Source: http://www.gaycenter.org.Courtesy of the archive collection of the The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. License: CC BY-NC.

GMSMA program cover, 1991, featuring LettError Beowolf 21 and URW Franklin Gothic Heavy. Designer unknown.

Beowolf was designed in 1990 by Erik van Blokland and Just van Rossum of LettError. In its original version, shown here, it was an exploration of what could be done with the now-deprecated PostScript Type 3 font format, which allowed for extra programming instructions in a font. Each letter shape changed in a random pattern each time it was printed, so that it never, ever looked the same. There were three "grades" of random behavior: 21, which changed only slightly (shown here); 22, slightly more distortion; and 23, heavily distorted each time.

FF Beowolf, available now, suggests this original behavior by using OpenType features to choose from 10 alternate shapes for each character.

No graphic designer is noted for this anniversary program booklet for the New York City-based GMSMA, which is no longer active.

Source: http://www.gaycenter.org.Courtesy of the archive collection of the The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. License: CC BY-NC.

GMSMA program cover, 1991, featuring LettError Beowolf 21 and URW Franklin Gothic Heavy. Designer unknown.