Standard Disc Record (U.S.A.) / c. 1907
Corporate background:
Pressed for Standard by Columbia, which
dictated that the paste-on labels carry anonymous credits for
the artists.
The records could only be played on
custom-made machines with an outsized spindle.
In 1916, Standard merged with several other
labels to form the Consolidated Talking Machine Co. of
Chicago.
Design: This
label, pasted over a Columbia original, features an open area
for rubber stamp imprinting.
The typography is unusual in that all
follows the outer curve.
The heavy, stub-serif style is often seen
in advertising of the time.
Oz Cooper, one of the period’s
best-known lettering artists, said of his 'Cooper Black':
"It's for far-sighted printers with near-sighted
customers."