Desktop wallpaper made from our archive of decorative drop caps

Matthew McKinnonTo download the artwork, right click your preferred size and choose “save as” from the pop-up menu:
1920 x 1200 | 1680 x 1050 | 1440 x 900 | 1280 x 800

Drop cap: “An uppercase character set in a type size larger than the text and ‘dropped,’ or nested, into lines of text, usually as the first character in the opening paragraph of a chapter or other section of text.” — The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition

The Walrus has been using decorative drop caps for almost a year now, since our April 2010 issue. They replaced spot illustrations, which we had long used to break up sections of text in the magazine. These were very beautiful, and lots of fun, but many readers commented that they found the images, which had nothing to do with the stories they were embedded in, somewhat confusing. We chose drop caps because they give us an interesting typographic challenge to solve every production cycle, and because, as they are completely rooted in the text, their presence is entirely logical.

At the beginning, we called upon the considerable taste and skill of Jean François Porchez, the exceptional hand behind both The Walrus’s logo and several typefaces that we have used over the years. (Long-time readers might recognize Ambroise, a type we have used both on our covers and inside the magazine). We have also used drop caps designed by Canadian typographer Ian Brignell, who is responsible for, among other notable accomplishments, Bell’s recently updated logo — and letterpress wood type drawn from the collection of Ross MacDonald, who created our January/February 2011 cover. And of course we have called upon the talents of the members of our art department: Paul Kim, Jennifer Spinner, and former intern Aprile Elcich have each contributed some of the drop caps included in this desktop wallpaper.

As a result of this mishmash, the origins of these letters are complex. Some come from commercially produced typefaces; others were designed from the ground up. But all of the letters seen here (save the Z, because we have yet to need one) appear in stories that The Walrus has published within the past year. — Brian Morgan, art director

Tags: desktop wallpaper, download, drop cap, typography
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