ITC Black Tulip

ITC Black Tulip was inspired by the modular simplicity of the Greek fret band an ancient repeating pattern which is formed by tracing a line at right angles between two horizontal rules to form an interlocking motif. Typographer Dudley Rees admired the discipline of the motif and its even weight. “I saw how that simple rigid rectangular network suggested an alphabet that would need little or no kerning” he says. He came up with what he describes as a “dramatic headline face” with a fret band-influenced construction in which the strokes are of even weight. ITC then worked with Rees to further simplify and streamline the appearance of the letterforms to improve legibility. Rees who lives in Surrey England has worked as a freelance designer and typographer for 25 years.