So I’m working on this big new post (check back soon) and I notice two curly quotes that for some reason struck me like they looked like that old-time barbershop down-the-middle hairstyle from the turn of the 20th century. I had typed the characters in the order they appeared on the keyboard (I had been typing just the keys with symbols) I happened to be looking at Souvenir, designed by Morris Fuller Benton in 1903. So then I thought, “What are the chances that Benton has this exact hairdo?” Pretty high it turns out. The keystrokes looked like the beginning of a typographic portrait.
A quick searched yielded a portrait of Mr. Benton that met my expectation and set my creativity ablaze. Some short time later, the portraits you see below emerged.
One interesting note is the “neck” area. I had a capital “Y” there originally, but then thought the stem of the “Y” didn’t work that well. “V” was too harsh. And then I thought maybe “M” was both a “neck” and “lapel” of a jacket. Only after I had largely completed my spontaneous design challenge did I realize that “M” sure fits nicely with “Morris”. Serendipity. He could have been named “Manfred” or “Mark” and it still would have worked…
So I present to you the designer of Souvenir set in Souvenir, in 3 different palettes. 🙂
BTW: Benton really looks like Souvenir, wouldn’t you say?
Morris Fuller Benton
A Souvenir typeface sample page
Here is the Souvenir master page (307) from the Big Book of Font Combinations. Click the image to learn more about it:

Yo, Font-Addict! Make sure to check out The Big Book of Font Combinations. Go grab a copy from Amazon or B&N, or grab the DISCOUNTED ebook PDF digital download version (40% OFF the hardcover retail price!) from the BonFX Store, and stare at all 350+ examples of informative font combinations for web and print. You know you want to!
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