Cheese On Toast: So let's begin at the beginning... why/how did you get into jazz?…

Ed Benguiat: The same way I got into good food, wine and sex.  I was introduced to it at the early age of 11. How does any one get into anything? Environment...Association... Listening.... the whole gamut of experimentation with everything we come in contact with. It's called life’s experience.

COT: Eventually it appears letters became a passion in your life – how did you get started in the type game?

EB: O.K. I guess Typographic Design could be considered a game.
But this question can consume about a million pages.It's like asking for the story of my life in detail. Try this for starters. I love what I'm doing. It’s my profession but more importantly, it’s my life. Earning a living has never been considered as work to me. It's like being an actor, or musician in a rock group, or a professional ball player. Hey they're all playing not working, get it?

Actually I'm one of the very few who have never worked a day in their life. How can you call something you enjoy doing "WORK?" And by the way we’re all getting paid to play and have fun. WOW you can’t beat that. Designing a Typeface is like writing a piece of music and can be translated to a very strong emotional feeling when it’s arranged properly. FYI- Writing a piece of music is not the same as arranging a piece of music.

It’s difficult to describe an emotional feeling.  It’s usually shown with expressions from laughter to tears. It’s an uncontrollable reflex expressed inside all us. Typography does this to me. As a hypothesis: Take for an example Elvis or the Beetles. The girls all swooned by just by seeing them or hearing them. They were turned on because something inside pushed a button of emotion.

Or when Marilyn Monroe walked into a room the button was pushed too. When a baseball player saves the game for his team with a home run. That would push a few buttons too.

This something I call a button inside of us gets pushed each time we have an emotional turn on. Hollywood writer’s know the trick and have a way of making you cry from happiness. In type design I think I’ve found the trick to push your buttons.Psychologists have been trying to explain this emotion to no avail.In one way or another it can happen with everything and everyone we come in contact with.

This button gets pushed on me in many areas of my emotions. (You do know we all have them) The big band sounds like Count Basie, the taste of certain foods, the smell of fresh baked bread, children laughing, a well designed classic car or aircraft, and more and much more. Some are not mentionable.

And a beautiful piece of typography has the same passionate effect on me. I want to jump for joy and cry at the same time. To further explain would be like trying to explain why some prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream?

COT: You have worked on logos for high profile brands such as New York Times and Planet of the Apes, what was a memorable logo design experience that you recall?

EB: After completing "The New York Times" logo one of the drastic changes was the removing the period at the end in the logo design. The Art Director/managing editor of the San Diego Tribune called me to design a new logo for "The San Diego Tribune". His main request was that I give his new logo the period at the end of his logo that I removed from the NYT. It was all pretty exciting during the time this was going on. It was well publicized though out the newspaper aficionados. 

FYI- Logos, mastheads, and business names during the late 19th and early 20th century all had a period at the end. It is considered a statement and it’s grammatically correct to have a period at the end. Removing that period was considered to be a very radical departure in the history of The New York Times. (In over 100 years) Check out a 1930’s NYT.

On the other hand I was surprised with EDWARDIAN SCRIPT. I spent 13 months every day and many nights drawing my ass off. Remember this was all BC (Before Computers) It was something I was sorry I started and was so far into it that there was no stopping or turning back. I felt that all the work I put into this design wasn’t worth the effort and no one would use it. Each day with no end in sight I became more and more annoyed with the whole design. Well to my amazement ITC EDWARDIAN SCRIPT took off like a bat out of hell. Everywhere I look, there she is. On everything from t-shirts to TV.  It’s all over the place, So just like in real life some of your children make it and the joy I get from one makes up for the disappointments in the others.

COT: In music we often sound best in combination with other people, what are your thoughts on collaboration in design? How do you work in collaboration?

EB: More often then not many corporations want their own personal font. In that case a tremendous amount of collaboration and input from all parties involved is a welcome part of the assignment. Weights, proportions and other important factors must be brought to the table. Then after many variations of the new design are looked at and decisions are made before going on to completion.

I’ve done three fonts (names not mentioned) that were jointly shared in collaboration with other font designers. THE DOWNSIDE: This doesn’t work out too well. You’re thinking one way and they‘re thinking in another. They like it this way and you like it that way. You’re also dealing with a probable personality clash and by the time it’s completed, (or if it ever gets completed!) you’ve become arch-enemies possibly over one letter. 


COT: What is the greatest single piece of advice you give to your students?

EB: I hate that question with a passion. Giving advice hmmm...here goes. I’m just going to address what I consider to be one of the most important parts of the graphic arts. The designing of a typeface can never be totally accomplished with the use of the computer alone. I’m not kidding either.  Of course many, with proven justification, would disagree with me. O.K. So you tricked up some existing font by using the various software in your computer. You call it yours. And then you put a cherry on top by naming it after your Mother-in-Law. Hurray for you!! (Don’t try to con a con-artist O.K. Shame on you.)

EDUCATION is the basis for everything and anything we do or will do. Who and where are you getting your education? That’s pretty damn important too. Following in the footsteps of the masters seemed to have worked for me. Don’t confuse this for plagiarism. Even now, I am continually looking at the work of the masters of yesteryear. Then one day  (maybe) you’ll making your own foot prints.

What is most important is that I can teach anyone how to hit the ball. But if you ain’t got that swing you’ll never hit that thing.  (You may never even get to first base) No matter what education you receive. It’s just got to be in you. Or you may never make it. Know what I mean don’t you? It’s like being a tone-deaf musician. No matter how much you practice you’ll never ever make it to Carnegie Hall.