Box Vox

packaging as content

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April 18, 2012

Schaedler Pinwheel

Speaking of “pinwheel” logos, I remember applying for job in the late 1970s at an interesting company called Pinwheel. My partner worked at Photo-Lettering in those days and I would have liked nothing better than to have worked at the similarly high-profile firm with the cool spiral logo.

Founded by old school New York type designer, John N. Schaedler, Pinwheel was the pre-digital precursor to color-proofing companies like Kaleidoscope.

“Pinwheel color proofing produces advertising comps, package dummies, decals, TV color corrections, rub-down transfers, art for slides, sales presentations and just about everything. It can reproduce fine type and clean solids in pinpoint register. Unbelievably versatile, the process can provide one copy or hundreds, quickly, and at reasonable prices.”

The word “Pinwheel” in the ad on the right was set in Schaedler’s font, “Paprika.” (now available as Tabasco Twin) He also designed the spiral trademark, which I remember seeing printed in red, although I can find no examples of that online.

Perhaps Schaedler’s most lasting contribution to the graphic arts has been his ultra-precise “Schaedler Rule” now manufactured by his company Shaedler Quinzel, Inc. based in Parsippany, NJ.

“Taro Yamashita, a tireless staff lettering artist and photo technician at the Schaedler studio, helped design and develop the products now known as Schaedler Precision Rules. His original drawings were done by hand although computers and design software have subsequently been utilized to achieve greater accuracy and consistency.”

While desktop computers effectively put typesetting and various other graphic arts industries out of business, there is still occasionally a need for designers to measure actual stuff.

(For more spiral graphic design, see: Pillsbury and 4 Spiral Letterform Logos)

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