TYPE HISTORY GUTENBERG The art of typography was only possible due to Johannes Gutenberg, a German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer and publisher who invented the technology that allowed him to introduce printing to the world. Gutenberg produced metal movable types and a mechanical printing press. He was the first person to print by this technique. In 1455 he printed the “Bible of 42 lines of Gutenberg”. This was the first printed document. Printing Press Metal movable types Pages from “Bible of 42 lines of Gutenberg” HISTORICAL STYLES ART NOUVEAU TYPEFACES (1890 - 1910) EXAMPLES LETTERFORM CHARACTERISTICS Elegant design Decorative design Embellished stroke endings (not all) Tall and Thin (not all) Diagonal and Triangular character shapes Top or Bottom-weighted stresses Angled crossbars Belwe-Antiqua by Georg Belwe, Arnold Böcklin by Schriftgiesserei Otto manufactured by Schelter & Giesecke, 1913 Weisert foundry, 1904 TYPEFACES ART DECO EXAMPLES (1920 - 1930) LETTERFORM CHARACTERISTICS Geometric shapes Decorative styles Double, triple or multi-lineal stroke details (not all) Angular or Curvy typestyles Elegant or Playful designs Cool, jazzy, modern and sophistication of its era Matra typeface Braggadocio typeface BAUHAUS (1910 - 1930) TYPEFACES EXAMPLES LETTERFORM CHARACTERISTICS Legible shapes Clean and Standardized forms Geometric forms (near-perfect circles, triangles and squares) Avenir Strokes of near-even Weight and Contrast Tall ascendents Futura Neuzeit Grotesk typeface Futura typeface SWISS STYLE (1940 - 1950) TYPEFACES EXAMPLES LETTERFORM CHARACTERISTICS Neatness forms Simple shapes Readability and Objectivity Helvetica Form - Function principles Universal understanding Univers Sans Serif Fonts Akzidenz-Grotesk typeface Helvetica typeface TASK 1 1.2) TYPEFACE ESSAY 1st step: Research 2 different typefaces within your computer font catalogue: one historical and one contemporary. 2nd step: Produce 1 essay (minimum 150 words) where you analyse and compare both typefaces. Topics you should write about: • Who have designed each typeface? • When were they designed? • Classify both types (e.g.: are they serif or sans-serif?; humanistic, geometric, slab-serif,…?) • Analyse and compare (observe and describe the characteristics of selected typefaces; are there any similarities?; appropriate technical language and concepts must be applied, e.g.: ascenders, descenders, font, typeface,…). • Which is the selected typefaces function? (eg.: for display or body text?) • Add examples of work produced with those typefaces. Can be historical or contemporary work (find at least 2 examples for each typeface > useful website: www.fontsinuse.com). Semi-Presentation I (first work review): MAY 8 Semi-Presentation II (last work review): MAY 11 Final Presentation: MAY 18 > submit the Final Essay in an A4 + pdf.