I beta tested GeoWorks Ensemble. Co-wrote a quicky book for it, something like "Desktop Publishing with GeoWorks Ensemble," which I sadly never got a copy of.
i am fascinated by this typeface history. as it turns out, Gerald Giampa was the owner of the LTC Spire typeface when it was licensed for use in the GeoWorks operating environment.
i had no idea that he was canadian, and moved his foundry to Prince Edward Island before it was destroyed in a tidal wave. P22 bought his font faces, and designed this absolutely gorgeous traditional web site called The Giampa Tour. it disappeared from the web over 10 years ago, and this is probably the first time it has been seen in a decade. it's full of incredibly nerdy typeface history, including some fantastic rants on how shitty Adobe was to deal with, even back in the late 1980s. 😆
this is what the world wide web was made for, and i'm so glad WBM managed to preserve a working copy, as P22 has been out of business for many years - and its website gone with it.
i've rebuilt the entire site using the WBM's snapshot for public viewing here, where it will remain as an online museum and tribute to Gerald Giampa's incredible work:
@ThreeOhFour i've often thought about joining the local printmaking society. they've got some incredible old typesetting and typeface equipment that i'd love to learn how to use. 😻
@vga256 Sometimes I like to look up footage of people working old printing presses. Some of those things were wonderfully designed machines. There’s a sort of grace to something with multiple timed parts working in motion like that.
@vga256 Haha yeah! I can still vividly recall the feeling of steel closing in on my arms, top and bottom, as I pulled them out! Don’t operate heavy machinery when you’re very tired, folks! :’)
@vga256 Yeah. There's a certain chemical that rushes through the body like a surge of heat and fear at times like that. I don't like the feeling of whatever that chemical is.
@ThreeOhFour haha it felt like a lightning strike for me
and then afterward the heat and the "holy fuck i just about lost my right hand" sweat broke out
@vga256 I bought some P22 fonts back in the day - they had some great stuff. Must have been great - it's the only font shop name I recall from back when I had to deal with such things, and it's a fond memory.
@nwchapman 🤞 P22 seems to be in the midst of a relaunch, as p22.com was very recently refreshed. i am absolutely fascinated by this convoluted history of ownership
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