For House, Carnival is one of many “revival” fonts derived from a project that started in 2003. That's when the foundry purchased a collection of around 10,000 film alphabets owned by Photo-Lettering, the largest photocomposition house serving the publishing and advertising industries in 1960s New York. The decision to release Carnival for digital use, Roat says, comes from a personal, sensual attraction to the typeface combined with a business strategy. “We try not to respond to trends or fads," he says, "because everything starts to look the same.”

But given the huge number of fonts already available, it's worth wondering why more of them are necessary. Roat’s answer is common but logical: “Why do we need new music, new cars, new clothes?” In fact, type has become part of today’s digital and cultural consumerism. A fashion analogy works here. “Let's be honest: You buy the Prada suit because the model looks so good in it," Roat says. "We try to make beautiful things with our fonts for the same reason.”

House Industries

With the creation of more types, Roat says that House Industries is always evolving while respectfully referencing the past. “Don't let the whimsical nature of Carnival fool you," he says. "It's fun to look at and fun to use, but engineering the curves and contrast is hard work. Plus interpreting and extending the design to a modern character set while preserving the historic flavor is sometimes harder than starting from scratch.”

Artistry aside, he admits that there's a marketing power to designs like these. “You might not want or need Carnival," he says, "but it might point your eyeballs to something you do need.”

I asked Roat what, in his mind, will make Carnival a success. He answered without hesitation: “It already is successful. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it made you look.”

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