CONTENTS
1
ROCKWELL’S GRANNIES
1. Rockwell’s Grannies 2. Standard Line Type 3. And how is she? 4. Rockwell, a type has born 5. Some glyphs 6. Rockwell in use 7. Conclusion 8. Bibliography
1817
The history of Slab Serif typefaces dates back to the 19th century, in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, appearing for the first time in a catalog of the English founder Vincent Figgins under the name Antique.
‘The history of Slab Serif typefaces dates back to the 19th century’
Later, the founder Robert Thorne called them Egyptians, a name by which they are also known and that perhaps had to do with the interest that the discoveries made in Egypt had in people at that time. Between the end of the 1830s and early 40s they were used to highlight some words in the body of texts. The need to print new content quickly and legibly forced type foundries to create new fonts that were simpler, or with a structure that generated little problems
when printed. The types made by Bodoni and Didot were adapted to the new trends of industrialization by converting thin lines into thick lines, reducing the contrast of the line to better support the demands of printing and to prevent printing errors. At this time, the production of posters and advertising works was in full swing and therefore typography had to adapt. Its use is not only to be appreciated in artistic manifestations or books, but it has an informative and, above all, an advertising mission.
‘The Slab Serifs were generally carved in wood’ For this reason, these types of fonts are not used for body text, only in large size lettering, expressing clear and precise messages with the objective of getting the eye’s attention. These types of letters are generally reminiscent of old Western movie
