House Industries
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Typeface design, Graphic design |
| Founded | 1993 in Wilmington, Delaware, United States |
| Founder | Andy Cruz, Rich Roat |
| Headquarters | Yorklyn , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Typefaces, Fonts, Design merchandise |
| Website | houseind |
House Industries operates as both a type foundry and a design studio, headquartered in Yorklyn, Delaware. Established during the 1990s in Wilmington, Delaware by founders Andy Cruz and Rich Roat, the firm has gained recognition for its typefaces used across television networks such as Cartoon Network, The Walt Disney Company, TV Land, and VH1's Best Week Ever. Their fonts have also appeared in films like Mission: Impossible III, as well as on commercial items including garment tags for Ann Taylor, the logo for Lucky Charms, and the album cover of Green Day's Dookie.
History
The origins of House Industries trace back to the meeting of Andy Cruz and Rich Roat at Miller Mauro Group, Inc., a marketing communications firm located in Wilmington, Delaware. After a short tenure at Swfte International—a client of Miller Mauro Group—they launched Brand Design Co., Inc. in 1993, which later that year evolved into House Industries. Among their notable typeface creations are Neutraface, a geometric sans-serif; Eames Century Modern, which draws inspiration from the design legacy of Ray and Charles Eames; and Chalet, influenced by sans-serifs such as Avant Garde Grotesque and Helvetica. The company also produces revivals of lettering originally crafted by Ed Benguiat. Their SignPainter script font is included with macOS.
House Industries distinguishes itself through innovative marketing approaches, producing merchandise like chairs and pillows that reflect their typeface designs. For instance, they advertised the Chalet font via a fictional persona named René Albert Chalet. In 2010, LAS Magazine featured their Eames Century Modern Collection, created in collaboration with the estate of Charles and Ray Eames.
In early 2012, an exhibition showcasing their work history was hosted at the Guggenheim Gallery of Chapman University. The firm released House Industries: The Process Is the Inspiration in 2017, which includes a foreword penned by J. J. Abrams. That same year marked the sudden passing of co-founder Rich Roat at age 52.
Additionally, they have published Lettering Manual: House, authored by Ken Barber with an introduction by Jimmy Kimmel.
External links
- House Industries — Official Site
- Podcast Interview with CreativeXpert on "fonts and illustration": MP3 Link