Beefcakes: A Big Ole Charmer

Beefcakes™ recalls childhood memories of Jim Ford’s first “brush” with letters. “I remember going to local shops with my mom, as a kid,” he recalls. “They would have big hand-painted signs in the window, often in neon paint – you couldn’t miss them. Long before I was aware of type, the craft of making these signs intrigued me. Seeing them up close, I realized that a someone had to paint all those words and numbers.”

Many years later, when Ford was digitally painting his own words and numbers, he recalled those old signs, their power of persuasion and their inviting charm. His Beefcakes typeface emulates the “big brush” lettering style, with a contemporary twist.

True to their inspiration, Beefcakes’ big playful shapes are sure to grab attention. They’re at home in headlines, cover art, menus, packaging and posters in print, and as big type in web sites and games.

Letterforms are dense and sturdy – and take to color like millennials to hoodies. The roman, italic and shadow flavors of Beefcakes are available as all-cap designs with small caps as side-kicks. In a tip of the hat to their heritage, Beefcakes fonts also include a set of decorative abbreviations (lb, oz, kg, in, etc.) for bold signage and showcard-style displays.

The Beefcakes family is available for desktop licensing, or as part of the Monotype Library Subscription. Get the fonts and start creating your own attention getting “window signs”—learn more about Jim Ford’s Beefcakes now.