Friz Flag
Upon my recent move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, I was quickly reminded of the abundance of the typeface Friz Quadrata in use around my new city. Friz is one of the first typefaces I can remember, due to its common use in Southern California, where I lived as a kid. What really drove my knowledge of Friz Quadrata home though, was its use in the logo for the legendary LA hardcore band Black Flag, designed by Raymond Pettibon, as well as the logo for the TV show Law & Order. You may also recognize it as the in-game typeface of World of Warcraft, or Mariah Carey’s record covers. Hopefully not the latter.
Friz Quadrata’s a distinct serif typeface with quite a bit more feeling than—the undisputed champ of Swiss typography—Helvetica, the sans serif predominantly seen in New York signage. The original version was designed in 1965 by Swiss designer Ernst Friz for the Visual Graphics Corporation. Not much exists online about Mr. Friz or the VGC, but thanks to Allan Haley and Steve Heller, I was able to uncover an interesting page from an old U&lc ad announcing the ITC’s photo text face release of Friz Quadrata.* It turns out Ernst Friz studied graphics at The School of Applied Arts in Zurich with Swiss design legends Rudolf Bircher and Walter Käch (who taught Adrian Frutiger’s as well), was an award winning package designer, and had his own design studio.
The real kicker is that Friz Quadrata was originally entered by Ernst Friz into a type design contest put on by the VGC for typefaces that addressed the growing population of the “letter-conscious public.” Ordinary people were becoming more aware of typefaces due to their exposure to the “grotesque shapes of transit graffiti.” Friz Quadrata was one of 15 winners in that contest, and was considered one of the more conservative display faces created.
The fact that Friz Quadrata was designed for the increasingly sophisticated typographic palate of the general public sheds a bit of light as to why Southern Californians chose and continue to choose Friz Quadrata. It’s overall popularity is most likely due to the fact that it’s versatile, distinct and a good alternative to common sans serif display faces. Raymond Pettibon probably chose Friz Quadrata for the Black Flag logo either simply because of the more badass–looking bold weights availability in Chartpak transfer lettering, or because it fit Black Flag’s more sophisticated hardcore music more than typical punk rock cut–and–paste lettering. Pettibon connected the feeling of the typeface with the aesthetic of the band.
I tested my theory of the popularity of Friz Quadrata in Los Angeles, and walked around 3 random blocks in search of the typeface. I was not disappointed. Here’s what I found:
Friz Quadrata interestingly parallels my experience with living in California sporadically throughout my life; It’s got a commanding presence but remains somewhat mysterious. It’s stands out to me more so than any other typeface and continues to resonate, which I cannot say for Helvetica.
*Download the full U&lc article here.
