Shookup

I released Shookup on December 14, 2013. Its main inspiration came from cereal packaging of the late 1960s and early 1970s, especially Post Toasties around 1973. I was drawn to the exuberant lettering of that era and wanted to reinterpret it digitally. One idea I had been holding onto was a cathedral-shaped A with a pointed top; Shookup gave me the chance to use it. I also designed rounded terminals that included a curled S, details that helped define the character of the typeface.

The font originally included lowercase letters, but they weakened the overall impression. In this case, the capitals carried the style more effectively, so I converted the design into an all-caps family. The jumbling effect was implemented through chained contextual alternates, which caused letters and numerals to shift automatically for a lively and varied appearance in OpenType-aware programs.

The name came from the Elvis Presley song “All Shook Up,” which felt like a natural fit for the upbeat energy I wanted the font to convey. Shookup has always been a paid typeface and has not been associated with any notable external use.