Ed Benguiat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ed Benguiat
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Benguiat in 2008
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Ephram Edward Benguiat
October 27, 1927 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
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| Died | October 15, 2020 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Graphic designer, type designer |
| Spouse(s) | Elisa Benguiat |
Ephram Edward Benguiat (born October 27, 1927 – died October 15, 2020) was an American type designer and lettering artist. A type designer creates the letters and symbols we see in books, on websites, and in logos. Benguiat designed over 600 different styles of letters, called typefaces. Some of his famous designs include Tiffany, Bookman, Panache, Souvenir, Edwardian Script, and the well-known Benguiat and Benguiat Gothic.
You might have seen his work without even knowing it! He created the logos for the original Planet of the Apes film, Super Fly, and The Guns of Navarone. He also designed the letters used in the opening credits for the popular TV show Stranger Things.
Contents
Early Life and Military Service
Ed Benguiat was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 27, 1927. His mother, Rose Nahum, worked as a driver for the Red Cross. His father, Jack Benguiat, was a display director at the department store Bloomingdale's. Ed was around design tools from a young age, starting at just nine years old.
Even though he was not old enough to join the military during World War II, he found a way to enlist. He used a special document to join the Air Corps. He served in Italy as a radio operator and later helped with photo reconnaissance, which means taking pictures from the air for information.
A Creative Career Begins
Before becoming a designer, Benguiat was a talented jazz percussionist. He played drums in bands with famous musicians like Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. He once said that he decided to become a designer after seeing older musicians struggling to find work. He realized he wanted a different path for his future.
Benguiat started his design journey by working on images. He then went on to study graphical design, calligraphy (the art of beautiful handwriting), and typography (the art of arranging type) at the Workshop School of Advertising Art. He learned from a Russian-American artist named Paul Standard.
In 1953, he was hired as a designer for Esquire magazine. Later, in 1962, he joined Photo Lettering Inc. as a design director. Here, he worked on using photo technology to create commercial type and lettering. In 1970, he helped start the International Typeface Corporation (ITC), which was a company that licensed (or allowed others to use) typefaces. He served as a vice president there.
Designing Famous Typefaces
Throughout his career, Ed Benguiat was one of the most productive lettering artists. He created more than 600 typeface designs. Some of his well-known typefaces include Tiffany, ITC Bookman, Panache, Souvenir, Edwardian Script, and his own Benguiat and Benguiat Gothic families.
His Benguiat typeface became very popular in the 1980s. It was often used with the works of author Stephen King. You can see it in the logo and opening credits of the TV show Stranger Things. It was also used for the main credits in Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: First Contact.
Benguiat also designed logos for movies like Planet of the Apes, Super Fly, and The Guns of Navarone. His "Benguiat Caslon" was used in the logo for the movie Foxy Brown.
Many people say that the designs from ITC, where Benguiat worked, really defined the look of the 1970s and 1980s. You would see their typefaces everywhere, from magazines to billboards.
Benguiat was also a teacher at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He taught there for over 50 years, starting in 1961. In 2000, he was recognized for his amazing work and was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Ed Benguiat was married to Elisa (née Halperin) Benguiat for 38 years. He passed away on October 15, 2020, at his home in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. He was just twelve days shy of his 93rd birthday.
He had an interesting hobby: he loved to fly planes! He was a member of a flying club called 'The Flying Birdmen'.
Published Fonts
Most of Benguiat's published work was released through the International Typeface Corporation. This includes many popular typefaces like ITC Barcelona, ITC Benguiat, ITC Benguiat Gothic, ITC Bookman, ITC Caslon No. 224, ITC Century Handtooled, ITC Edwardian Script, ITC Modern No. 216, ITC Panache, ITC Souvenir, and ITC Tiffany. He also worked with other designers on typefaces like ITC Avant Garde (condensed styles), ITC Bauhaus, ITC Cheltenham Handtooled, ITC Korinna, and ITC Lubalin Graph.
Ed Benguiat Collection
The Ed Benguiat Font Collection is a special group of casual fonts designed by Benguiat himself. It was released by a company called House Industries. This collection even includes fun, whimsical icons called "bengbats." These newer fonts use computer programming to make them feel like custom lettering or old-fashioned movie posters and record covers. Some fonts in this collection are Ed Brush, Ed Gothic, Ed Interlock, Ed Roman, and Ed Script.
Images for kids
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Ed Benguiat standing in front of a graphic of some of his typefaces at a talk in Berlin, 2008
See also
In Spanish: Ed Benguiat para niños
