What the font?

[Lou.I.Am]

Hello, all. I've been busting my brain the last few days about this - any idea what font this is? 

Thanks! 

[Ged_Traynor]

Hi

Did you try WhatTheFont

https://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont

[Creamer Training]

Moved to Type & Typography forum

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Based on the inconsistencies in the letterforms, my guess is this a custom set of letters creating a trademark/logo and not a font at all (yes, we used to do this in the olden days). Volk Racing is a logo trademark that has been around for over 30 years.

[Andrew Strauss]

The Volk Racing logo is a classic example of hand-drawn text.

That is: letterforms physically drawn using rulers, french curves, compasses, and stencils. Either that, or using digital equivalents like the tools found in Adobe Illustrator. My guess is the logo was probably first drawn by hand, and then later converted into a digital version.

Notice how many of the shapes and curves in the logo letterforms are consistent: they’re simply small variations on each other. Although a typeface could have been the original inspiration, many logos like this are custom-made.

Perhaps the only letters in the logo that are directly based upon a typeface are in the word ‘ENGINEERING’. The typeface in question: Alessandro Butti and Aldo Novarese’s Microgramma.

Microgramma and a related typeface called Eurostile were released by the Italian typefoundry Nebiolo between 1950 and 1962. Microgramma is an extended-width, capitals-only design. Eurostile is a more extensive version of Microgramma: complete with uppercase and lowercase alphabets, and available in a wide range of weights and widths. Both are popular typefaces, and have been regularly used in modernist and futurist designs over the years.

If you need to rebuild the logo from scratch for the company, then perhaps the best place to do it would be in Adobe Illustrator, using the Pen and related tools to create clean letterform outlines. Then add the ‘ENGINEERING’ text set in Microgramma or Eurostile Extended, and you’re largely done.

If you’re building a logo for someone else that derives its letterforms from the Volk Racing logo, please be aware of the potential legal consequences. Some companies actively protect their trademarks; designing something that looks too much like the Volk Racing logo may become a problem in the future.

Using the ‘VOLK RACING’ letterforms as an inspirational starting point shouldn’t necessarily be a problem, however. Just as long as any new design differs enough from the Volk Racing logo that one can’t be mistaken for the other. In American law: you can’t copyright or patent typefaces and the shape of letterforms; you can trademark names and logo designs.

I hope that answers your question. If not, please let me know.

Best regards
Andrew

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