NixonScript is a display typeface inspired the typographic freedom exuded by 1950s and 60s American vernacular typography. It is loosely based on lettering found on a 1960s camera bought from a Chicago junk shop, although the final version bears little resemblance to the original. This is due to the transformation from a sans-serif to a serif, a low x-height and an atmosphere of ecclesiastical piousness that developed during the design process.
Rather than a simple regular italic, a bold italic is included as the additional font. During its development, the regular version seemed almost placid but with the double emphasis of bold and italic, NixonScript gained an energetic, self-congratulatory form.
The typeface is named after Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States and the only U.S. president to resign the office. Nixon has become a kind of cartoon baddie representing an abuse of power and freedom. The bastardisation of the American vernacular undergone by NixonScript also somehow represented an abuse of typographic freedom. The name is also an allusion to the geographical and historical origins of the source material.
