Arthur Baker

Arthur Baker (1930-2016) was a renowned American calligrapher, type designer, and author based in Andover, Massachusetts. 

He was the creator of a distinctive and dramatic style of brush and pen calligraphy and designed his own pens and brushes. He authored over 20 books on the calligraphic arts.

Baker ran Glyph Systems in Andover, Massachusetts, and before that, Alpha Omega and Maverick Designs.

Arthur Baker was born circa 1930 on the West Coast of the United States and grew up in Berkeley, California. He attended school on the West Coast and New York City. 

Baker was interested in calligraphy from a young age and studied many books on this topic, beginning with the letter of the peoples of antiquity to modern languages. After serving in the U.S. Army, he studied under celebrated calligrapher Oscar Ogg and had private lessons with George Salter and Tommy Thompson. 

Some of his earliest designs were made available through Photo-Lettering Inc., and his first widely-available commercial typeface was published in 1965. 

His first book, Calligraphy, was published in 1973.

Baker developed a unique library of calligraphic fonts based on his knowledge of letterforms and historical calligraphy styles. With his knowledge of letterforms and historical calligraphic styles, along with his own custom-designed pens and brushes, he created a unique library of fonts and continues to develop innovative designs for the 21st century. Some of the notable fonts are Baker Sans, Baker Signet, Signet, and Visigoth. 

His calligraphy work, for example, can be seen in the logo of Coca-Cola product "Coke" (Signet Bold) and Lipton products (Tiepolo). The Eddie Bauer catalog was using Baker Sans for its logo and text.

His later digital typefaces were made available through an impressive array of companies: Adobe, Agfa Typographic Systems (now Monotype), AlphaOmega Typography, Hewlett Packard, and International Typeface Corporation (ITC).

Baker lived in Andover, Massachusetts and his hobbies included designing, making, and flying paper airplanes. He died in 2016 at the age of 86. His brother, Edward, beautifully sums up his life as: 

My brother dedicated his life to calligraphic designs and the alphabet. For 60 years, the 26 letters of the Roman Alphabet were Arthur’s closest personal friends and family. His right hand and heart made the pen and brush dance to the cadence of many different drummers.

His typefaces were all calligraphic:

• Amigo (Adobe), Amigo (Linotype). Designed by Arthur Baker in 1989 for Agfa Compugraphic, Amigo is based on spontaneous pen lettering and an exaggerated calligraphic look.
• Arrows (Arthur Baker). Made in 1995.
• Baker Signet (Monotype), Baker Signet (Bitstream), Baker Signet (Adobe), Baker Signet (Linotype). Originally designed as a photo type in 1965 for VGC, it was Baker's first commercial design. Baker Signet features in the word Coke on the Coca Cola bottles. Halley writes: Tall ascenders and angled weight transfer show a subtle foundation in late 15th century typefaces. Baker Signet can also be found at VGC as Baker Argentina No 1 (1976) and Baker Danmark One (1976). Baker Signet, in its display text weights, was at the basis of Sigvar (Softmaker).
• Calligraphica (Arthur Baker), Calligraphica (IHOF). Created in 1995.
• Cold Mountain (Arthur Baker). Designed in 1995.
• Collier Script (Arthur Baker). Designed in 1995.
• Daybreak (Arthur Baker). Designed in 1995.
• Duckweed (Arthur Baker), Duckweed Sans (Arthur Baker). Designed in 1995.
• Feathers (Arthur Baker), Fishface (Arthur Baker), Florettes (Arthur Baker), Flowery (Arthur Baker), Hands (Arthur Baker). Designed in 1995.
• Hiroshige Sans (Arthur Baker), Hiroshige (Adobe). Hiroshige was designed in 1986 by Cynthia Hollandsworth of AlphaOmega Typography, Inc. The typeface was originally commissioned for a book of woodblock prints by nineteenth-century Japanese artist Ando Hiroshige, whose work influenced many impressionist artists. Hiroshige Sans (Arthur Baker) followed in 1995.
• ITC Tiepolo (ITC), ITC Tiepolo (Adobe). Tiepolo was designed at AlphaOmega Typography for the International Typeface Corporation in 1987.
• Kigali (Arthur Baker), Kigali (Adobe). Designed by Arthur Baker in 1994 for URW, Kigali is a wide-bodied display type with bold, uneven pen-drawn strokes that taper dramatically downward. There also is a textured version called Kigali ZigZag.
• Marigold (Monotype), Marigold (Adobe). Marigold was first released by Agfa Compugraphic in 1989.
• Mercator (Arthur Baker), Mercator (IHOF). Designed in 1995. Based on the lettering of Flemish map maker Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594).
• The Maverick Designs Collection (1994): New Amigo (Arthur Baker), New Marigold (Arthur Baker), New Oxford (Arthur Baker), New Pelican (Arthur Baker), New Visigoth (Arthur Baker).
• Oakgraphic (Arthur Baker). Designed in 1995.
• Oxford (Adobe). Designed for Agfa Compugraphic in 1989. It is a robust and lively non-connecting script with several bi-form characters.
• P22 Matador (IHOF). P22 Matador (2007) is a contemporary Roman font based on the manuscript tradition (digitized by Michael Clark).
• Pelican (Linotype), Pelican (Adobe). Released by Agfa Compugraphic in 1989.
• Plumes (Arthur Baker). Designed in 1995.
• Sassafras (Arthur Baker), Sassafras (Adobe). Designed for URW in 1995, Sassafras is based on the natural inline effect created when writing with a split-metal nibbed pen.
• Swirls (1994), Swooshes (1994). Ornaments.
• Visigoth (Adobe), Visigoth (Linotype). Visigoth was created in 1988 by Arthur Baker for AlphaOmega Typography. He designed it specifically for setting the text of A Dante Bestiary published in 1989 for Ombondi Editions in New York.

Over the years, Baker wrote over 20 books on calligraphy.

• Calligraphy – January 1, 1973
• Celtic Hand Stroke by Stroke: Irish Half-Uncial from The Book of Kells – April 1, 1983
• The Complete Guide to Tools and Materials – September 30, 1992
• Do-it-yourself Central Heating – February 24, 1986
• Calligraphy Manual Hardcover – January 1, 1988
• Mastering Italic Calligraphy – October 1, 1985
• Roman Capitals Stroke by Stroke – July 1, 1984
• Brush Calligraphy – June 1, 1984
• Calligraphic Swash Initials – December 1, 1983
• Calligraphic Art of Arthur Baker – June 1, 1983
• Foundational Calligraphy Manual - 1985
• Calligraphic Cut-paper Designs for Artists and Craftsmen — 1983
• Chancery Cursive Stroke by Stroke – July 1, 1982
• Arthur Baker's Copybook of Renaissance Calligraphy: Mercator's Italic Hand – June 1, 1981
• New Calligraphic Ornaments and Flourishes – May 1, 1981
• Arthur Baker's Historic Calligraphic Alphabets – March 1, 1980
• The Roman Alphabet – June 1, 1976
• Calligraphic Alphabets – June 1, 1974
• Arthur Baker's Encyclopedia of Calligraphy Styles – January 1, 1859
• Copy Book of Renaissance Calligraphy: Mercator's Italic Hand – January 1, 1726