Being recognized by Google is an achievement in itself, a great reward for the effort that often took many years. This is the case with the Económica and Chau Philomene One typefaces, which have been part of Google Web Fonts since March 2012, making them the first fonts created in Uruguay to be published on that site. Their creator is Vicente Lamónaca, a 35-year-old professor and graduate of the Bachelor’s program in Graphic Design. In addition, three current students and one graduate of the program hope to have their own typefaces added soon. “I can only feel satisfied that I helped bring them closer to the subject: their work far exceeds what I was able to teach them,” says Lamónaca about his former students.
How long have you been interested in design?
I don't really have a clear idea about it. I've always liked to plan ahead, organize, streamline... to give things a practical purpose. And that's pretty much my definition of design (though there are other definitions). In a way, I feel like I've always been predisposed to have a designer's mindset, even before I knew this profession existed.
And specifically, how long have you been interested in graphic design?
Even though my training is specifically in graphic design, I see myself first and foremost as a “designer.” I believe that the various branches of design share a common goal: to make life better. If I had the skills to be, say, an industrial designer, I think I would make the switch without missing anything in particular about graphic design. I see graphic design as more closely linked to quality of life than to communication in particular. I know not all designers will think the same way... but that’s my perspective.
You mentioned in an interview with Insitu, the website of the School of Communication and Design, that the Económica typeface was designed with print in mind; what was the process like for adapting that typeface for use on the web?
In reality, even though my starting point was a typeface designed for print, today’s technological platforms allow for a transition—most of the time a straightforward one—between the two contexts. Consider that all typefaces designed before 1980 were intended for print, not for the screen (from the oldest, such as Garamond, to the most “contemporary,” such as Helvetica, to name two of the most famous).
The key consideration when designing for one platform or another is where the testing takes place. In the case of Económica, it was tested in a printing environment, which means subjecting it to the same papers, the same printing presses, and the same sizes in which it would be used throughout the design process. More specifically, it was a typeface designed for use on newsprint (in rotary printing at a size of 7.5 point). This is a very specific situation that influenced certain morphological decisions, which involved the use of what are called “ink traps”—a kind of “trick” employed to ensure that the printed form resembles the one envisioned by the designer.
When we see these ligatures on screen, they give certain features of the typeface a distinctive shape, which lends the typeface a unique character. Many colleagues had already told me that they found Económica to be an interesting typeface to use at sizes much larger than I had originally intended—that is, by exploiting those morphological characteristics (which, in the 7.5-point version, are designed precisely so they aren’t perceived by the human eye). From there to its use on the web, in this case, there wasn’t much to change.
In fact, when you first started working in graphic design, the web didn’t exist. How have graphic designers adapted to the new landscape and demands created by the emergence of the web and the widespread adoption of the internet?
When I graduated, the internet was just getting started. I studied a degree program that was beginning to adapt to the future reality of the web, but we didn’t fully grasp the impact it would have. There are graphic designers who are fully attuned to the web. Today, the curriculum for the degree program (Bachelor’s in Graphic Design) already requires students to be immersed in this reality.
Those of us who are a bit older—who graduated from the first few classes at ORT back in the late ’90s—had to adapt. Personally, I must confess that due to a certain ideology and/or inability, I haven’t fully adapted. I consider myself a more “traditional” designer, if that term applies. What many designers in our group of thirty-somethings do is partner with technology providers who, by training, are proficient in these new technologies.
Furthermore, technology gives rise to very specific niches; for example, within the field of typography, there is a largely unexplored area involving the use of technologies for displaying typefaces on screen. In this field, knowledge of typography accounts for 90% of the total; in other words, the technological variable complements the body of knowledge provided by traditional typography. In any case, it is a fact that the digital realm increasingly permeates our work—or, at the very least, our commercial realities—even though subjects such as typography and design have always been constrained and enhanced by the technological framework.
What are the advantages of your "Economy" font?
Its advantage is that it saves space. To put it in more technical terms: it saves 10% of the space compared to Myriad Pro Condensed, while maintaining the x-height of Helvetica Condensed at a given point size, which means it is narrower while retaining the basic height of the characters. Furthermore, in what is known as encyclopedic reading (that is, reading a short text within a larger text; in other words, being able to read a specific word on a page of text), it maintains very good levels of readability. Thus, Económica allows for space savings without losing readability in that specific context.
Now that you’re a teacher, what does it mean to you that typefaces created by ORT graduates and students have also been accepted by Google?
This is undoubtedly a significant development. Those of us interested in typography have come together under the Montevideo Typographic Society (STM). It is a collaborative space made up of members of the ORT design community—ranging from professors to students, as well as instructors and alumni. Shortly after “Económica” was added to Google’s web font library, efforts began to include more Uruguayan typefaces in this collection. In fact, Rufina, Clarina, and Rambla by Martín Sommaruga (a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design); Sedán by Sebastián Salazar (an alumnus); Fénix by Fernando Díaz (a graduate); and Gafata by Lautaro Hourcade (a graduate) will soon be added.
There’s no doubt that the fact that all STM members are part of the ORT community makes us feel that, as a design school, we’re on the right track when it comes to typography. There’s no doubt that in this field, ORT—as a community—is the most advanced in Uruguay, on par with other schools in the region. To answer the question directly… of course I’m proud that some of my former students have found success in the field of typography, but I can only feel satisfied that I helped introduce them to the subject: their work far surpasses what I was able to teach them.
What do you remember about your time as a student at ORT?
From my years as a student, I remember the sense of innovation and creativity that certain assignments from my professors inspired. That healthy dose of stress that the mandatory assignments generated. Although deadlines and adapting to new challenges are a constant in daily work life, the feeling I had as a student of depending on nothing but myself—and the peace of mind that what was at stake was only my own future (and not that of others, as is the case in professional life)—allowed me to work with different perspectives, perhaps more daring ones, or at least starting from less-traveled paths.
What was the best part of your time as a student? And what was the hardest part?
I have very fond memories of my classes with Andrés Takach, my editorial design instructor. I remember that he was the one who first made me appreciate the beauty of typefaces. He used to tell us that he could spend hours contemplating certain details of a typeface. Beyond the subject he taught, he gave all of us who were his students a sense of love and dedication to the discipline.
I remember that at the start of my eighth semester, I had some doubts about the future of my profession... specifically, I was worried about the future of books (due to the advent of new technologies); at that time, Professors Marcos Larghero and Gustavo “Maca” Wojciechowski met with me and put my mind at ease. By the way, thanks to all three of you.
What do you enjoy most about being a teacher?
In my view, being a teacher is, above all, about constant personal growth. To be a teacher, you must be able to listen at all times, to be receptive, understanding, and motivating. You must be able to put yourself in another person’s shoes. It means being able to view a situation from various angles. It entails, at least in design, accepting that there is no single solution to a given situation; this means we must be open to constantly learning from students and have the ability to apply that learning in the future to, in turn, empower other students. I have always said—without hesitation—that the person who has learned the most about typography in my classes is myself.