| Graphic
Design in History |
Alphabet
and type developments |
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Type or font design, is a single alphabet
including upper and lower case letters,
numbers, punctuation marks and special characters
reffered to as type
anatomy, set with
shared characteristics according to classification1
system based on its origin or classification2
system based on type/font family
style. The system has been developed to
be able to recognize and organize type into
categories
based on these characteristics.
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| The
first type designs were based on the handwritten
manuscripts and the Roman classic type, which
developed gradually in to variety of national,
regional, periodic or even personal styles
of typeface. |
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| In
1470 Nicholas
Jenson (1420-1480)
French printer and engraver created his first
classic typeface for mechanical printing based
on the classical Roman where he adapted a
style of structural unity by setting equal
distance between letters, paragraphs, lines
and strokes which captured humanist natural
feel. [Jenson
Gothic type] |
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Type designed during this
period was usually named after their creators
as for e.g. classic type created by first
independent and commercial Parisian typefounder
Cloude
Garmond (1480-1561), who also initiated
the concept of designing a complimentary
italic style for each roman typeface he
created.
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| Geofroy
Tory (1480-1533) a type
designer, printer, woodcut artist, scholar,
bookseller, translator and very active in
philosophy which resulted in writing the first
theory on designing a letter called: 'Champ
Fluery' translates literally as “flowery
fields” subtitled “The Art and Science
of the Proportion of the Attic or Ancient
Roman Letters, According to the Human Body
and Face” showing clarity of thought
onwards form, harmony, text, capital initials,
borders and illustrations using the phrase
of 'renaissance man' and Francois-Ambriise
Didot (1730
- 1804) who not only design type but also
develop standard European unit of type measurement
known as Didot Point System in 1775. |
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In England printing was limited
as it was under tight government control
and not until William
Caxton (1422?-1491), return to England
in 1476 and set up a printing shop at Westminster,
using varieties of type like "black
letter" or "gothic". Caxton
printed and translated 105 titles of incunabula
in Bruges and Westminster creating a facsimile
page of types (chronology
of type) used in each edition.
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| William
Caslon (1692-1766) designed Caslon Old
Face in 1725-34 (based on imported Dutch type)
which later was used as standard type used
by British and International printers. |
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| John
Baskerville (1706-1775) who was not only
type designer, but also cast and type setter,
improved printing presses, conceived and commissioned
new papers, designed and published books that
he printed and in about 1751 began new experiments
in type design which was a Transitional type
bridging the gap between the Old Style Roman
and the Modern Type. |
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| William
Morris (1834-1896), represented the Arts
and Crafts Movement of 1870 in England in
which he was against the new age of mechanization
and fought for the return of simplicity, beauty,
and craftsmanship that was associated with
earlier centuries. His main practice was book
production and his first book was printed
at the Kelmscott Press in 1891, with fifty
other titles to follow in different formats
with type set to his own specifications based
on 15nth century letters, deliberately modelled,
rugged but well proportioned. His first single
alphabet was designed in 1880 called 'Golden
Typeface' based on the first Nicholas
Jenson classical Roman of 1470. |
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| Edward
Johnston (1874-1944)
an English pre-eminent type designer
known for designing the very First London
Transport Signs and type in 1916 still
used today. In the Railway type of 1916
we can notice the 'O' being a perfect
circle and 'M' placed in a square box
with exact middle spot. |
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| Above:
Bust Stop sign, 1916 |
Above:
Edward Johnson's essential forms from
his book Illuminating Writing and Lettering
in 1906 |
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| The
revival of calligraphy in England was
accompanied by reform in letter carving
promoted by Eric
Gill (1882-1940),
who was distinguished type designer
and carved pointed and elegant serifs. |
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| Source
Two Alphabets of
Capital Letters designed by Gill in
1930 [b] |
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| During
19nth and 20th century type design is referred
to as Modern Typography
which come with many variations in styles,
influenced by artistic movements and based
on their principals. Graphic
designer and Typographer
profession also emerges and leads in all written
matter for the next centuries to come using
information and communication approach in
a form of posters, brochures, leaflets and
other advertising solutions sometimes just
by the use of variations of typefaces. |
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Rudolf
Koch (1876
- 1934) a German type designer and
great calligrapher employed by Klingspor
foundry, Offenbach during 1906, studied
medieval charters and manuscripts
and then created his own version of
Uncial forms inspired by Gothic and
Roman capitals which are strong but
simple and most powerful example of
his work with Blackletter designs.
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| Source
Koch example of Neuland 1922-23, A History
of Lettering [b] |
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Theo
van Doesburg (1883-1931)
was a Dutch artist architect-painter
with skills as editor and activist of
The Stijl movement from 1917 until his
death. In 1919 design whole square alphabet
which was unique during this period
of time. |
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< Theo van Doesburg,
Square alphabet, 1919,
[b] |
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| Bauhaus
School of 1919 –
1933, had very talented
tutors as well as students
producing leading designers
of the
"New Typography"
and design. In the words
of Wolf Von Eckardt, the
Bauhaus: |
| Quote |
| ‘Created
the patterns and set standards
of present day industrial
design; it helped to invent
modern architecture: it
altered the look of everything
from the chair you are sitting
on, to the page you are
reading now’. |
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| Source
book
titled 'Bauhaus 1919-1933'
[b] |
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| It was Laszlo
Moholy-Nagy [2](1895-1946),
who introduced the elements of
what is now best known as Bauhaus
Typography. He designed Title
page for the first Bauhaus book
with page layout and composition
using accented elements such as
rules, points, rhythmic series
of right angles and stripes, applied
to create typographic layers.
He aimed for a more legible form
to express his intentions in the
publicity for the Bauhaus. |
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| Herbert
Bayer (1900-85)
chooses to work with typography at Bauhaus
too and developed a sanserif experimental
typefaces called universal alphabet
in 1925, but did not go in to production.
As well as developing the Universal
alphabet Herbert Bayer designed a contour
less shadow script which was intended
for use in posters and prospectuses. |
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| Herbert
Bayer Universal Alphabet of 1925 |
Herbert
Bayer contour less shadow script |
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Josef
Albers (1888-1976)
was a teacher from 1920 until closing
of the Bauhaus School in 1933, he
was also an accomplished designer,
draftsman, photographer and typographer
known for his Albers typeface based
on the circle and the rectangle -picture
left.
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| At
about the same time Paul
Renner (1878
– 1956) designed his Futura sanserif
as the first example of Modern Type which
was not completed as a type for printing so
eventually was redesigned by the Bauer
Foundry in 1929-1930 and has become a
classic typeface since. |
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| Best established
type designer in England of this century was
Stanley
Morris (1889-1967),
who also was a typographic theoretician and
advisor to The
Times of London, Cambridge
University and Monotype
Corporation establishing huge type library
from 1920 until after the Second World War. |
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Left:
Times New Roman as printed in The Times |
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| His
type is TIMES NEW ROMAN, first used for The
Times of London newspaper which appeared
in the October 3rd in 1932 issue. Times New
Roman become one of the world’s most
popular and widely used typefaces as it was
also the first type to be available in other
languages. The features of this typeface are:
the short ascenders and descend with sharp
small serifs, which gave great legibility. |
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| These
earliest examples mentioned above are the
most remembered for their contributions in
type design as at that time was a demand for
variable typefaces in print. Since 1930's
many other distinguished typographers are
remembered and more information about them
can be easily found as required. Today most
typographers work for a big type foundries
and CO-operations using the newest technology
and electronic tools complete their task much
quicker then ever before. |
| more
about Type Design .... in
history |
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| Links and further
reading on the internet |
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| Masters of Graphic
Design ....
more |
| Type
Technology — The Four Revolutions
.... more |
| The
evolution of type ....
more |
| Seven Principles
of Typographic Contrast ....
more |
| International fonts
.... more |
| LinoType foundry
1886- 2007 ....
more |
| Microsoft Typography
.... more |
| Lanston Type ....
more |
| Printing and Book
Designs ....
more |
| History of the
Book ....
more |
| BRIAR PRESS ....
more |
| The Medieval Dream
.... more |
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| See
also more articles on ... .print |
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| web
version from the original 'Alphabets' essay
1999 |
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