An Original Typeface By Bobbi Snyder
Problem
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A Necessary Change
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Brainstorming
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Problem Letters
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Specimen
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Mock Ups
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Citations
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Almost every city has at least one Greek restaurant which can often be easily identified by the style of letters on the sign. Most of these establishments use the same kind of typeface: angular, rigid shapes that are associated with the forms of ancient Greek.
Unfortunately, these angle-oriented letters have become quite common, almost ubiquitous. This overuse leads them into the dangerous world of clichÊ. When something becomes a clichÊ, it’s no longer communicating exactly what it needs to be. In comparison to the commonly used sharp and geometric type, many modern Greek letterforms are rounded and flowing, almost calligraphic. I decided to base my typeface on these forms, since they hold the significance of the Greek language and culture while using a different shape.
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Since my concept deals with a foreign language, I knew the first thing to do was research the language of Greek and make sure I understood enough of the basics. What I discovered is that while the modern capitals are almost identical to the Roman forms, almost all of the minuscule forms are different. The shapes most similar to the Latin characters used in English are a, v, o, and p. I decided to sketch these out first, starting with the a since it was the most similar without being identical, like the o. These starting sketches led me to a weighted, almost circular form that was simple enough to use within the design of several letters, but unique enough to create a good base for an original typeface. The specific quality of the stroke weighted on the upper right side created the identity for my type.
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During the process of sketching and refining letters, I found that several seemed impossible. The most difficult was the majuscule B. I attempted to fit the B into the elliptical form of my typeface, but failed to realize the importance of the crossbar. This left the middle of the letter very heavy and awkward. I decided to leave it alone for a while and work on numerals and punctuation. When I designed the 3, I saw a connection I could use. The shape of a 3 is almost identical to the right side of a B, and I was able to use that as a guide for the letterform. Another issue I encountered involved the descender I used for my minuscule g, j, and y. The first version came from my original sketches. I used the elliptical form for the main portion of the g, but created a new angle for the end of it. There was no valid reason for this, but I thought it looked cool, so I kept it. As I continued designing the rest of my typeface, I realized the descender felt out of place. I redesigned it using the pure elliptical form instead of adding unnecessary detail. This made the descender conform to the overall face.
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Minuscules
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Majuscule
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Punctuation
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Numerals 17
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