Typography 3 book

FROM Adrian Frutiger | Hoefler & Frere-Jones

PARIS

to NEW YORK

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Let them unite Taking an adventure in the world of two typographers

Typeface designers and typography play an important roll in our everyday lives. Whether we realize it or not, typography is taking form all around us.

Whether you are in Paris or New York, you will see typography everywhere, uniting, guiding you, making you think and feel differently, as well as helping you to communicate, whether that be in a foreign land or your own city. Like a solo traveler in the world, the typographer has to guide us in perfect harmony so our communication with

“I could never express myself only through words, without using my hands and tools of my trade.�

one another is harmonious. For my part, I have taken a brief journey to learn about a few typographers I found to be compelling: Adrian Frutiger, Tobias Frere-Jones and his partner Jonathan Hoefler. These typographers share the trait that they are all aiming for balance and proportion in their designs. This allows their work to unite and come together.

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- Frere Jones

[

20th Century 21st Century

]

However, this label of “type face designer” does not mean that they have everything in common. Though all master craftsmen, they come from different backgrounds and different period

“I wanted to experienced the power of type to make the whole intellectual world readable with the same letters in the days of metal.”

- Frere Jones

of time of inspiration. The influences of Swiss Style Typography and calligraphy played a large role in inspiring the works of Adrian Frutiger, who grew in the breath of the past masters of the Bauhaus and de Stijl. We will also find that the inspiration of the newer generation, Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias

Frère-Jones were inspired by their surroundings as well, which for them was not the found in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, but instead New York City.

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a

a

“modern appearance and legibility at various angles and sizes.”-Frutiger

ADRIAN FRUTIGER

We find that in typography, history plays a pivotal role in inspiration. We can be original, but it is necessary to learn from our predecessors, as did many other artists. We look to other movements to be inspired or to avoid their pitfalls and errors. Adrian Frutiger is one of these typographers we look to forever for inspiration. A timeless typographer, Adrian Frutiger was born near the Swiss Alps and artistically trained in Interlake in 1944-48. Adrian Frutiger grew interested in the work of writer and teacher Ernst Eberhart, “preferring to emulate his freer method of handwriting as well as woodcut.” (Monotype website) Experimenting with the way to create type, “Frutiger cut his pen down to a broad nib and made his letterforms open anround.” Frutiger eventually moved to France where he spent most of his career.

Adrian Frutiger would be considered to be a part of the International typographic style time period.

Frutiger’s self-titled face, Frutiger, was developed from his lettering for the Charles de Gaulle Airport.”

(Spiekermann)

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“You have to create a font that conveys a feeling.” Frere-Jones

H&FJ

For Hoefler Frere Jones , the past maybe history, but the influence and the knowledge of those times carry forth in their works today.

Typefaces are continually influencing our works and expressions.

For Tobias Frere Jones, he said that “you have to create a fint that conveys a feeling or emotion.” These ideas are invariably coupled with a beautiful timeline of artistic and typographic inspirations. This is the case for Tobias Frere Jones and Jonathan Hoefler, contemporary typeface designers both born in the 1970’s in New York City, where they still reside today. Together, Tobias Frere-Jones and fellow type designer Jonathan Hoefler founded Hoefler & Frere-Jones, a type foundry in lower Manhattan. Since working together, the two have collaborated on projects for The Wall Street Journal, Martha Stewart Living, Nike, Pentagram, GQ.

Both are influenced with the world around them. The past maybe history, but the influence and the knowledge of those times carry forth today, continually influencing our works and expressions. These ideas are invariably coupled with a beautiful timeline of artistic and typographic inspirations. This is the case for Tobias

Frere Jones and Jonathan Hoefler, contemporary type- Hoefler Text family of typefaces, designed

face designers both born in the 1970’s in New York City. for Apple Computer

and now appearing as part of the Macintosh operating system.

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Reflections

From the Past History, inspiration & Passion

From the past to the present as said before the influence is continuous. New York and Paris have a long history of typefaces. From printing during the World War II to glowing signage on the building of New York city we have learned as graphic designers that these forms come with history from the past. Whether from Paris or Asia, we are inspired endlessly with the type world around us. We cannot escape it, we should embrace it as Hoefler & Frere- Jones did. Tobias Frere Jones said that with the influence of the past, “typography captures the essence of the

“Typography captures the essence of the language around us. Whether in a foreign land or at home you cannot escape it.”

language arounf us. Whether in a foreign land or at home, you cannot escape it.” When you travel from the center of Paris to the Charles de Gaulle airport, you have typefaces that you must follow to get to the correct airport. Thanks to Frutiger, these legible typefaces exist. Frutiger is our journey from the center to the departure of France.

Frutiger created a typeface that was not only legible but also beautiful in shape and essence.

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-Frere-Jones

[

Paris 1952

New York 2012

]

Hoefler & Frere Jones like Frutiger were revolutionizing the type around them. Inspired by the building and typefaces they saw on them in New York city. They revolutionized the way we see type on

“Hoefler Text is a com-

computers as well. Taking in the breaths

prehensive family of typefaces from the dawn of the digital age.�

of the past typeface designers, Hoefler & Frere Jones created a craftsmanship with their typefaces unlike any other typeface designer in the 21st century. They still stayed in tune with the traditional techniques and processes as the older

-New york Times

generation of typeface designers did sch as Adrian Frutiger. One of these typefaces is Hoefler Text. Hoefler Text is a contemporary serif Antiqua font that was made for the computer, but mimics the past techniques. This font gave computer fonts a new meaning in a more complex typographic rendering. This beautifully devloped font family was Inspired by the seventeenth century baroque types of Jean Jannon and Nicholas Kis. Though we are in the 21st century the past should always be vital in the creation of typefaces.

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“The Diversity in typefaces is the same diversity we find in wine. I once saw a list of Medoc wines featuring 60 different Medocs all of the same year.” -Frutiger

swiss International style in the 1940’s

We learn that in history, wherever you are, your art will be influenced by what is happening around you. The artist De Stijl is influenced from Constructivism, influenced by Futurism, influenced by Cubism and so on.

Accordingly, nationality plays an important role in the lives of artist in shaping who they are and how they are influenced. Whether it is a war effecting you or planes crashing into the twin towers, we grow up in a world that inspires and influences us. Our native language and our native land is never something forgotten and it brings uniqueness to our individual approach to art.

We learn that in history, wherever you are, your art will be influenced by what is happening around you.

The artist De Stijl is influenced from Constructivism, influenced by Futurism, influenced by Cubism and so on. Accordingly, nationality plays an important role in the lives of artist in shaping who they are and how they are influenced.

Origins give our creativity and originality strength and personality to our art work.

Without origins we our artistic identity is in danger.

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Our history brings forth the influence of typography

ORIGIN

Adrian Frutuger, a Swiss native, grew up during the tumultuous and devastating years of WWII. The aftermath of WWII created a defining reaction within the arts such as a new type of expression: abstract expressionism. While artists such as Pollock were splattering away on the canvas, Frutiger was designing in the Swiss Style, which emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity.

Frutiger’s typeface, inspired by this Swiss Style, is seen in both Avenir and Universe. Like Helvetica, Frutiger is a clean and legible font. Like many of his typefaces, they all have distinctive personalities. Adrian Frutiger once said that “ the diversity in typefaxes is the same diversity we find in wine. I once saw a list of Medoc wines featuring 60 different Medocs all of the same year.”

Frutiger finds himself inspired by signage and signs, which we later see in the highways of Europe and at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. A citizen of Europe, there is constant exposure to a diversity of signs while one easily passes from one border to the next, maybe visiting three different countries in a day.

Signs are important to Europeans.

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The war in Europe changed the way we saw and made art in many ways.

Typography in the cities The

inspiration

in this city is endless

In contrast, Hoefler and Frere-Jones are both Americans who grew up in NYC in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Growing up in the city that never sleeps had an obvious influence on the works of Hoefler and Frere-Jones, especially in the type face Gotham. Tobias Frere-Jones had 30 spots in New York where he is inspired by the lettering. This reflects the admiration and inspiration of their surroundings. New York never breaks. In New York City, there is continuous

“We drew influences from post-war building signage and hand-painted letters seen around New York City.”

skyline, restaurants, and

-Tobias Frere-Jones

shops, the inspiration here is endless. The inspiration of Hoefler and Frere-

Jones was a direct reflection of just that.With this admiration of the city and architecture and lettering surrounding them, Tobias Frere-Jones also singled out signage that inspired his 2000 typeface, Gotham.

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[

Paris 1952

New York 2012

Type face designers and typography play an important roll in our everyday lives. Whether we realize it or not, typography is taking form all around us. Whether you are in Paris or New York, you will see typography everywhere, guiding you, making you think and

Using the seemingly plain, geometric lettering from New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal.

feel differently, as well as helping you

-Frutiger

about a few typographers I found to

to communicate, whether that be in a foreign land or your own city. Like a solo traveler in the world, the typographer has to guide us in perfect harmony so our communication with one another is harmonious. For my part, I have taken a brief journey to learn be compelling: Adrian Frutiger, Tobias

Frere-Jones and his partner Jonathan Hoefler. These typographers share the trait that they are all aiming for balance and proportion in their designs.

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]

Typefaces and their role in our everyday lives

T

Typefaces play an important role in the visual world around us, aesthetically and practically. They influence what we see and

how we interpret it. Typefaces show feelings and movements.

They display personalities. Both Frutiger and Hoefler & Frere-

Jones have created unique typefaces depicting both what was happening technologically, politically, and artistically.

In the early 1970s, the RATP, the public transport authority of Paris, asked Adrian Frutiger to examine the Paris Metro signage. “He created a Univers font variation – a set of capitals and numbers specifically for white-on-dark-blue backgrounds in poor light.” (Typophile) Typefaces play an important role in the visual world around us, aesthetically and practically. They influence what we see and how we interpret it. Typefaces show feelings and movements. They display personalities.

Both Frutiger and Hoefler & Frere-Jones have created unique typefaces depicting both what was happening technologically, politically, and artistically. In the early 1970s, the RATP, the public transport authority of Paris, asked Adrian Frutiger to examine the Paris Metro signage. “He created a Univers font variation – a set of capitals and numbers specifically for whiteon-dark-blue backgrounds in poor light.” (Typophile) Frutiger gave the French signage” alphabet for the new Charles de Gaulle International Airport.”

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Developing their unique voice through typography

ARCHER

For Hoefler and Frere-Jones, Gotham was designed in 2000 and is famously know for its use in the Obama campaign. Gotham’s letterforms are inspired by a form of architectural signage that achieved popularity in the mid-twentieth century, and are especially popular throughout New York City. Espousing a no-nonsense, utilitarian attitude, Hoefler & Frere-Jones describe Gotham as “a typeface that is friendly without being folksy, confident without being aloof.” Gotham garnered national press when it was chosen as the official typeface for inscribing the Freedom Tower, which was to be built at the site of the World Trade Center. Hoefler Text, designed by Jonathan Hoefler in 1995, is a family of twenty-seven typefaces. They range from light to extra bold.

This elegant humanistic font with a moderate x-height and lovely decorative elements was commissioned by Apple Computer and is distributed with the Mac OS. According to

Hoefler & Frere-Jones, the font is “steeped in the virtues of H&FJones Archerclassical book typography.” (Hoefler & Frere-Jones) GothamRequiemHoefler Text, Didot are all timeless typefaces used today.

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Handwriting & the

computer Technology and the role it plays in typography

Technology also plays an important role in our history and evolution. With the evolotion of the computer, the world of type has changed. Frutiger, a more conventional typographer, was influenced by invented scripts, stylized handwriting, sculpture, monumental inscriptions, and calligraphy. Frutiger, was a craftsman, inspired by the tactile labor of the perseverance, whether using woodcut or paper silhouettes. For Frutiger, the intensive labor required was the thrill of the work. It was

“Frutiger, was a craftsman, inspired by the tactile labor of the perseverance.�

- Adrian Frutiger

a physical and tactile labor of love, one that remains relevant today. Spending most of his career working for Deberny & Peignot updating typefaces and preparing them for photo-typesetting, as well as designing typefaces of his own accord, he created almost 30 typefaces, which are some of the most used typefaces of the 20th and 21st century.

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[

Gutenberg

Macintosh

]

Unlike Frutiger though, Hoefler and Frere Jones grew up during a period of evolving technology, with the evolution of personal computers and digital and

“The Evolution of the personal computers the changed the way we look at type.�

-H & FJ

computer arts. With the advent of the first personal computer, there was the birth of the Macintosh, ultimately changing forever almost every aspect of the way we live,

work, create, communicate, innovate, share information, and spend our leisure time. As computers have evolved, so have the capabilities for the graphic designer. Whereas Frutiger labored through what were most likely years of woodwork and paper cutting, Hoefler & Jones operate in a land of mouse clicks and key strokes, which allow for mistakes to be easily corrected, manipulated, and perfected. Perhaps his best-known work is the Hoefler Text family of typefaces, designed for Apple Computer and now appearing as part of the Macintosh oper

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“The day we stop needing new type will be the same day that we stop needing new

“ to

pass on what I had learned and achieved

In conclusion, there are definitive lessons to be

drawn. The past gave great skills to the typographers today, and you can still see signs of their presence in many forms of typographic creation. Frutiger created typefaces such as Frutiger, which waould stand the test of time, and, though decades removed, Hoefler & Jones are following a similar path with fonts such as Gotham. In the end, all three have left a strong influence and strong communication with the world. From New York, to Paris, their history and typefaces are now all around you from Paris to New York. just open your eyes, take a look, take your time.and appreciate the art that goes into the typefaces all around you.

These are artists exemplify two completely different expressions, yet both are changing the world around us.

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stories and new songs.�

Frere-Jones

to the next generation became a necessity.�

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- Adrian Frutiger

Colophon t y p o g r a p h e r ’s b o o k Designer: Annie Harrod

Typefaces: OCR, Frutiger, Gotham, Archer Course: Typography Faculty: Francheska Guerrero

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