From Baskerville To Helvetica

FROM BASKERVILLE TO HELVETICA Baskerville

Analysing six typefaces

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FROM BASKERVILLE TO HELVETICA

FROM BASKERVILLE TO HELVETICA Analysing six typefaces

Cecilia Serafini

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From Baskerville to Helvetica

From Baskerville to Helvetica Analysing six typefaces Great Britain, 2013 This book was designed and written by Cecilia Serafini. References can be consulted under References, in the back of the book.

Fonts used: Grotesque (Regular, Light and Light Oblique), Baskerville, Bodoni, Centaur, Rockwell, Avant Garde and Helvetica, in all their variations.

Index

7

Baskerville

5

Bodoni

9

Centaur

13

Rockwell

17

Avant Garde

21

Helvetica

25

References

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From Baskerville to Helvetica

Introduction

Baskerville

9

Baskerville

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Name

Year

About

Baskerville

1757

Origin

Classification

England

Transitional

Baskerville typeface takes its name from John Baskerville, an english printer and designer. Starting his carreer as a writing-master in Birmingham, he had established a printing office by 1754 working in editions of Latin poems.

He later started working for Cambridge University and was commissioned to produce editions of the Bible.

The Baskerville typeface is the result of John Baskerville’s intent to improve upon the types of William Caslon. He increased the contrast between thick and thin strokes, making the serifs sharper, and shifted the axis of rounded letters to a more vertical position. The curved strokes are more circular in shape, and the characters became more regular. These changes created a greater consistency in size and form.

Baskerville’s typeface was the culmination of a larger series of experiments to improve legibility which also included paper making and ink manufacturing. The result was a typeface that reflected his ideals of perfection, where he chose simplicity and quiet refinement.

Variations Regular Italic Semibold Semibold Italic Bold Bold Italic

Baskerville vs. Caslon

Baskerville (black) and Caslon.

“

The epitome of neo-classicism and eighteen-century rationalism in type Robert Bringhurst

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From Baskerville to Helvetica

Main Features

Numerals

Baskerville is a transitional typeface (transitioning between old style and modern typefaces). These type of faces tend to have a medium contrast between their thick and think strokes and a lower degree of of left-inclined stress than the old style faces. A distinguished feature of transitional typeface is a flat or triangular tip where the diagonal strokes meet, as can be seen in the “W”.

Some special characteristics about Baskerville are the following: the tail on the lowercase g does not close; the swash-like tail of the Q; high crossbar and pointed apex of A; long lower arm of E; a long armed t and a small counter in the lower case e.

There are two classifications. Lining and Old Style. Lining numerals (upper case) are aligned to the baseline and are all of equal height, whereas old style numerals (lower case) do not, which means they can be difficult to read

1234567890

Baskerville traditionally has lower case numerals. However, an upper case variation is available.

The loop

Ascenders & Descenders

The enclosed or partially enclosed (in this case, for example) lower counter in a Roman, is called a loop. Baskerville’s lower case g is one of the most characteristic letters of the family. If there is a need of differentiating similar families, go for the g!

In Baskerville, the ascenders have a stronger balance between the apex and the serifs. Caslon’s apex, for example, are much pointier and the transition from the apex to the serif is more drastic.

x bjf gikyt Details

Baskerville Bodoni

Centaur

Bodoni

Name Bodoni Origin Italy Year 1798 Classification Modern Variations Regular Italic Book Book Italic Bold Bold Italic Bold Condensed Bold Condensed Italic Black Black Italic Ultra Bold Ultra Bold Italic

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About

Bodoni is a typeface designed by Giambattista Bodoni in 1978. Bodoni wanted to follow Baskerville’s steps in creating a new style of typefaces, away from the Old Style. To this end, he continued some of Baskerville’s ideas, but took them to the extreme. He notably increased the stroke contrast and enlarged the x-height.

Bodoni had made some proofs before the final typeface, and those designs are called transitional. However, the Bodoni we know today is a modern typeface.

As William Morris states below, some may find Bodoni difficult to read because of the alternating think and thin of its strokes, specially at small point sizes.

The sweltering hideousness of the Bodoni letter, the most illegible type that was ever cut, with its preposterous thicks and thins, has been mostly relegated to works that do not profess anything but the baldest utilitarianism [...]

William Morris

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Haute Couture.

Because of its sleekness and thin strokes, Bodoni is usually used for highfashion magazines such as Vogue.

Main Features

Didone

Bodoni’s main characteristics are the following: top and bottom serifs on C, vertical and centered tail of Q, unbracketed serifs, a vertical stress (tall x-height), a small upper bowl of g, large ball terminal of c, but most importantly, the high contrast between thick and think strokes.

As we said before, Bodoni is part of the Modern typefaces group; tyfaces that were these types were designed towards the end of the 18th century and they all share certain characteristics, among others: high contrast between the thick and thin strokes and flat, unbracketed and often thin serif. However, according to the Thames & Hudson Manual of Typography, Bodoni also falls under the category of Didone; in the words of the authors: ‘(from Didot and Bodoni). These types, invented by Didot and perfected by Bodoni, are classified in England by the meaningless term “modern”. They have vertical shading and hairline serifs, introduced in the middle of the 18th century when improvements in presses and paper-making made such fine lines possible to print.’

Main Features

Bodoni’s ascenders clearly show the unbracketed thin serif that is so characteristic to the typeface. The tittles are rounded. As for the descenders, the terminal (or tail) of the y and the j are rounded and have a hook like appearance.

If we take a look at the y, we can clearly see the difference in thickness between the strokes of the body (within the x-height) and the one in the descender.

x bjf giyt

Avant Garde

Baskerville Bodoni Centaur

Centaur

Name Centaur Origin United States Year 1914 Classification Humanist Variations Regular Italic Bold Bold Italic

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About

The Centaur typeface was designed by american book and type designer Bruce Rogers. History says Rogers felt inspired when he saw a copy of french engraver Nicholas Jenson’s 1470 Eusebius at the Boston Public Library.

Though he was not pleased with his first attempt at creating the typeface, 10 years later, while working in New York City, he created the Centaur typeface for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Rogers had only designed the roman alphabet, so when the Monotype foundry decided to release the typeface for commercial use, the italic version was added. It was designed by Frederic Warde, who based his designs on the work of Ludovico degli Arrighi, a 16th century calligrapher.

For all-time most beautiful face, I nominate Bruce Rogers’ Centaur. It’s not a general-purpose face at all, like the usual Times or Helvetica [...] ; but Centaur lives nobly on a page and yet invites its readers to honor both it and its message with their own intelligence and understanding.

Gary Munch

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From Baskerville to Helvetica

Off to Cadiz!

The italic version brings a special z character.

Main Features

So, humanist?

According to the Thames & Hudson Manual of Typography, Centaur falls under the category of a Humanist typeface. These typefaces are the ones inspired by 15th century humanistic script, first seen in Venice.

Sometimes they can be found under the name Old Style Venetenian.

Some of Centaur’s main characteristics are: the tail of the upper case J descends below the baseline and points down; the ball of the 9 doesn’t close; the bar of the lower case e is diagonal and not horizontal and the serifs on the M are single sided, opposite to the rest of the faces.

As we said before, Centaur is part of what we call the Humanist types. These kind of types appeared during the 15th century (of course, Centaur is inspired by the Humanist typefaces) and got shaped after the forms of italian humanist writers. Because they were inspired by human script, and therefore the tools humans used, they have certain characteristics that are natural to this type or writing: one of the most important being a low contrast between thick and thin strokes. This little variation makes the overall look of the font dark (dense).

Ascenders & Descenders

The e

Being a Humanist font, Centaur’s ascenders of this typeface are distinctively pointy, similar to those of Caslon. Tittles are round. As for the descenders, we can see how the stroke in the tail of the y is notably thinner.

x bjf gikyt

Centaur’s e (magenta) vs. Baskerville’s: diagonal vs. horizontal.

Baskerville Bodoni Centaur Rockwell

Rockwell

Rockwell

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About

Name

Variations

The original Rockwell was produced by the Inland typefoundry in 1910, which issued it as Litho Antique; American Type Founders revived the face in the 1920s, with Morris Fuller Benton cutting several new weights.

The Monotype Corporation produced its version of Rockwell in 1934 and the project was supervised by Frank Hinman Pierpont.

Rockwell

Regular Italic Light Light Italic Bold Bold Italic Extra Bold Condensed Bold Condensed

Origin England Year 1934

Slab Serif

Classification

Slab serifs are distinguished by larger, square serifs, which were considered to be bolder than those of their predecessors. There are sub-classifications within the slab serifs, like Clarendon or Typewriter.

According to the Thames & Hudson Manual of Typography, slab serifs are types originated in the high flowering of the Industrial Revolution; the large area of their faces made them ideal for decoration, sometimes of the most extravagant kind.

Slab Serif

Unbracketed Serif

Detail

In Slab serif typefaces, serifs tend to be as thick as the vertical lines themselves and usually have no bracket (curves which connect the serif to the stroke). This is the case of Rockwell, but not of Clarendon, another slab serif and the name of one of the sub-classifications.

Clarendon, though sutil, has bracketed serifs.

90º angles in Rockwell’s slab serifs.

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From Baskerville to Helvetica

Because of its wide and even strokes, Rockwell works best as a display type.

Main Features

Rockwell is geometric, its upper- and lowercase O more of a circle than an ellipse. The lowercase a is two-story, somewhat incongruous for a geometrically drawn typeface. Its distinctive characteristics are, among others: a fairly high x-height, short descenders and ascenders; a distinctive bar at the apex of the A and deep serifs in the T and L that helf reinforce the idea of horizontality.

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Short Ascenders

Rockwell’s (left) ascender line compared with Baskerville’s.

How to spot it

Rockwell (left) and Clarendon: both slab serifs, but only Rockwell has got the crossbar on top of the A!

Baskerville Bodoni Centaur Rockwell Avant Garde

Bodoni

Avant Garde

Name

“

Avant Garde Classification Geometrical Sans Serif

The only place Avant Garde looks good is in the words Avant Garde Ed Benguiat

Year

Origin

About

1970-77

United States

In 1964, Herb Lubalin formed his own design consultation firm named Herb Lubalin, Inc. During those years he collaborated with a number os publications as art director; one of them was the magazine Avant Garde.

When Lubalin was commisioned to design the magazine’s logo, he was told to capture “the advanced, the innovative, the creative”. That is when he came up with the Avant Garde font.

Variations Book Book Oblique Book Condensed Book Condensed Oblique Extra Light Extra Light Oblique Extra Light Condensed Extra Light Condensed Oblique Medium Medium Oblique Medium Condensed Medium Condensed Oblique Bold Bold Oblique Bold Condensed Bold Condensed Oblique Demi Demi Oblique Demi Condensed Demi Condensed Oblique

Main Features

According to the Thames & Hudson Manual of Typography, Avant Garde is a geometric sans serif. These are fonts constructed on geometrical shapes and usually monoline. Main characteristics include: the bowl of the R doesn’t close, but in the P it does; the tail on the Q is curved; the G’s crossbar is particularilly low and the tittles are squared.

Canadian typographer Robert Bringhurst described the font as a “bicameral stick-and-ball sanserif with very large x-height”.

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From Baskerville to Helvetica

Question Avant Garde’s special Q.

Avant Garde everywhere Given the success of the logo, in 1970 Lubalin released the ITC Avant Garde font. During the following 7 years, Lubalin worked along with other designers like Tom Carnase and Ed Benguiat to expand the font family. Unfortunately, the font was completely overused during the 70s, and mostly by designers that had no typographical concept.

Designer Steve Haller said that “Avant Garde was Lubalin’s signature, and in his hands it had character; in others’ it was a flawed Futuraesque face.”

Ascenders and descenders Details

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Ascender height compared to Futura (right).

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Avant Garde’s descenders and ascenders are straight and short. The strokes are cut horizontally or vertically, and the singlestoried g is particularly simple.

Baskerville

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Baskerville Bodoni Centaur Rockwell Avant Garde Helvetica

Helvetica

It’s the real thing.

Period.

Coke.

Period.

In Helvetica.

Period.

Helvetica

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It’s air, you know. It’s just there.There’s no choice. You have to breathe, so you have to use Helvetica.

Erik Spiekermann

Name

Origin

Variations

Helvetica (neue)

Switzerland

Year

Classification

1957

Sans serif

Roman Oblique Medium Light Light Oblique Ultra Light Ultra Light Oblique Bold Bold Oblique Condensed Condensed Oblique Condensed Black Condensed Bold Extended Extended Oblique ...

About

Helvetica was developed in 1957 by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann at the Haas’sche Schriftgiesserei (Haas Type Foundry) of Münchenstein, Switzerland. Haas set out to design a new sans-serif typeface that could compete with the successful Akzidenz-Grotesk (another sans serif font) in the Swiss market. The aim of the new design was to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage.

Main Features

Helvetica is a sans-serif font. According to the Thames & Hudson Manual of Typography, it also falls under the category of neo-grotesque lineal. One of the main characteristics of this font is the perfectly straight horizontal and vertical cuts of the strokes. Some other characteristics include the spur at the G, the two-storied a, the bracketed top serif at the 1, the straight diagonal as a tail in the Q and a slightly double-curved tail in the R.

Detail

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From Baskerville to Helvetica

I love you I love you Massimo Vigenlli’s famous quote “You can say, ‘I love you’ in Helvetica. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it’s really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work.

Ascenders & descenders

Helvetica’s structure is based on a rectangle (and not on a square like other fonts).

This means that the letters are taller than they are wider. Its ascenders and descenders consist of clean straight strokes, always ending in perfectly horizontal or vertical cuts. The ascender and descender lines are not particularily far from the mean line.

x x

Detail

Helvetica’s (left) ascender line compared with Futura’s.

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Straight edges

Helvetica has been praised for its simplicity. One of the characteristics that makes it so simple, clear, neutral and legible is the straight edges of its strokes.

Baskerville

Baskerville Bodoni Centaur Rockwell Avant Garde Helvetica References 1. Ambrose / Harris 2005, Basics Design 03: Typography: Basics design 3, Ava Publishing, GB 2. McLean, R. 1992, The Thames and Hudson manual of typography, Thames and Hudson, London 3. The Typehead Chronicles (http://www. rightreading.com/typehead/typehead.htm) 4. King 2009, A Brief History of Avant Garde, Thinking for a Living (http://www. thinkingforaliving.org/archives/147)

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xxxxxx This book was printed at the London College of Communication on March, 2013.

Baskerville

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From Baskerville to Helvetica

From Baskerville to Helvetica, Analysing six typefaces is a book about type. Its objective is to outline the main characteristics of six different well known typefaces. Beginning with an Old Style typeface as Baskerville, the book intends to go through time to see how typafaces have developed in the last 3 centuries.

This book was made as a Project for the Postgraduate Diploma in Design for Visual Communication at the London College Communication.

London, 2013.