Template Gothic is an experimental, sans-serif typeface designed by Barry Deck in 1989. It was not commercially released until type designer Rudy VandeLans was exposed to the font, when Deck's California Institute of the Arts graduate class visited his studio. In 1991, it was released by Émigré, a type foundry, of which VanderLans was a co-founder. In 1992, Deck developed a serif variation of the font. Template Gothic is considered one of the most defining fonts of the 1990s grunge aesthetic.
In an interview with Émigré, Deck describes how he received the inspiration for Template Gothic from a sign in his local Laundromat, which had been lettered by hand with a template.
"There was a sign in the Laundromat where I do my laundry. The sign was done with lettering templates and it was exquisite. It had obviously been done by someone who was totally naïve. A few months ago, it was replaced with a plastic sign, and they gladly handed it over to me. Now it's on my wall in my bedroom. I was inspired to design a face that looked as if it had suffered the distortive ravages of photomechanical reproduction. The resulting Template Gothic typeface reflects my interest in type that is not perfect; type that reflects more truly the imperfect language of an imperfect world, inhabited by imperfect beings."
In an interview with Émigré, Deck describes how he received the inspiration for Template Gothic from a sign in his local Laundromat, which had been lettered by hand with a template.
"There was a sign in the Laundromat where I do my laundry. The sign was done with lettering templates and it was exquisite. It had obviously been done by someone who was totally naïve. A few months ago, it was replaced with a plastic sign, and they gladly handed it over to me. Now it's on my wall in my bedroom. I was inspired to design a face that looked as if it had suffered the distortive ravages of photomechanical reproduction. The resulting Template Gothic typeface reflects my interest in type that is not perfect; type that reflects more truly the imperfect language of an imperfect world, inhabited by imperfect beings."