FellaParts
Typographer
Edward Fella
born 1938
Designer
Gail Swanlund
United States, born 1963
Date1993
MediumOffset Lithography
Dimensions32 1/2 x 22 1/4 in. (82.6 x 56.5 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.706
DescriptionFellaParts is the second of two iconic character sets that Edward Fella released through Emigre. Considered together, they are exquisite examples of how some postmodern designers incorporated the language of American commercial art from the Victorian period through the 1950s into contemporary imagery. Rudy VanderLans approached Fella with the idea for the typeface, asking him to turn the various decorative elements Fella frequently included in his flyer designs into a dingbat typeface. Fella added additional glyphs to complete the set of 1,970 unique illustrations, all of which are reproduced on the right edge of this poster. While some contain recognizable motifs—Saturn’s silhouette or false eyelashes—most are whimsical icons without specific graphic reference. Gail Swanlund, a former student of Fella’s at Cat- Arts, where she currently teaches, was an intern at Emigre when she designed this poster.On View
Not on view
