VTC Ruby
Vocal Type · Ted Davis
A revival of the 19th-century inline display typeface historically known as Gothic Shade, renamed in honour of Ruby Bridges to sever it from its toxic ATF-era designation.
About
The typeface traces a complicated lineage from a French foundry to the Dickinson Type Foundry in 1850s Boston, before passing into the American Type Founders catalogue where it was recast in 1933 and 1949 under the deeply offensive name Jim Crow. Vocal Type's revival introduces design refinements alongside the new name, chosen to honour Ruby Bridges, who in 1960 became the first Black child to integrate a Southern elementary school. The result is an ornamented inline display face whose history is now anchored to a story of resistance rather than oppression.
Classification
VTC Ruby is a decorative inline display type, descended from 19th-century ornamented gothics historically sold under names like Gothic Shade and English Ornamented. Its heavy strokes and shadow-inline structure place it firmly in the display category.