Jada is the sixth in the series, ‘Imaginary Alphabets’ and is the first in the series to have been drawn as a typeface rather than as lettering. It is also the first to include punctuation and numerals, though it remains exclusively uppercase. Its deco qualities provide a nostalgic aesthetic, but as lettering it endures as personal and humanist. Jada works well as a display typeface, and takes a supportive back seat to more ornate custom lettering.
I found the sheet music for ‘Ja-da’ last winter in an antiques shop in Cold Spring, New York. The weather outside was frightful, but this lettering seemed jovial, welcoming, warm. Once I listened to the song—there are many, many recordings, being the jazz standard that it is—I realized how appropriate the lettering was. 1918 was not an easy time in America: between a flu pandemic and World War 1, many people's lives became framed by loss and uncertainty. Ja-da's catchy, upbeat tune and rather meaningless lyrics were salve to grave times. As the lyrics say, “That's a funny little bit of melody— it's soothing and appealing to me.”