JLS Smiles™

Before the internet went big, when access was still dial-up, Mike Adkins and James Stirling sat in a room with the song of a vinyl cutter singing in the background. It was summer in Oklahoma, hot and humid, even at night. It was late or early, depending on which direction you were coming from. On the side of a manila envelope was scribbled a word: "Fontry." It was a made-up word to identify the contents. Inside the tattered folder were thoughts and ideas on scraps of paper—sketches of letterforms. Between the two men, who were hanging on to wakefulness with caffeine and stubbornness, there was a discussion, a discourse concerning the future. Pages were pulled from the envelope and spread out to share an idea. Did they have any background in fonts or typography? No. What they had was a feel for letterforms and whatever their instructors at the local university had been able to drum into their heads. That was enough to start. There have been many starts and a lifetime of learning. Not every product has been a success, but a few have found their way into type history. The work of the two men has surfaced in every aspect of human graphic endeavor. There is no medium that has not felt the momentary touch of their creativity. Together, with the manic smile of their mascot, they are The Fontry®.

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