WILLIAM
MORRIS
and the Golden Type
WILLIAM
MORRIS
and the Golden Type justin tran
COPYRIGHT ® 2017 JUSTIN TRAN RESEARCH COPYRIGHT ® 2017 JUSIN TRAN a
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ISBN 0-1234567-8-9
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Contents 1
Introduction
2
Biography
9
Artistic Careers
15
Rising Challenges
22
Golden Type
27
Technology
29
Use of Typeface
30
Conclusion
32
Bibliography
• Introduction 1
public. However, for a period of time, roman typefaces remained unpopular until the revival of romanticism. This concept interested William Morris. He was a significant figure, most famous as the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement and with multiple talents for architecture, interior and textile design, poetry, philosophy, and social activism. He was attracted to beauty in the world and was determined to press this principle in his making of art. Growing up with the advent of the industrial revolution – hasty pace of mass and cheap production – William Morris looked back at the medieval age. In light of encouraging the idea of beautiful fundamentals, he found inspiration
There is no excuse for doing anything and used them to create the Golden Type. William Morris’ love for medieval art brought back quality in book printing and the Golden Type modernized
which is not strikingly beautiful. the concept of beautiful type design. But no matter how successful one became, it all started at a small town in England.
–william morris
william morris and the golden type
Roman typefaces are commonly used among the design community as well as general
• Biography william morris and the golden type
2
William Morris (Figure 1) was born in Walthamstow, East London in 1834. Morris came from a wealthy British family. He led a privileged childhood in his family home of Woodford Hall located in the Essex Village. His family’s wealth and a large income inherited from his father meant that Morris would never need to earn a salary. From his residence at the country house, Morris time spent exploring local parkland, forest, and churches. His imagination grew strong as he entered youth.1 Morris was not expected to follow an
Morris developed an enthusiasm for artistic career. At the age of thirteen, Morris was admitted to attend at Marlborough College to study academic subjects with other affluent students.
nature and an early affinity with landDespite having a decent education in classical studies, Morris stated he learned next to nothing and later expressed the resentment towards his time
scape, buildings and historical romance. spent there. His greatest enjoyment at the school was the time he would walk in the Wiltshire countryside, on the Downs, in the Savernake Forest. It enhanced his growing love of nature and later influenced his design work. In January 1853, Morris attended Exeter College of the famous Oxford
1. Stephen J. Eskilson. Graphic Design A New History. (Published in 2012.) 53
3 william morris and the golden type
Figure 1 William Morris
University (Figure 2). Here, he found his interests in romanticism and medieval arts broadened. At first, Morris and his family expected his position as a clergyman because of religious influences ferment at that time. But he would soon meet Edward Burne-Jones (Figure 3), an incredible up-rising painter, and a fellow medievalism enthusiast. They quickly get acquainted and became the greatest of friends with passion dwelled in the world of the arts rather than religious studies.2
2. Peter Stansky. Morris, Williams. Grove Art Online. (Published in 2003. Accessed on February 27, 2018.)
william morris and the golden type
4
Morris, however, was becoming increasingly aware of social ethics and
Figure 2
politics. He read and studied the works of John Ruskin (Figure 4), a socialist
Oxford University
philosopher, who he would describe as a sort of revelation. The philosophy was based on constructing new social order based on the union of art and labor to serve society.3 According to Ruskin, separation of art and society began after Renaissance resulted in debased society and culture. The artist was isolated from society and resulting in engineering art instead of careful crafting and composed aesthetics. Perhaps the most important belief that Ruskin passed onto Morris was the values of beauty and its relationship between art and society.4
Beautiful things were beautiful and usable precisely because they are beautiful. From Ruskin, Morris learned about a deeper dissatisfaction with the English society that was being contested in 19th-century and he also developed a deep interest in the worker’s relationship with work. He found satisfaction delivered from all types of work, particularly artistic. He found a special
3. Small, James. Origins and Issues in Design. Lecture Presentation, (University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Fall 2017.)
4. Ibid
Figure 3 Edward Burne-Jones (left) Figure 4 John Ruskin (right) 5
began to practice his interests in the arts. He started his literary career at the very Oxford University and wrote with his thoughts, his beliefs, and his philosophy. Poetry was perhaps his utmost excellent aspect in writing, as his poems would be called as works of the Poet Laureate. Morris promoted the 12 issues of the Oxford and Cambridge Magazine as a vehicle for the literary
efforts of his friends and himself. Many of his early shorter poems, now held to be his best, were collected in “The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems”, dedicated to Dante Gabriel Rossetti and published in 1858. He wrote an article about his work in Oxford to G. E. Street, the Gothic Revival architect. Street influenced Morris with not only in his style but also the introduction to ‘total’ building, a belief that every single aspect of a building is important and must be understood by the architect. He was strongly believed in the great artistic concept from the making of buildings and books. He trained with Street for only nine months but considerably achieved with great improvements beyond expectations.5
5. Stansky. Morris, Williams. Grove Art Online.
william morris and the golden type
correlation between art and society as intertwined with one another. Morris
Figure 5 William Morris’ Decor
• Artistic
Careers 7
Edward Burne-Jones and proceeded to continue art and design. While rooming with Burne-Jones, Morris took interest in decorating the interiors of his living space. In his opinion, the displays were tacky and dissatisfied, causing his multiple attempts to design and create his furnishing decorations (Figure 5).6 He studied and looked back at the medieval time to find creative reference
Some could argue the beginning and created his inspired furniture in accordance. Morris kept the spirit of gothic style and love of nature into consideration. He was very interested in
of Morris’ finding the true artistic the ideas of images from the medieval age with romantic vision and peaceful lifestyle. He believed in order to create inspiring and elevating paintings, one
career was the frustration and must live and work with decent furniture in the surroundings. Morris would come up with the designs, then pass on the decoration to Edward Burne-
disapproval of furniture available Jones or Rossetti. His friends remarked the way he furnished their studio as intensely medieval and plant-like style (Figure 6 and 7). These were later
in the shops.
6. Jubert, Roxane. Typography and Graphic Design, from Antiquity to the Present. (Translated by Businberre and Radzinowicz. Flammarion, Paris, 2006.) 110
7. Stansky. Morris, Williams. Grove Art Online.
william morris and the golden type
After the training, William Morris moved to London with his close friend
william morris and the golden type
8
claimed to be the first Arts and Crafts furniture.7Morris met Jane Burden
Figure 6
(Figure 8) and married her in 1859. She inspired Morris to dwell deeper into
Pattern Design
his love of medieval art, not only because of her elegant beauty but their
(left)
marriage also caused him to move out from the studio and enthused the thoughts of making his own residency. Morris took this independent chance
Figure 7
to create an impressive remark that represented the taste of medieval art.
Textile Design
He commissioned his architect friend Philip Webb, whom he met during the
(right)
time working along with G.E. Street, to build the Red House for his residence in Bexleyheath, Kent (Figure 9). It is important to grasp the significance of the Red House and how it drove Morris’ design further on with his career.
He strived for a medieval look, a Gothic beauty, and an immitation of the relic from the Middle Ages. His design philosophy was based on the need for interior space, in which interior dictates how the exterior looks. They invoked the Neo-Gothic style, bright colors, and hand-made quality, even when all works were made by
9 william morris and the golden type
Figure 8 Jane Morris
industrial machines. The importance and originality of the Red House have received compliments and applause from scholars for high medieval spirit. There is no question that it was a successful building in itself because of the simplified Gothic style voicing echoes the purity of medievalism without being assorted or mixed (Figure 10). Although the house was primarily built by his architct friend, Morris took the opportunity to furnish and decorate the interior himself. It led to the founding of the design firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. in 1861.8 At this point, Morris ended the apprenticeship and started coming into his own.
8. Stansky. Morris, Williams. Grove Art Online.
Figure 9 Red House Figure 10 Red House Interior
• Rising
Challenges 11
collaboration with others, although Morris was the most active figure. His dear friends managed to contributed in producing works, but Morris was the dominant designer. This was acknowledged when Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was reorganized in 1875 as Morris & Co. The firm struggled multiple times to find agreements and meeting the expectations of the leadership, but Morris remained persistent on the ideal of working in a group. This story was stated expressively in “News from Nowhere, a picture of Utopia,� which became his most famous work.9 Morris, with a little bit of youth arrogance in his tone, expressed Artists of reputation should devote their time to it. He thought designs at the time were fanciful but stale and degraded. Designed objects were mainly commissioned to show off the wealthy, abundance of the purchaser but not as art itself. Morris referred back to the philosophy of John Ruskin: separation of art and society began after Renaissance resulted in debased society and debased culture.10 He started to evolve his style by moving towards simplicity. His inspiration drew towards the interior and textile designs. Morris produced furniture, embroidery, wallpaper and pattern designs. A large number of his works was alternative samples to the traditional designs, but as mentioned, more simplistic.
9. Miller, Elizabeth Caroline. William Morris, Print Culture, and the Politics of Aestheticism. (Published by Johns Hopkins University Press. 2008.) 477
10. James. Origins and Issues in Design. Lecture Presentation.
william morris and the golden type
Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. started off as a
william morris and the golden type
12
For example, his chair was inspired by Webb’s chair but was larger and more simplistic. Morris’ chair had an adjustable back and was most importantly, comfortable. His chairs are cushioned with floral and plant-like designs, a pattern that developed and followed Morris since adolescence from his love of nature and medieval art (Figure 11). Morris has always believed in individuals could be able to adapt many forms of arts, and he proved himself to this standard of belief. While he was producing arts and crafts, he was still active with writing poems, as he was more involved in the alignment or
In the decade of 1870s, Morris sold his Red House and moved his family to London, renting and residing in the Kelmscott Manor. arrangement of the poems. Morris cared a lot about the matter of craftsmanship.11 Morris would continue to spend time on his designing firm, but also trying to find new interests when not working on the producing stage. He would also dedicate his Sundays to refining calligraphy and preaching Socialism, from which he plunged deeper into social activities and
11. Stansky. Morris, Williams. Grove Art Online.
Figure 11
13
William Morris’ Chair
multiple events, including environmentalism, laborer, and art and society focuses. Through his public involvement, especially the time spending in matters of architecture, Morris was more aware of capitalists being more interested in profits than preservation. He became disappointed and disheartened at parliamentary politics for having hopes of ending class division. In 1884 he helped set up a new group called the Socialist League. Morris gave speeches and preached about lectures, politics and also arts. He was one of the few designers who cared to talk about the values of crafting principles. He called for individual expression and a great lover of simplicity and living in simplicity without depending on money as highest priority.12 However, due to Morris’ wealthy life, saying ‘living simply’ did not apply to the majority of people which he caused controversy among the debaters. The Socialist League came to be chaotic, thriving heated, extreme discussions that Morris was not able to keep up. In 1890, he left the organization, but now more determined than ever, he pressed on with his philosophy and beliefs with him. From the rise of the Industrial Revolution, mass production was largely available but came with poor quality. The Victorian industrial era supported the consumer-supplier relationship, which
12. Fryberger, Betsy G. William Morris & The Art of The Book. (Published by Art in Print Review. 1976) 133
13. Eskilson. Graphic Design A New History. 54
william morris and the golden type
public matters. Politics became very important to him and he participated in
Figure 12 The Wood Beyond The World by William Morris
Figure 13 The Story Of The Glittering Plain by William Morris (back)
Morris established a printing press in the Kelmscott Manor, which was as known as the Kelmscott Press.
burning passion for arts and politics, Morris created the Arts and Crafts Movement. Here, Morris combined socialist ideas and romantic utopianism to welcome movement followers, who would share a similar vision of a world in which art is displayed and demanded by all. Morris had strong opinions about the poor design of current mass-produced books and strong reaction to it.14 He printed limited-edition books with handmade paper to promote beauty, while at the same time they should be easy to read and should not dazzle the eye without confusing the reader by the unconventionality of letterforms (Figure 12). The Kelmscott Press also featured works by other Arts and Crafts designers, including Arthur Mackmurdo, Walter Crane, and Geoffrey Chaucer. Morris hoped to bring back the fifteenth-century book form as he saw it as a well-balanced aesthetic element with an excelling function of legibility. He produced hundreds of book copies with different type designs, featuring the outstanding historicist design, intertwining ornate, and graceful dropped capitals with the rectangular block of text. Morris’ first production was the print of “The Story of the Glittering Plain” in 1894 (Figure 13). It features the Arts and Crafts style with legibility and decoration with framed borders, generous margins, and contrast in values.15
14. Stansky. Morris, Williams. Grove Art Online.
15. Ibid
william morris and the golden type
Morris highly opposed.13 Learning from his mistakes combining with a
15
• Golden
Type
william morris and the golden type
18
Of all the numerous typefaces he designed, Morris also created the Golden Type. It was a roman type deriving from Nicolas Jenson’s Jenson-Eusibius, a 15th-century type. Morris had a library with access to magnificent medieval manuscripts and incunabula tomes with beautifully controlled text and embellished, delicate borders. His reason behind the inspiration was the admiration of the severe and solid qualities, without thickening or thinning the line. Morris purchased Jenson’s prints then used the photographic enlargements to study and design his own type. The development of the Golden Type was to use for the printing of the “Golden Legend” by Jacobus de Voragine (Figure 14).16
Figure 14 Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine printed by William Morris
16. Ibid
19
william morris and the golden type
20
The Roman type classification features typefaces with serif forms: the faces
Figure 15
with small lines attached to the ends of the strokes in a letter. Jenson-
Jenson-Eusibius (left)
Jenson-Eusibius, 15th century
Eusebius featured light, Old Style open letters that were
both highly legible and beautiful (Figure 15). The typeface had thicker stems, spines and crossbars. The descenders seemed to extend longer in comparison to the ascenders. The cap line appeared lower than the ascender line, but an uppercase letter took up almost twice the space of a lowercase letter. The contrast in forms and the sloping stress are both derived from writing with a quill pen. Jenson developed his typeface by using the advantage of a metalworker. The technology of engraving metal punches helped Jenson to achieve the smooth, flowing forms and good color. The Golden Type (Figure 16) shared similarities with Jenson-Eusebius in
Figure 16
terms of open letters and ‘beautiful’ characteristics. However, there are
Golden Type (right)
noticeable differences between the two typefaces. Golden Type had
Golden Type, 19th century
thick stems with wide spines and crossbars, but the contrasts among the strokes seemed less obvious. The descenders’ length seemed similar in comparison with the ascenders. The cap line also appeared equal to the ascender line, but an uppercase letter still took up almost twice the space of a lowercase letter. The Golden Type’s serifs also looked different in form.
17. Eskilson. Graphic Design A New History. 17
21
serifs residing in the baseline, ascender line or descender line. Because of this, the typeface appears more geometric and symmetrical in comparison with Jenson-Eusebius. This characteristic is most obvious in the uppercase parameter and also shown in some lowercase letters. Golden Type did not have a strong sloping stress, therefore, losing the quality of quill writing. However, it represented a quality of ink pen, where strokes are bolder with heavier weight. Golden Type offered wider bowls, which stressed more into oval forms rather than elliptical. Its tails were thicker with curvy form but were less extended.
william morris and the golden type
Most letters, especially in the lower portion of the form, have rectangular
Figure 17 Maximillien Vox’s ATypI Chart
william morris and the golden type
22
As shown from above, in the Maximillien Vox’s ATypI system (Figure 17), Golden Type could be identified as Classical – Humanist. Golden Type derived from a classical, existent typeface from the Renaissance printer in 15th-century. Because that existent typeface, Jenson-Eusebius, was classified as the classical humanist typeface, therefore it is reasonable for Golden Typeface to be identified as such. Although this identity seemed acceptable and established, there appeared to be some characteristics from the Modern – Mechanistic category. The box-like serifs from Golden Type looked moderately similar to the slab serifs from the Egyptian typefaces, such as Rockwell. Co-existing with these displayed typefaces, Mechanistics could have potentially cast an influence on Morris when he was developing the Golden Type. At the beginning of the Golden Type production, Morris drew the design by hand. He would spend long hours studying the existing typeface and struggled
Golden Type could be identified as Classical – Humanist.
18. Meggs, Philip and Purvis, Alston. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. (Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New Jersey, 2012.) 92-393
• Technology 23
use Jenson’s work as a study, not for intentionally copying it.18 When he was finally satisfied with the drawings, Morris then passed them onto Edward Prince for cutting punches. The type was finally cast by the firm of Sir Charles Reed & Son in London.19 Because it was purposely made as a revival of a roman typeface, Golden Type adapted the Old Style arrangement and was used in a box of text. The limited boundary caused a shrink in space for text, restraining the kerning and leading among letters and words. More often, the text also shared space with decorating imagery or illustration, condensing words even further while placing them in a justified column. Morris carefully measured Golden Type’s forms and structures before the final product was going to print. His revival typeface had better proportions and spacing in comparison to Jenson-Eusebius with smooth and remarkable texture.20 It was one of Kelmscott Press’ most significant typefaces and the aspect of Arts and Crafts typography. During the time of Victorian Era, most
In summary, the type was made by multiple processes.
19. Roxane. Typography and Graphic Design, from Antiquity to the Present. 110
20. Philip and Alston. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. 392-393
william morris and the golden type
to design his own, especially concerned about its scale. His intention was to
printed materials offered little in the way of quality typesetting or elegant page layout. The book productions of Kelmscott Press brought back the high quality of expectation, featuring pages of texture, decoration, sense of order, clarity tones and legible text.21 Golden Type’s primary goal was to capture the beauty of incunabula with the purpose of bringing back design standard, careful workmanship that was before the industrial revolution. Its alphabet was utilized from the medieval or early Renaissance forms.
However, For an upcoming contemporary period of type design, the Golden Type did not utilize the negative space, especially the consideration of space around the letters.
21. James. Origins and Issues in Design. Lecture Presentation.
• Use
of Typeface 25
books were also printed using the Golden Type, such as “Poems by the Way”, “The Defence of Guenevere”, and “The Earthly Paradise”. Prints and books, as of now in the Kelmscott Press, once again became an art form. They inspired other printers to create boutique presses that published exquisitely designed books, such as limited edition set of the works of Shakespeares, printed by Vale Press of Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon.22 The Golden Type received controversial feedback from its critics. Some praised the typeface for its beautiful principles and a contribution to the Arts and Crafts movement, while others criticized its illegible forms and backward thinking. Nevertheless, Golden Type sparked a revival of interest in Jenson’s letterforms. It became an inspiration for designers who would follow Morris, such as Goudy (Figure 18), Benton, and Rogers (Figure 19), to develop their typefaces in the upcoming 20th.23
Figure 18
Figure 19
Centaur Roman (back left)
Goudy Old Style (back right)
22. Eskilson. Graphic Design A New History. 17
20. Philip and Alston. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. 393
william morris and the golden type
Not only used for the “Golden Legend” by Jacobus de Voragine, following
• Conclusion william morris and the golden type
28
William Morris’ love for nature and devotion to romanticism transformed to a great significance in the history of design. Without the spark of the Arts and Crafts principles, the return of roman typefaces may have been lost and type design could have steered into an inferior direction. Though the Golden Type have received controversial feedback, whether criticizing or praising, it was an importance act of looking back to learn from the good side of history. At the present period of time...
...Golden Type might not be as well known or popular in comparison to
significant as a case study for future development of type design.
william morris and the golden type
other roman typefaces, but it remained
29
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30
Boos, Florence. The Kelmscott Press.
Jubert, Roxane. Typography and Graphic
William Morris Archive. Accessed on
Design, from Antiquity to the Present.
March 13, 2018. http://morrisedition.
Translated by Businberre and
lib.uiowa.edu/BookArts/
Radzinowicz. Flammarion, Paris,
KelmscottPressIntro.html Chesire, Jim PhD. Print & Stereotyping:
2006. Meggs, Philip and Purvis, Alston. Meggs’
Tennyson’s Poetical Works as
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Published by Ticknor and Fields. the
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New
College of Arts, University of Lincoln. Accessed April 2018. http://www.
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victorianweb.org/authors/tennyson/
Print Culture, and the Politics of
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This monograph was set in Golden Type, Cochin and Baskerville (TT) Printed at Common Vision Designed by Justin Tran for ART430 Spring 2018 UMBC
william morris He was known as an English textile designer, poet, publisher, interior designer, and socialist activist. Morris founded British Arts and Crafts Movement, which he was a major contributor to spark the revival of romantic textile arts and traditional ways of production.