanson, Natalie Wood
1982: Julie Andrews, Sophia Loren
1983: Elizabeth Taylor
1984: Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore
1985: Ann-Margaret
1986: Cher
1987: Audrey Hepburn
1988: Catherine Deneuve
1989: Claudette Colbert (second appearance)

1990: Ray Charles
1991: Jessica Tandy
1992: Jessye Norman
1993: Debbie Reynolds
1994: Tommy Tune


Further Reading and Viewing
Fonts in Use, ITC Fat Face
Blackglama, The Archive and Photographs
Jane Trahey on Women & Power (1977)
American Photographer, December 1978
What Becomes a Legend Most?: The Blackglama Story (1979)
New York, April 23, 1984, “Legends and One-Liners”
New York, May 21, 1984, “Unbecoming Legend”
Medium, B = Blackglama Fur Coat
Adweek, Why Blackglama Minks Dumped Their Divas


(Next post on Monday: A Few Details About Ronné Bonder, Graphic Designer and Entrepreneur)

Alphabets: Connie Rechel, Graphic Designer, Artist and Typeface Designer

 

March is Women’s History Month.
 

Letterform Archive posted an excellent article, on June 12, 2023, by Anne Galperin who wrote “The Women of Photo-Lettering”. Connie Rechel was one of ten women contributors. Here is a brief profile.

Constance “Connie” Rechel was born on October 11, 1911 in Chelsea, Massachusetts according to a passenger manifest and Find a Grave. Her parents were George William Rechel (1882_1961) and Marion Louise Norton (1883–1972).

The 1920 United States Census counted Rechel (line 25), her parents, brother and maternal grandmother in Chelsea at 469 Washington Avenue. Her father was a buyer in the wholesale grocery business.

She was mentioned several times in the local newspaper, Newton Graphic, from 1924 to 1937.

Rechel attended Newton High School. In 1928, she was in the National Honor Society. Rechel graduated in 1929.

Newtonian yearbook

In the 1930 census, the family (lines 76 to 80) lived in Newton, Massachusetts at 96 Beaumont Avenue.

Rechel continued her art training at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, in Boston, where she graduated in 1933.

The 1934 Newton city directory listed her as an artist who lived at 96 Beaumont Avenue.

I believe Rechel’s work was shown at the Mystic Art Association exhibitions in 1936 and 1937.

In 1938, Rechel visited Europe. She was aboard the ship Normandie when it departed Le Havre, France on July 27, 1938. She arrived at the Port of New York on August 1.

According to the 1940 census, Rechel lived with her parents and brother in Newton where she was an artist. 

 

At some point she moved to New York City. Rechel registered to vote on October 13, 1944. She did not name a political party. Her Manhattan address was 161 West 10 Street. Rechel has not been found in the 1950 census.

Rechel visited France in 1959. A passenger card said she boarded the Pan Am flight at Le Bourget, Paris, France, on April 18, 1959. Rechel’s New York address was 155 East 47th Street.

The Pine Manor Bulletin, September 1962, published a photograph of Rechel’s portrait of Marjorie Henry Ilsley. The date of the painting was not given.

In the 1968 publication, Genealogy and Family History of the Descendants of John Clarke of Wenham, Massachusetts and Exeter, New Hampshire, Marlene A. Hinkley had this entry for Rechel on page 109.

217. Marion Louise Norton ...
i. Constance Rechel, b. Oct. 11, 1911, Chelsea, Mass., unmarried. Artist at Norcross Greeting Card Co., 155 East 47th St., New York 17, New York.

It’s not known how many greeting cards Rechel illustrated and lettered.

Around 1964, Rechel designed a typeface for Photo-Lettering Inc. She was one of ten women to do so. In 1960, Alphabet Thesaurus Nine Thousand was published by Photo-Lettering Inc. The women letterers included Daisy Alcock (page 229), Shirley Smith (page 249), Jeanyee Wong (pages 226, 551) and Margaret Yakovenko (page 525). 

The Alphabet Thesaurus Volume 2 (1965; 1970 second printing) included the aforementioned women plus Deborah Ann Bristow (page 397), Betti B. Haft (page 233) and Rechel (page 85).

 

Three more women were added to the Alphabet Thesaurus Volume 3 (1971): Claudette Caccuciolo (page 107), Marie Frederick (page 380) and Hedda S. Johnson (page 458).

Rechel Sprite, Photo-Lettering’s One Line Manual of Styles (1971), page 32

 

Constance Rechel Fletcher passed away on November 14, 2014 and was laid to rest at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. The date and place of her marriage to Fletcher is not known.


Related Posts
Shirley Smith, a Book Jacket Designer and Lettering Artist
Margaret Yakovenko, a Package Designer, Illustrator and Typeface Designer
A Few Details About George Salter, Calligrapher, Designer and Teacher
Miriam Woods, Lettering Artist and Book Jacket Designer
Jeanyee Wong

 

(Next post on Monday: A Few Details About Elisabeth Holden Webb, Manuscript Illuminator)

Creator: Margaret Yakovenko, Package Designer, Illustrator and Typeface Designer

 

March is Women’s History Month.

Letterform Archive posted an excellent article, on June 12, 2023, by Anne Galperin who wrote “The Women of Photo-Lettering”. One of the ten women was Margaret Yakovenko. Here is a brief profile.

Margaret Yakovenko was born Margaret Theon Anderson on March 30, 1929 in Long Beach, California according to her Social Security application at Ancestry.com. Her parents, both Kansas natives, were Hiram Hamil Anderson (1888–1963) and Vera Dell Jones (1898–1975).

The 1930 United States Census counted Yakovenko (line 66) and her parents in Long Beach at 643 Atlantic Avenue. Her father was an insurance salesman.

In the 1940 census, the Anderson family (lines 1 to 3) were Long Beach residents at 2465 East 4th Street. Also with them was Yakovenko’s maternal grandmother, Margaret E. Jones, and five lodgers.

Yakovenko graduated Woodrow Wilson High School in June 1946.

Campanile yearbook

According to the 1950 census, Yakovenko (line 19) stayed at Douglas Hall, Winslow Arms Dormitory, 945 Hilgard Avenue. Apparently she attended the University of California, Los Angeles.

On October 23, 1954, she married Paul Emil Yakovenko at Rockwall, Texas (marriage record at Ancestry.com). They moved to New York City. In Manhattan, the couple registered to vote on October 11, 1956. Their address was 193 Second Avenue. Yakovenko, a housewife, was a Republican; her unemployed husband did not name a party. The same address appeared in Art Direction, February 1957 and January 1958. Yakovenko was package designer.

Photo-Lettering Inc. promoted her typeface, Yakovenko Picnic, in Art Direction, April 1959.

The Board of Elections in the City of New York, December 31, 1959, listed Yakovenko, a Democrat, at 307 East 10th Street. 

In 1960, Alphabet Thesaurus Nine Thousand was published by Photo-Lettering Inc. The women letterers included Daisy Alcock (page 229), Shirley Smith (page 249), Jeanyee Wong (pages 226, 551) and  Yakovenko (page 525). Page one listed their names with their signatures on the opposite page.

The Alphabet Thesaurus Volume 2 (1965; 1970 second printing) included the aforementioned women plus Deborah Ann Bristow (page 397), Betti B. Haft (page 233) and Connie Rechel (page 85).

Three more women were added to the Alphabet Thesaurus Volume 3 (1971): Claudette Caccuciolo (page 107), Marie Frederick (page 380) and Hedda S. Johnson (page 458).

 

Yakovenko Picnic, Photo-Lettering’s One Line Manual of Styles (1971)

 

Art Direction, February 1962, said

Jim York, 360 E. 55 St., MU 8-7232, now reps Emni, men’s fashion and accessories illustration, as well as Frederick Marvin, woodcut and monoprint; Margaret Yakovenko, decorative; Sofia, illustration and children’s fashion; John Carl, still life photography; Dick Ely, women’s fashion.

Yakovenko illustrated the relaxation articles in Family Weekly, February 17, 1963 and February 24, 1963.

The 42nd Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art and Design (1963) selected Yakovenko’s illustration.

Yakovenko was named in her father’s obituary in the Santa Ana Register, October 13, 1963. Yakovenko and others were mentioned in the Congressional Record, Senate, June 30, 1966.

Yakovenko passed away on January 18, 1999. The Social Security Death Index said her last residence was San Juan, Puerto Rico.


Related Posts
Shirley Smith, a Book Jacket Designer and Lettering Artist
A Few Details About George Salter, Calligrapher, Designer and Teacher
Miriam Woods, Lettering Artist and Book Jacket Designer
Jeanyee Wong

 

(Next post on Monday: Connie Rechel, Graphic Designer, Artist and Typeface Designer)