Avant Garde

In 1968 Ginzburg launched Avant Garde, a 14‑issue, square‑format magazine that blended art, politics, and humor. He paired with Lubin Smith Carnase’s art director Herb Lubalin, who sketched a logo that merged angular “A” and “V” forms with a rounded “G”, then handed the concept to type designer Tom Carnase for refinement. The resulting logotype was expanded into a full type family, complete with an extensive ligature set that Lubalin insisted appear in every department heading. The magazine survived only three years, folding when Ginzburg lost a federal obscenity case tied to his earlier erotic title EROS, demonstrating how legal pressures can curtail even the most creatively ambitious print ventures.

The Avant Garde story sits at the intersection of 1960s countercultural publishing and the nascent practice of commercializing editorial branding. Ginzburg’s earlier venture, EROS, had already attracted a conviction for mailing “prurient” material, foreshadowing the crackdown that later ended Avant Garde. Meanwhile, Lubalin’s decision to transform a magazine logo into a marketable typeface anticipated a later industry pattern where headline‑grade fonts become standalone products—think of the Helvetica‑derived “Neue Haas” releases or the modern “Gotham” family. The typeface’s bold geometry and flamboyant ligatures made it a favorite among designers seeking a “hip” look, but its overexposure also sparked criticism, as typographers decry the gratuitous use of its decorative pairs.

The legacy of Avant Garde illustrates both the power and the peril of turning niche editorial assets into commercial fonts. Its proliferation across advertising, branding, and even low‑budget media has diluted the original intent, prompting veteran designers to label its misuse a “crime against typography.” As digital type libraries continue to expand, the risk of over‑application grows, especially for fonts with conspicuous stylistic quirks. Watch for renewed interest in historically grounded revivals—design firms may re‑issue a cleaned‑up version that respects the original’s geometry while pruning the most excessive ligatures, offering a path to restore the typeface’s credibility.