Font used for the 4AD logo

November 21, 2023 10:12 PM

What is the font used for the logo for the 4AD record label, made by designer Vaughan Oliver? It looks very close to Bodoni Poster Standard but it's clearly not the right one. (The empty space inside the 'D' is rectangular in Oliver's design.) I've tried several online font finder sites but none of them give me the right one. Please satisfy the curiosity of a longtime 4AD fan and Oliver admirer. Thanks.
posted by shortfuse to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Best answer: I would describe it as a deco serif font, but I think you are looking for a more specific name. I wouldn't be surprised if Vaughn Oliver designed his own font. He was a talented designer and certainly had a few ideas about typography.
posted by abraxasaxarba at 10:26 PM on November 21, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Fonts In Use suggests it's Bodoni Poster Compressed. But previewing "4AD" in that face makes me think that maybe it was manipulated as a graphic to arrive at the label's logo.
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:27 PM on November 21, 2023 [4 favorites]

Best answer: It is very common for corporate logos to include subtle alterations from a standard font, I think for a variety of legal/anti-counterfeiting reasons.
posted by Lanark at 9:24 AM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you. From your answers and those I received elsewhere like the 4AD Facebook group, it does seem most likely to be different variants of Bodoni that were altered by hand by Oliver.
posted by shortfuse at 2:58 PM on November 22, 2023