Typo Tour: Nuttelex

In Richmond we stopped at the home of my margarine of choice: Nuttelex.


Not only the only margarine that isn’t grey before colour is added (according to a checkout chick that my Mum was chatting to once), it also has the best logo of any margarine out there: a little squirrel with a satchel and cap. I love anything that gets around with a satchel. And a cap. Although I’m not sure why s/he needs either? A satchel would come in handy when you’re out collecting nuts, I guess, but it looks more like he’s heading off to school than out to forage for food. And the nut he’s leaning on wouldn’t fit in his satchel anyway.

I’m not sure what typeface they’ve used for ‘Nuttelex’. The X is very distinctive, but the only font I could find with a similar one was Clarendon Bold Expanded, and it clearly isn’t that.

I was also interested in a small sign by the roller door.


For some reason the ‘R’ in ‘Beware’ has gone missing. Maybe due to a similar problem as that of the zookeepers in Pete & Dud’s ‘Topical Fish’ sketch, who complain that in the winter their Rs keeping blowing off? Whoever got the job of fixing the sign has apparently been unable to find another regular Helvetica ‘R’, but was able to scrounge up a bold ‘R’ from Helvetica Condensed. It’s only a slight touch, but it gives the sign a more personable feel that I like.

I also like how you’re being warned to beware of - not just any trucks - but specifically Frize trucks. People just wouldn’t have taken a warning about trucks seriously, but FRIZE trucks, well why didn’t you say?! That missing F adds weight to the warning, as though it failed to heed the sign’s message and paid the price. The careless glyph has been carted away, but a grey stain of metallic blood remains as a cautionary tale of misadventure. Actually, with just the O there, the message seems like some ol’ sea dog’s warning, “Arrr, set sail if ye will, but mind ye beware o’ Frize Trucks!”


Around the corner of the building is a brightly backlit collection of fonts, including Herb Lubalin’s geometric, slab-serif ITC Lubalin Graph Bold (1974), Eric Gill’s Gill Sans Extra Bold (1931), and what is most likely a hand-drawn painters’ script that has been made into a sign. If you like that style of script, a whole swag can be found for purchase here and here.