Introduction to Graphic Design Lecture 2
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Introduction to Graphic Design Lecture 2 Type Classifications Introduction to Graphic Design Lecture 2 font or typeface? A typeface is a set of typographical symbols and characters. It’s the letters, numbers, and other characters such as diacritical marks that let us put words on paper or screen. A font, on the other hand, is traditionally defined as a complete character set within a typeface, often of a particular size and style. When most of us talk about “fonts”, we’re really talking about typefaces, or type families (which are groups of typefaces with related designs). Introduction to Graphic Design Lecture 2 Circular Std. WEIGHTS / STYLES Book 17.5 pt Book Italic 17.5 pt Medium 17.5 pt Medium Italic 17.5 pt Bold 17.5 pt Bold Italic 17.5 pt Black 17.5 pt Black Italic 17.5 pt Introduction to Graphic Design Lecture 2 Typographic classifications are both historical and reflect typographic anatomy. Basic Type Classifications serif / sans serif / script / decorative Lyon Display Reg. serif Circular Std. Med. sans serif Snell Roundhand Blk. script Hobeaux Rococeaux decorative Basic Type Classifications serif / sans serif serif sans serif Serif typefaces are called “serifs” in reference to the small lines that are attached to the main strokes of characters within the face. Typefaces in this category are also known as Roman and are most commonly used for large bodies of text. Sans serif means “without serif” in French. The first sans serif typeface was issued in 1816, but these typefaces did not become popular until the early twentieth century. Sans serifs have a clean design and are legible for display, emphasis, and text. Basic Type Classifications script Brush Script typefaces are made from joined and script unjoined letters to mimic the look of flowing Brush Script Standard Medium cursive handwriting made with a flexible brush or pen; often with varied strokes. Basic Type Classifications decorative Decorative / novelty / ornamental typefaces are typefaces of unusual or unique designs Tim Burton ornamental typography that do not fit into any of the traditional type classifications. Usually used only for a specific purpose and at large sizes; for example, for a movie poster. Historic Type Classifications blackletter Blackletter typefaces (“broken types” or gebrochene Schriften, in German) are the first type that were cast in lead, most likely in Mainz, Germany. The basic blackletter styles are Textura, Fraktur, Rotunda, and Schwabacher / Bastarda. Although the first books produced (such as the Gutenberg Bible) were set in Textura blackletter, Schwabacher (c. 1480) and Fraktur styles (c. 1517) dominated German trade during the 16th century. Textura became widely used in France and England. Historic Type Classifications blackletter Rotunda types — the second oldest blackletter style — never really caught on as a book type in German-speaking lands, although 20th century calligraphers, as well as arts and crafts designers, have used it quite well for display purposes. However, these rounder styles were popular during the Renaissance in Italy, Southern France, and Spain. Historic Type Classifications blackletter A German Fraktur would be a poor choice for an English Pub, while almost any style could look right on a certificate, depending on its overall design. Old English and Gotisch designs are further evolutions of the Textura idea. Schwabacher is a style of Bastarda traditionally used in Germany. Another Bastarda type, Civilité, was common in late 16th century printing in France. Experimental blackletter typefaces are more recent interpretations of historic blackletter for uses such as heavy metal album art. Contemporary blackletter uses include The New York Times masthead and Reebok’s 2006 I Am What I Am campaign. Historic Type Classifications serif serif classifications Historic Type Classifications serif Grecian, Latin, Modern, Didone, Scotch Modern, Old Style, Antique, Dutch Old Style, Spanish Old Style, Venetian Old Style, Slab Serif, Clarendon, Egyptian, French Clarendon, Geometric Serif, Spur Serif, Transitional, Scotch Roman, Tuscan Historic Type Classifications serif serif classifications THE TYPE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM THE VOX-ATYPI CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM Historic Type Classifications serif — Old Style / Humanist / Venetian CLASSICAL CLASSICAL CLASSICAL HUMANIST GARALDE TRANSITIONAL Also known as: Humanistic, Humanes, or Also known as: Aldine Also known as: Realist, Réales, or Baroque Venetian The garaldes are named after typeface In the mid 18th century, the printer and type Old Style / Humanist / Venetian Humanist typefaces represent the designer Claude Garamond and printer and designer John Baskerville established handwriting within renaissance publisher Aldus Manutius. In the mid 16th transitional typefaces. These typefaces take manuscripts. Humanes include the first century, under the rein of King Francis I, inspiration from both old style and The Old Style or Humanist serif typefaces developed Roman typefaces created by Venetian garaldes were used to support the official neoclassical type designs, and use printers (such as Nicolas Jenson) during grammar and orthography used across characteristics from both of these styles. in the 15th and 16th centuries. the 15th century. France. Baskerville’s developments with calendered paper and printing methods, opened up Characteristics: Characteristics: opportunities to create typefaces that Humanist typefaces represent the handwriting within • Low contrast between strokes • Stronger contrast between strokes maintained finer strokes and shapes. renaissance manuscripts. Humanes include the first • Heavy and short bracketed serifs • Slanted axis • Slanted serifs on ascenders • Finer proportions than those of the Characteristics: Roman typefaces created by Venetian printers (such • The lowercase ‘e’ features a diagonal Humanist category • Contrast is more distinctive as Nicolas Jenson) during the 15th century. cross stroke • Vertical axis on the strokes and inclined Examples include: axis for curved strokes Examples include: A Bembo, Garamond, Sabon • Bracketed serifs and slanted serifs on Centaur, Cloister, Jenson A ascenders Characteristics A Low contrast between strokes Examples include: Baskerville, Perpetua, Times New Roman hge Heavy and short bracketed serifs hge hge Slanted serifs on ascenders The lowercase ‘e’ features a diagonal cross stroke MODERN MODERN MODERN: LINEAR DIDONE MECHANISTIC GROTESQUE Examples: Garamond, Adobe Jenson, Centaur, and Goudy Old Style. Also known as: Modern Also known as: Mechanical, Slab Serif, or Originating in the 19th century, this category Mécanes contains early sans serifs, many of which First created in the late 18th century, become commercially popular. The grotesques didones are named after type-founders The design of mechanistic typefaces feature many awkward characteristics and Didot and Bodoni, masters of this style. coincides with the Industrial Revolution at quirks, including an odd distribution of line These typefaces provided the First French the start of the 19th century. This thicknesses on curved letterforms. A double Empire with a new letterforms. The mechanical style, with thick and rectangular story lowercase g, a spur on the uppercase G contrast between the thick and thin serifs became very popular at the time for and a curled leg on the uppercase R are also strokes are dramatic and the designs look display advertising. In the Thibaudeau common characteristics. completely different to any other typeface classification system these Mechanicals are that had come before. named Egyptiennes. Characteristics: • Noticeable contrast between thick an thin Characteristics: Characteristics: strokes • Very strong contrast between thick and • Low contrast between thick and thin • Vertical axis thin strokes strokes • The lowercase ‘g’ often is double story or • Vertical axis for curved strokes • Heavy strokes with rectangular thick serifs ‘bowl and loop’ • Very little to no bracketing on serifs • Very little or no bracketing on serifs • ‘R’ commonly has a curled leg and the ‘G’ A • Terminals often have “ball” shapes A usually has a spur A Examples include: Examples include: Clarendon, Egyptienne, Ionic No. 5, Rockwell Examples include: Bodoni, Didot, Walbaum hge Headline, Monotype 215, Monotype hge hge Grotesque, Grot no. 6 MODERN: LINEAR MODERN: LINEAR MODERN: LINEAR NEO-GROTESQUE GEOMETRIC HUMANIST Also known as: Transitionals Geometric typefaces are created with an Humanist typefaces are not inspired by the equal or almost equal stroke width and are Grotesque faces of the 19th Century but Based on the earlier grotesque designed using simple geometric forms, by earlier classical letterforms. The typefaces, the neo-grotesques which are repeated and used throughout uppercase of humanist typefaces relate to category contains some of the most the design. As a result, geometric Roman inscriptional letters and the famous sans serif designs. Developing typefaces are less readable and letters are characteristics of the lowercase are similar on the grotesque designs, the harder to differentiate from one another. to those of Carolingian script. Because of letterforms are much more refined and this, humanist typefaces are said to be the simplified. There is less variation in Characteristics: most legible and readable of all the sans stroke weight and the lowercase g is • Little to no contrast between the serif classifications. now a single story. vertical and horizontal strokes • Character shapes are influenced by Characteristics: Characteristics: