Chank Diesel
Encyclopedia
Chank Diesel, also known as Charles Andermack, is a contemporary type designer. He was born in Canada
and raised in the U.S. state of Florida
.
Chank was educated at Macalester College
in St. Paul, Minnesota
. He began designing typefaces when he was Creative Director
for the alternative music magazine CAKE. During this time, he road-tripped back and forth across the country visiting designers at various record companies and earning himself the nickname "The Traveling Font Salesman." His fonts appeared on a number of album covers. Chank established his type foundry
, Chank Fonts, in 1996, which he now operates from his home office in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. He creates primarily display typefaces; typefaces with more personality than would usually be suitable for large bodies of text. His customers range from average computer users to professional designers. Chank creates custom fonts for corporations wanting exclusive rights to custom designed fonts, leading to his fonts' use on Taco Bell wrappers, Honeycomb cereal boxes, Tanqueray billboards, bottles of Ocean Spray cranberry drink, and movie posters for James and the Giant Peach. Chank sells his fonts (and also distributes free fonts) from his website, Chank.com. In addition to designing fonts, Chank conducts font workshops, where he explains the process of font design and creates new fonts with the help of attendees.
Some of Chank's fonts were featured in the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum as “important examples of contemporary typography” in 1996. He was profiled in the Wall Street Journal in 1997. In 2008, he was featured in The New York Times
article "Down With Helvetica: Design Your Own Font."
In addition to being a font designer, Chank is also a painter.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and raised in the U.S. state of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Biography
Chank was born Charles Anderson, but neighbors called him "Chanky," after Spanky from the Little Rascals. The childhood name evolved to "Chank" as he grew up, and "Anderson" became "Andermack" when Chank married and combined his last name with that of his wife.Chank was educated at Macalester College
Macalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
in St. Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He began designing typefaces when he was Creative Director
Creative Director
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
for the alternative music magazine CAKE. During this time, he road-tripped back and forth across the country visiting designers at various record companies and earning himself the nickname "The Traveling Font Salesman." His fonts appeared on a number of album covers. Chank established his type foundry
Type foundry
A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be printed on letterpress printers...
, Chank Fonts, in 1996, which he now operates from his home office in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He creates primarily display typefaces; typefaces with more personality than would usually be suitable for large bodies of text. His customers range from average computer users to professional designers. Chank creates custom fonts for corporations wanting exclusive rights to custom designed fonts, leading to his fonts' use on Taco Bell wrappers, Honeycomb cereal boxes, Tanqueray billboards, bottles of Ocean Spray cranberry drink, and movie posters for James and the Giant Peach. Chank sells his fonts (and also distributes free fonts) from his website, Chank.com. In addition to designing fonts, Chank conducts font workshops, where he explains the process of font design and creates new fonts with the help of attendees.
Some of Chank's fonts were featured in the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum as “important examples of contemporary typography” in 1996. He was profiled in the Wall Street Journal in 1997. In 2008, he was featured in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
article "Down With Helvetica: Design Your Own Font."
In addition to being a font designer, Chank is also a painter.