Research Jeremy Peck WNM 605-01 (Fall 2015)

Content:

Designer: P aul Renner

Date of Production: 1 927

Type Family: G eometric sans-

Futura is a sans-serif typeface based on geometric shapes. Inspired by serif of the nineteenth century, designer Paul Renner seeked to move away from the condensed lettering structure seen in the grotesque style. Instead, Futura was a successful attempt to express simple geometric forms, such as nearly perfect circles, squares, and triangles. The clean, no serifs and no frills appearance of Futura is known it’s “efficiency and forwardness.” Strokes are an even width. Tall lowercase ascenders rise above the cap line. Other typefaces within this classification include: Kabel, Century, and Gothic.

Content: BODONI

Designer: Giambattista Bodoni

Date of Production: 1 798

Type Family: M odern serif

With increased stroke contrast and a more vertical axis, Bodoni followed the in style of . However Giambattista Bodoni pushed his design beyond the transitional style to a more extreme conclusion. Flat, unbracketed serifs, extreme contrast between thick and thin, and a slightly condensed yet geometric construction result in the modern typeface known for its elegant appearance. Distinctive characteristics of Bodoni include the slanted top of the lowercase “t”, the centered tail under the uppercase “Q”, as well as the slight hook in the uppercase “J”.

Effective use of Bodoni is not without challenges. When intended for display is printed at text size, the extreme alternating thick and thin strokes are said to be hard to read and create a negative effect on readers referred to as ‘dazzel.’ Therefore it is critical to use the correct optical size of font. Modern revivals of Bodoni intended for professional use offer a range of optical sizes, using thicker ‘thin’ strokes and serifs to increase legibility at smaller point sizes. Bodoni Typeface Research Futura Typeface Research Sketches Sketches Sketches