Meta

Page 1

META


“I’M OBVIOUSLY A

T YPEOM


meta 1

MANIAC WHICH IS AN INCURABLE IF NOT MORTAL DISEASE. I CAN’T EXPLAIN IT. I JUST LOVE,

I JUST LIKE LOOKING AT TYPE.” -Erik Spiekermann


ORIGINS In 1984, the German State Post Office, the Bundespost, was persuaded by Spiekermann of MetaDesign to commission a new, exclusive font for use on all of the Budespost’s printed material. Although the font was digitized, tested, and approved in the summer of 1985, the project was canceled. The Bundespost returned to using one of its many previous typefaces, Helvetica, assuming that digital type would not catch on. In 1989, after design software made creating new fonts more

efficient, MetaDesign refined the Bundespost typeface for its own exclusive use, renaming it Meta. Initially, Meta was just used for inhouse projects, but soon MetaDesign began to use it in mail order catalogs for FontShop, a digital type foundry, confounded by Erik Spiekermann. FontShop encouraged the parent company to license the face. Released as FF Meta, it has become one of the most successful typefaces available from FonFont, a subsidiary of FontShop.


origins 3

Aa Aa Aa Aa

Meta Bold Roman

Meta Bold Italic

Meta Book Roman

Meta Book Italic

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Bold Roman bold capitals Book Roman book capitals

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog (8 pt Meta Book Roman) The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog (7 pt Meta Book Roman) The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog (6 pt Meta Book Roman)

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog (5 pt Meta Book Roman)


CHARACTERISTICS As for the construction of the letterforms,

junction, and the junction of the M rests on

Meta has capitals with flat apices, similar to

the baseline, like Helvetica, except that Meta

those of Helvetica. It has a wider opening in

stems are oblique. The tail of the Q is wavy

the C, which also has angled finials. Angled

and the leg of the R is slightly curved. The

finials also occur in the top strokes of the E,

junction and base of the W are both flat. The

F, G, and on both ends of the S. The E has an

Z has angled finials on both ends, unlike the

extended base, while the base of the G has

lowercase z, which has an upright finial at

no spur and the J, no loop. The K has one

the top and an angled one at the bottom.

angled final

extended base


characteristics 5

FGSZC many capitals in Meta have angled finals

KQ single junction

curved tail


CHARACTERISTICS Several of Meta lowercase have particular traits that distinguish the face from other sans serifs. The ascenders of the b, k, h, and l are slightly bent at the top, a feature that is carried through the stems of the m, n, p, q, and the spur of the u. The finials of the v, w, and y are slightly angled, unlike the Meta family capital letters.

W

bknp ascender

stem

counter

junction

decender


characteristics 7

Ww unlike the capital W, the lowercase w has angled finals

pvyo vertex

tail

axis

ascender line

x height

baseline


COMPARISON

person perso Meta Book

Helvetica Neue Regular

Other distinguishing features include the

condensed face than Helvetica, and it has

double-storied g that has a highly unusual

only a slightly lower x-height. Both Meta

open bowl. This is a feature shared by the

and Helvetica have thin shoulders. While the

transitional typefaces Baskerville and

dots of Meta letterforms and punctuation

Cheltenham; only a few other sans-serif

are rounded, Helvetica has square dots. The

typefaces, such as Kabel, have this feature.

nuanced construction of the Meta typefaces

The l has a slight curved tail and the y has

sets it apart from Helvetica’s regularized

an offset junction. Overall, Meta is a more

structure, creating the face’s appealing


characteristics 9

nality onality gg g Futura book

Helvetica Neue regular

Meta Book roman


DESIGNER

HE CALLS HIMSELF AN

INFORM ARC Erik Spiekermann is equally comfortable

as a letterpress printer and hot metal

and prolific as a writer, graphic and typeface

typesetter.” In 1988, Spiekermann started

designer, but type is always at the epicenter

FontShop, a digital typeface foundry and

of this communication dynamo. Even as a

distributor of fonts. Spiekermann currently

child, Spiekermann was drawn to the typo-

holds a professorship at the Academy of Arts

graphic arts. “I had a little printing press and

in Bremen, is vice president of the German

taught myself to set type when I was twelve,”

Design council, president of the International

he recalls. “Years later, when I went to

Institute of Information Design, president

university to study art history, I made a living

of the International Society of Typographic


DESIGNER 11

MATION CHITECT Designers and a board member of ATypI. His

sees himself as more of a problem solver than

book, Stop Stealing Sheep, first published in

an artist. His process for beginning a new type-

1993, has sold over 150,000 copies and is cur-

face is simple and straightforward. “Identify

rently in its second edition. He withdrew from

a problem­­–like space saving, bad paper, low

the management of MetaDesign in 2000 to

resolution, on-screen use–then find typefaces

work on a new project: The United Designers

that almost work but could be improved,” he

Network, a collaboration of many designers

explains. “Study them. Note the approaches

he has worked with over the years. When it

and failings. Sleep on it, then start sketching

comes to the design of typefaces, Spiekermann

without looking at anything else.”


BIBLIOGRAPHY

REFERENCES

Sweet, Fay. MetaDesign: Design from the Word

1 Fonts.com, Available at http://www.fonts.

up. New York: Watson-Guptil Publications,

com/AboutFonts/DesignerProfiles/ErikSpieker-

1999. (A&A: VNC999.6.G4 M48 1999 and Vault)

mann.htm Accessed November 1, 2005

Spiekermann, Erik and Ginger, E.M. Stop Steal-

2 Leland M. Hill. Revival of the Fittest: Digital

ing Sheep & Find out how Type Works. USA:

Versions of Classic Typefaces (New York: RC

Hayden, 1993. (Vault)

Publications), 142-143.

Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic

3 Ibid., 143, 144.

Typefaces/essays by Carolyn Annand ... [et al.];

4 Ibid., 145.

edited by Philip B. Meggs and Roy McKelvey, New York: RC Publications, c2000. (A&A: Z250 .R45 2000)



Book Designed by Emily Duncan for Typography I, Spring 2015 Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts Washington University in St. Louis Text set in Meta Bold and Meta Book with appearances of Helvetica Neue and Gill Sans

COLOPHON COLOPHON COLOPHON COLOPHON COLOPHON COLOPHON COLOPHON


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