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William Morris’ contributions to graphic design and typography were pushed through his private press, the Kelmscott Press, which returned to traditional means of book production. As artisans began returning to previous means of artisanship, they saw press printing for qualityhandcrafted books as a more appealing process in book design. Although private presses had been functional for sometime, Morris was the first to establish
a press able to make a profit off the books they produced. The Kelmscott Press ran for seven years and produced fiftythree books with over eighteen thousand copies. The most significant book produced by Morris’ press is considered to be The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, otherwise known as The Kelmscott
Burne-Jones and finished the 556 page book in 1896. The book features 87 hand-created illustrations by Burne-Jones, 14 large borders and 18 smaller ones, and 26 of Morris’ original large initial words. Morris had created typefaces for use by the Kelmscott Press, but his typographic work came together in the Chaucer. Before the final
Chaucher. Morris worked closely with his good friend Edward
product was created in 1896, Morris was so eager to produce
the book that he released a precursor in 1894 called The Story of Glittering Plain that featured Morris’ Golden type. Morris died shortly after the release of The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer.
In an ironic twist, the very book Morris dedicated his final years to defeat the purpose of his entire artistic movement. The Chaucer was so beautifully handcrafted that it was only affordable to the elite instead of the public, as he had intended.
William Morris was the Arts and Crafts movement. He pushed for tradition in a world that was moving so fast it was losing itself. Morris’ movement was a breath of fresh air and lead the Europe into the Art Nouveau artistic period.
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apex
A stem
crossbar
terminal
bowl
a
tail
counter
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beak
ascender arm
kelmsc arc
ascender line
meanline
x-height
finial leg
Morris’ private press utilized his gothic types of Troy, Chaucer, and Kelmscott (sampled above). Before the release of the Kelmscott Chaucer, Morris was so eager to produce the book that he released a incomplete version that featured Morris’ individualized type, Golden.
shoulder
spine crossbar
cott press baseline
descender line
counter descender
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Morris not only made an impact in grpahic design, but was well known for his founding of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Many of the items found in Morris’ showroom were wallpapers, tapestries, and furniture pieces. The pieces Morris created individually followed traditional medieval techniques such as embroidery and weaving.
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bibliography “A Full History.” The Original Morris & Co. Web. 14 Feb. 2015. Cody, David. “William Morris: A Brief Biography.” William Morris: A Brief Biography. 17 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. Harskamp, Jaap. “A Pocket Cathedral — I Love Typography.” I Love Typography RSS. 9 May 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. Showker, Fred. “William Morris: Art Nouveau Style | Typography | Graphic Design & Publishing Center.” William Morris: Art Nouveau Style | Typography Graphic Design & Publishing Center. 5 Aug. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. “William Morris and the Kelmscott Press.” Cleveland Museum of Art. 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2015.
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