Will Ransom

{{Short description |American graphic designer, letter, typeface designer, bibliographer (1878–1955)}} {{Use mdy dates |date=December 2024}} {{Use American English |date=December 2024}} {{More citations needed |date=December 2024}} {{Infobox person | name =  | image =  | alt =  | caption = | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{Birth date text|1878}} | birth_place = [[St. Louis, Michigan]], U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1955|05|24|1878}} | death_place = | spouse = Helen Ruhman | children = 1 | nationality =  | other_names = | occupation = Bookkeeper, graphic designer, art editor, typeface designer | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }}

'''Will Ransom''' (1878 – May 24, 1955) was an American [[graphic designer]], [[letterer]], [[type designer|typeface designer]], and the foremost [[bibliographer]] of [[private presses]]. [[File:Will Ransom Open Shutters 1922.jpg|thumb|Open Shutters, a poetry collection by Oliver Jenkins, published by Will Ransom in 1922]]

==Youth and early career== [[File:Printing by William Morris.jpg|thumb|"Printing" by [[William Morris]], as reprinted by the Village Press, run by Will Ransom and [[Frederic Goudy]], c. 1903]] Born in [[St. Louis, Michigan]], Ransom grew up in [[Snohomish, Washington]], and began his career as a reporter, bookkeeper, and [[printer's devil]] for several papers in the Northwest.<ref name=wells>Wells, James M., ''Will Ransom'' in ''Heritage of the Graphic Arts'' edited by Chandler B. Grannis, [[R.R. Bowker Company]], New York & London, 1972, pp. 103–115.</ref>

Long interested in design, and having printed several art books on his own, Ransom was persuaded in 1903 to study at Frank Holmes’ [[School of Illustration]]. There, he joined a group of young designers including [[Oswald Bruce Cooper|Oswald Cooper]], [[W.A. Dwiggins]], and [[Frederic Goudy]].

Later that year, Ransom and Goudy founded the [[Village Press]] in [[Park Ridge, Illinois]].<ref>Bruckner, D.J.R., "Frederic Goudy," Documents of American Design series, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, New York City, 1990, {{ISBN|0-8109-1035-7}}, p. 51.</ref> After an unprofitable year of operation, Ransom ceded sole proprietorship to Goudy, and for the next nine years, took work as a bookkeeper.

In 1911, he married Helen Ruhman, a piano teacher. They had one child, a daughter, Frances Rose.<ref name=wells/>

==Design career== [[File:Parsons sample advertisement ATF p89 1923.jpg|thumb|A sample advertisement made in the typeface Parsons from an ATF specimen book]] Encouraged by his wife, Ransom again tried his hand at design, setting up shop as a freelance artist, designing advertisements for both [[Carson Pirie Scott]] and [[Marshall Field's]] department stores and the [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad|Rock Island Rail Road]], as well as books for several publishers.

At this point, he designed his typeface, Parsons, which he named for I.R. Parsons, an advertising manager for Carson's department store. The face was an immediate success, not only popular with printers, and used in all of Carson's advertisements for many years, but was among the most frequently used faces in motion picture titles and captions.<ref name=wells/>

He was credited by C. J. Bulliet, editor of the art magazine for the ''[[Chicago Evening Post]]'' and later art critic of the ''[[Chicago Daily News]]'', of having introduced (in 1923) [[Helen West Heller]] to [[woodcut]]ting, after which she went on to become one of the world's foremost practitioners of that field.

==Maker of books== In 1921, Ransom began publishing under the imprint of ''Will Ransom, Maker of Books''. These volumes of fine printing were designed and decorated by Ransom, printed on paper made by [[Dard Hunter]], and generally well regarded. The publishing venture proved unprofitable, however, and was abandoned in 1925.<ref name=wells/>

==Later career== After again freelancing for a period, Ransom became director of typography at the Faithorn Company.

In 1927, Ransom began writing a series on private presses for ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'', a task for which he was well suited, and which led to publication of his book ''Private Presses and Their Books'' ([[R.R. Bowker]], N.Y.C., 1929).

In 1930, he left Chicago for [[Rochester, New York]], where he was employed by the Printing House of Leo Hart as a book designer for five years. In 1935, he moved to [[Buffalo, New York]], where again he worked freelance.

By this time, Ransom had an impressive reputation as a printing historian, so in 1939, [[Melbert Cary]] gave him a job in [[New York City]] with the [[American Institute of Graphic Arts]] supervising the celebration of the 500th anniversary of printing. After this job terminated, he took work designing books for the [[The Heritage Press|Limited Editions Club]] and for Little and Ives.

In 1941, Ransom became art editor for the [[University of Oklahoma Press]]. This last was his most satisfying position, as it allowed him to design books, and to continue his work on bibliography.<ref>Wells, James M., ''Will Ransom'' and Rollins, Carl Purlington ''American Type Designers and Their Work.'' in [[Print (magazine)|Print]], V. 4, #1.</ref>

==Books== * ''Private Presses and Their Books'', [[R.R. Bowker]], N.Y.C., 1929 * ''The First Days of the Village Press: Extracts from the Diary of Will Ransom,'' [[Melbert Cary|Press of the Woolly Whale]], N.Y.C., 1937

==Typefaces== * '''''Parsons'' series''' This font featured unique alternate characters that Ransom wished designers to use sparingly. However, as the font proved hugely popular, these letters were used indiscriminately and with bad taste. Ransom was so disgusted with this misuse of his font that he all but refused to design any more faces.<ref>MacGrew, Mac, ''American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century'', Oak Knoll Books, New Castle Delaware, 1993, {{ISBN|0-938768-34-4}}, p. 247.</ref> ** ''Parsons'' (1917, [[Barnhart Brothers & Spindler]] (BB&S), later [[American Type Founders]] (ATF)) ** ''Parsons Bold'' (1918, [[Barnhart Brothers & Spindler|BB&S]], later ATF) ** ''Parsons Italic'' (1918, [[Barnhart Brothers & Spindler|BB&S]], later ATF) ** ''Parsons Swash Initials'' were designed for [[Barnhart Brothers & Spindler|BB&S]] by [[Sidney Gaunt]], not Ransom * Several series of '''Border Units''' (1920 - 1922, BB&S) * '''Clearcut Shaded Capitals''', sometimes called ''Ransom Shaded Initials'' (1924, BB&S, later ATF), capitals only, font does not include an X or Z.

==References== * Will Ransom's papers and correspondence are in the archives of the [[Newberry Library]]. {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== *[http://new.myfonts.com/person/Will_Ransom/ Samples of Ransom's Parsons] font by [[MyFonts]] * [https://archive.org/details/1923AmericanTypeFoundersSpecimenBookCatalogue ATF's 1923 specimen book] showing Parsons from p. 82 (image 105 at archive.org) * [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/368 Will Ransom Papers] at [[Newberry Library]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ransom, Will}} [[Category:Date of birth missing]] [[Category:Place of death missing]] [[Category:1878 births]] [[Category:1955 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American designers]] [[Category:20th-century American male artists]] [[Category:20th-century American male writers]] [[Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers]] [[Category:American bibliographers]] [[Category:American comics artists]] [[Category:American comics writers]] [[Category:American company founders]] [[Category:American graphic designers]] [[Category:American magazine writers]] [[Category:American printers]] [[Category:American typographers and type designers]] [[Category:Artists from Buffalo, New York]] [[Category:Artists from Chicago]] [[Category:Artists from Manhattan]] [[Category:Artists from Rochester, New York]] [[Category:Artists from Michigan]] [[Category:Artists from Oklahoma]] [[Category:Artists from Park Ridge, Illinois]] [[Category:Artists from Washington (state)]] [[Category:Carson Pirie Scott]] [[Category:Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad]] [[Category:Comic book letterers]] [[Category:Designers from New York City]] [[Category:Marshall Field's]] [[Category:People from Norman, Oklahoma]] [[Category:People from St. Louis, Michigan]] [[Category:People from Snohomish, Washington]] [[Category:University of Oklahoma people]] [[Category:Writers from Buffalo, New York]] [[Category:Writers from Chicago]] [[Category:Writers from Manhattan]] [[Category:Writers from Rochester, New York]] [[Category:Writers from Michigan]] [[Category:Writers from Oklahoma]] [[Category:Writers from Washington (state)]]