Image

Narcissus pseudo-narcissus. Illustration by Pierre Joseph Redouté (1759-1840).

Typeface

Snell Roundhand designed by Matthew Carter.

Background Story

This album was the first music tape I ever owned.

I was 9 or 10 years old, and I remember that in that period I was obsessed with the song “Zombie” and the movie ‘The Crow.’ That’s why I was constantly asking my parents to buy me two things: The Cranberries’ album, and a skateboard - like the one used by the young girl protagonist of the movie. Finally, my mother; exhausted by my whining, gave up and told me I had to choose one between the two. Sometimes I wonder if things would have gone differently, today I might be a world famous skateboarder, and not just a music nerd who likes trashy superhero movies.

The illustration on the cover is a daffodil, inspired by the 12th song of the album “Daffodil Lament”. I was trying to communicate a romantic gentle feeling, so an antique illustration and an elegant script should do the trick. The conception and design of Snell Roundhand were both based on the 18th century round hand scripts. The same era in which the author of the illustration lived. That’s why I feel they fit perfectly together.

Additional Info

I found this image on The New York Public Library - Digital Collection. There are endless digitalized images from the New York Public Library, and a lot of them are public domain material.

An interesting TED talk by Matthew Carter talking about his life in typefaces.