typography Typography is what language looks like. typography Typography is what language looks like.

One thing absolutely necessary for working with type is knowing its history: what came after what and, more importantly, why. a quick primer

Pictograms Hieroglyphs Phoenicians Greek Roman Scribes Gutenberg

6000 BC 3200 bc 1200 bc 800 bc 113 CE 732 1400 (1s t century) Classical/Oldstyle Transitional Modern Arts & Crafts Swiss Contemporary

1490 1700 1800 1900 1950 1970 Classical/Oldstyle Transitional Modern Arts & Crafts Swiss Contemporary

1500 1700 1800 1900 1950 1970

Nicolas Jenson Pietro Bembo Claude Garamond Classical/Oldstyle

Nicolas Jenson Classical, or humanist types, have strong roots in calligraphy, mimicking the Francesco Griffo handwriting of earlier Italian scholars Pietro Bembo and scribes. Claude Garamond Old Style types, although sharing the same roots, show a marked departure. It’s from this period, that type gets into gear. nicolas jenson 1420-1480

A specimen of Nicolas Jenson’s archetypal Roman typeface Laertis, Venice, 1475 nicolas jenson Inspired Typefaces (Humanist) centaur bruce rogers, 1914 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Cloister Morris Fuller Benton, 1926 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Adobe Jenson Robert Slimbach, 1996 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Francesco Griffo 1450-1518 (worked for Venetian printer, Aldus Manutius)

A specimen of Griffo’s typeface, from a 60-page text about a journey to Mount Aetna written by the young Italian poet Pietro Bembo De Aetna, Venice, 1495 Francesco Griffo Inspired Typefaces

Bembo Stanley Morison, 1929 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Minion Robert Slimbach, 1990 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 claude garamond 1480-1561

Parisian type founder, publisher, punch cutter, type designer Garamond’s roman text face, (based on type from De Aetna) 1540 claude garamond Inspired Typefaces

Adobe Garamond Robert Slimbach, 1989 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Adobe Garamond Premier Pro Robert Slimbach, 2004 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Sabon Jan Tschichold, 1967 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Classical/Oldstyle Transitional Modern Arts & Crafts Swiss Contemporary

1500 1700 1800 1900 1950 1970

Nicolas Jenson William Caslon Pietro Bembo John Baskerville Claude Garamond Transitional

William Caslon This new type design, belonging to the 18th century, is now called Transitional because John Baskerville of its intermediate position between the Old Style and Modern styles.

Faces features higher level of contrast, mostly vertical stress, and a more linear, austere design. william caslon 1692-1766

English roman, a Latin text face of the Caslon typefaces. Caslon Specimen Sheet, 1764 william caslon Inspired Typefaces

Adobe Caslon Carol Twombly, 1990 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Caslon Open Face Barnhart Brothers and Spindler,1915 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 john baskerville 1706-1775

English businessman, printer and typographer. Folio Bible, Cambridge, 1763 john baskerville Inspired Typefaces

Baskerville Bruce Rogers, 1917 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Baskerville Old Face Stanley Morrison, 1923 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Mrs. Eaves Zuzana Licko, 1996 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Classical/Oldstyle Transitional Modern Arts & Crafts Swiss Contemporary

1500 1700 1800 1900 1950 1970

Nicolas Jenson William Caslon Giambattista Bodoni Pietro Bembo John Baskerville Frederic Goudy Claude Garamond Slab Serifs Grotesques Modern

Giambattista Bodoni Modern fonts have drastically increased contrast, leading this parameter almost Slab Serifs to the edge of legibility and technical Frederic Goudy feasibility. Grotesque The most notable Modern offsprings are slab serif fonts (New Century Schoolbook is the most widely used Clarendon font). Giambattista Bodoni 1740-1813

Italian typographer, most prolific creator of type. Manuale Tipografico,P arma, 1818

Giambattista Bodoni Inspired Typefaces

Bauer Bodoni Heinrich Jost, 1926 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Bodoni ATF Morris Fuller Benton, 1907 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Filosofia Zuzana Licko, 1996 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 similar neoclassical faces

Didot Firmin Didot, 1811 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Walbaum JE Walbaum, 1800 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 What Prompted Change?

18th Century pinnacle for letterpress printing

Mechanicazation offers greater speed at 19th Century lower quality. Didot and Bodoni cannot survive poor printing conditions, and thick slabs and grotesques are developed. slab serifs clarendon Created by Robert Besley (England), 1845

One of the first egyptian slab serif typefaces clarendon inspired typefaces

Century Schoolbook Morris Fuller Benton, 1918 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Goudy Old Style Frederic Goudy, 1915 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 clarendon inspired typefaces

Century Schoolbook Bodoni abcdefg abcdefg abcdefg abcdefg Qa qa

Goudy Old Style Didot abcdefg abcdefg abcdefg abcdefg qa qa wood type 1820’s Metal type casting was limited to a few inches in height due to difficulties of casting larger type, the weight and the cost.

Darius Wells invented the lateral router (1820), a saw that could cut curves in wood allowing for the production of a lighter, larger and cheaper letterform.

woodtype inspired typefaces rosewood adobe abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Knockout Hoefler & Frere-Jones, 2004 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Grotesque Early sans-serifs

Akzidenz Grotesk Didot Hermann Berthold, 1898 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefg abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 abcdefg qa Grotesque

Akzidenz Grotesk Hermann Berthold, 1898 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Franklin Gothic Morris Fuller Benton, 1872 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Classical/Oldstyle Transitional Modern Arts & Crafts Swiss Contemporary

1500 1700 1800 1900 1950 1970

Nicolas Jenson William Caslon Giambattista Bodoni Charles Rennie Pietro Bembo John Baskerville Frederic Goudy Mackintosh Claude Garamond Erik Gill Slab Serifs Paul Renner Grotesques Futura Memphis Arts & Crafts

Charles Rennie Arts & Crafts movement set out to revive Mackintosh the use of fine typography. The typography from Arts & Crafts is characterized as decorative and flourished. Erik Gill

Charles Rennie Mackintosh 1868-1928

Scottish architect, designer and sculptor. Mackintosh inspired Typefaces Eric Gill 1882-1940

British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker Title Page: Troilus and Criseyde, Wood Engraving, 1929 Gill Typefaces

Gill Sans (based on Caslon) 1927 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Perpetua (based on Baskerville) 1926 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Joanna (based on Garamond) 1931 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Paul Renner 1876-1956

German typeface designer Swiss National Tourist Office,Zurich, 1933 Renner Typefaces

Futura 1927 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Braggadocio (based on Futura Black) Monotype Corporation, 1930 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Gotham (inspired by Futura) 2000 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Classical/Oldstyle Transitional Modern Arts & Crafts Swiss Contemporary

1500 1700 1800 1900 1950 1970

Nicolas Jenson William Caslon Giambattista Bodoni Charles Rennie Adrian Frutiger Pietro Bembo John Baskerville Frederic Goudy Mackintosh Max Miedinger Claude Garamond Erik Gill Jan Tschichold Slab Serifs Paul Renner Grotesques Helvetica Futura Univers Memphis Swiss

Adrian Frutiger The Swiss Style (also known as the International Typographic Style), Max Miedinger developed in Switzerland in the 1950s.

Jan Tschichold It emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. Hallmarks of the Swiss style are asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces, and flush left, ragged right text. Adrian Frutiger b. 1929

Swiss typeface designer Frutiger typefaces

Univers 1957 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Frutiger 1975 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Avenir 1988 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Max Miedinger 1910-1980

Swiss typeface designer Miedinger typefaces

Helvetica 1957 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Helvetica Neue Erik Spiekermann, 1983 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Swiss 721 Matthew Carter, 1981 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Jan Tschichold 1902-1974

German typeface designer Tschichold typefaces

Transit 1931 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Sabon (based on Garamond) 1967 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Classical/Oldstyle Transitional Modern Arts & Crafts Swiss Contemporary

1500 1700 1800 1900 1950 1970

Nicolas Jenson William Caslon Giambattista Bodoni Charles Rennie Adrian Frutiger Matthew Carter Pietro Bembo John Baskerville Frederic Goudy Mackintosh Max Miedinger Erik Spiekermann Claude Garamond Erik Gill Jan Tschichold Zuzana Licko Slab Serifs Paul Renner Herb Lubalin Grotesques Helvetica Futura Univers Trade Gothic Memphis Palatino Matrix Avant Garde Contemporary

Matthew Carter Contemporary typography draws on historical type developments. It has also Erik Spiekermann been shaken by problems caused by the emergence of inexpensive powerful design Zuzana Licko software. Herb Lubalin Many designers feel there is a cheapening of the quality of type, especially as metal type transfored into digital sets that don’t make allowances for the subtle changes in proportion and shape for different sizes and weights. Matthew Carter b. 1937

British born typographer. One of the few type designers who have created typefaces for fonts in metal, photo and the digital medium. Walker Typeface, 1995 carter Typefaces

Bell Centennial 1978 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Miller 1997 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Snell Roundhand 1965 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 carter Typefaces

Georgia 1996 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Tahoma 1994 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Verdana 1997 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Erik Spiekermann b. 1947

German typographer and designer, founded MetaDesign Spierkerblog, http://spiekermann.com Spiekermann Typefaces

ITC Officina Sans 1991 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

ITC Officina Serif 1991 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

FF Meta 1991-1998 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Zuzana Licko b. 1961

Slovak typographer, founded Emigre. Known for 2 notable revivals: Mrs. Eaves (based on Baskerville) and Filosofia (Bodoni)

Licko Typefaces

Mrs. Eaves 1996 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Filosofia 1996 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Matrix Script 1992 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Licko Typefaces

Mrs. Eaves Baskerville 1996 abcdefg abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefg abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz qa 123456789

Filosofia Bodoni 1996 abcdefg abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefg abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 qa

Matrix Script 1992 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Licko Typefaces cholla 1997 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Journal 1990 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Soda Script 1995 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789 Herb Lubalin 1918-1981

Typographer, designer, responsible for 3 important publications: Eros, Fact, and Avant Garde; designed typeface ITC Avant Garde

lubalin Typefaces

Avant Garde Gothic 1968 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

ITC Avant Garde Gothic Condensed Ed Benguiat, 1974 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789

Century Gothic (inspired by Avant Garde) Monotype Corporation, 1991 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789