Warren Chappell facts for kids

Warren Chappell (born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1904 – died in Charlottesville, Virginia, on March 26, 1991) was an American artist who did many things! He was an illustrator (someone who draws pictures for books), a designer of books and typefaces (which are like different styles of letters, also known as fonts), and an author (someone who writes books).

Learning and Awards

Warren Chappell went to the University of Richmond. After that, he studied art at the Art Students League of New York, where he later even taught!

In 1931 and 1932, he traveled to Germany to learn how to design typefaces and even how to make the metal pieces used to print them. He learned from a famous designer named Rudolf Koch. Later, in 1935, he studied illustration at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

His old university, the University of Richmond, gave him a special honorary degree in art in 1968. In 1970, he also received the Goudy Award from the Rochester Institute of Technology. This award recognized his amazing work in graphic arts, which means designing things like books, magazines, and fonts.

His Work and Career

Warren Chappell had his own design studio in New York City for several years. Just before World War II, he went back to Germany to work on a new typeface called Trajanus. A typeface is a complete set of letters, numbers, and symbols that share a common design.

He had to return to the United States when the war started, so he only saw the first versions of his new typeface. He later saw the finished Trajanus typeface in Swedish design magazines during the war.

After the war, he spent most of his time designing and illustrating books. He worked closely with a well-known publisher called Alfred A. Knopf, designing many of their books. He also created illustrations for other big publishers like Random House, Harper & Row, and Doubleday.

He also gave advice about typography (the art of arranging type) to the Book of the Month Club and American Type Founders. Later in his career, he was an "Artist-in-Residence" at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. This means he was a special artist who worked and taught there.

Warren Chappell also worked with the famous writer John Updike on children's books about music. These included "The Magic Flute" (1962), "The Ring" (1964), and "Bottom's Dream" (1969). He also designed the beautiful new versions of A. A. Milne's famous Winnie-the-Pooh books for E. P. Dutton.

Typefaces He Designed

Warren Chappell designed several typefaces, which are different styles of letters used in printing. Here are some of his well-known designs:

• Koch Uncial (1932) – He worked on this with Paul Koch.
• Lydian Series (for ATF)
  • Lydian + Italic (1938)
  • Lydian Bold + Italic (1938)
  • Lydian Cursive (1940)
  • Lydian Condensed + Italic (1946)
• Trajanus Antiqua (regular style) + Trajanus Kursiv (italic style) + Trajanus Halbfett (semi-bold style) (1939, for Stempel and Linotype (Frankfurt)). This typeface was named after a Roman emperor, just like another famous font called Trajan. You can see an example of his Trajanus design in an AIGA design annual.

Books by Warren Chappell

Warren Chappell wrote some books himself, and he is also famous for illustrating many others. Here are some of the books he wrote:

• The Anatomy of Lettering (1934) – This book was about how letters are designed.
• A Short History of the Printed Word (1970) – This book tells the story of printing.
• The Living Alphabet (1975) – This book was about calligraphy, which is the art of beautiful handwriting.
• The Proverbial Bestiary (1982) – He wrote this with Rick Cusick.

Children's Books He Illustrated

Warren Chappell also brought many stories to life with his illustrations. Here are some of the children's books he illustrated:

• A Tale of a Tub by Swift (1930)
• The Nutcracker (1958)
• They Say Stories (1960)
• Sleeping Beauty (1961)
• Moby-Dick (1967)