Arnold, Edmund C. 1913-2007 (Edmund Clarence Arnold)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born June 25, 1913, in Bay City, MI; died of respiratory failure, February 2, 2007, in Salem, VA. Journalist, typographer, editor, educator, and author. Arnold was a major force in the redesigning of layouts in many American newspapers and received a George Polk Memorial Award for his contributions to typographical design. Earning an associate's degree from Bay City Junior College in 1934, he worked at newspapers and in 1940 joined Michigan's Frankenmuth News as an editor. During World War II, Arnold was in the U.S. Army; he became a news correspondent and edited the 70th Infantry Division's paper while in Europe. Achieving the rank of sergeant, he was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war, Arnold returned to the Frankenmuth paper and was its publisher from 1946 to 1949. Four years as picture editor for the Saginaw News was followed by work as night editor for the Lansing, Michigan, State Journal. Arnold attended Michigan State University at this time, earning an A.B. in 1954. It was while working on these newspapers that he became fascinated by the art of typography and layout design. His growing expertise in the area led him to a move to New York City in 1954. Here he was director of trade relations for Mergenthaler Linotype, a producer of typesetting equipment, and edited their journal, the Linotype News. He also wrote a weekly column for the Publishers' Auxiliary for the next forty-four years. Developing a reputation as a respected design expert, Arnold was asked by many newspapers to redesign their layouts. During the first half of the twentieth century, newspapers had adopted a dull, often difficult-to-read format consisting of thin, densely packed columns of text. Arnold developed much more dynamic, interesting, and easier-to-read designs that inserted different graphic elements and made good use of fonts; he was known for his modular and horizontal layouts that attracted readers' attention. In 1960, Arnold took his knowledge to the classroom. He was a professor of journalism, graphic arts, and publishing at Syracuse University from 1960 until 1975, and then taught at Virginia Commonwealth University from 1975 until his 1983 retirement. He continued to teach workshops and serve as a consultant afterwards. Arnold was the author of numerous texts on typography, many of which are still used in the classroom. Among his titles are Functional Newspaper Design (1956), Ink on Paper: Handbook of Graphic Arts (1963), Modern Newspaper Design (1969), and 40 Keys to Typography (1995). Along with his Polk award, he received many other honors, including the George Washington Medal from the American Freedoms Foundation, the Journalism Pioneer Medal, and the Distinguished Teacher in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, February 16, 2007, p. B8.

New York Times, February 12, 2007, p. A23.

Washington Post, February 9, 2007, p. B6.