Fab reminds me of leafing through my first Letraset catalog in the mid-1980s — all those decorative typefaces with rounded ends and tubular shapes, trying to imitate the look of neon signage.
But Fab, with its contemporary twist on that aesthetic, and its unicase characters, manages to look like a cross between Cholla Bold and Frankfurter Highlight. Its handtooled, narrow shapes are perfectly suited to pop subject matter and bright colors. Fab Trio can be used to create layered chromatic effects, but its components can stand alone, too. (And did I mention the compact outline version?) Canada Type offers several purchasing options (and one of the friendliest EULAs ever), but I ended up licensing the complete set — why settle for only some of the fun this family promises? The Seventies sure ain’t drab in Patrick Griffin’s hands.
Ricardo Cordoba is a graphic designer in New York City and frequent contributor to Typographica.