Whitney Specimen

Whitney

W

Designer: Tobias Frere-Jones Foundry: Hoefle & Frere-Jones

Overview

Whitney: clear for signage, compact for print.

A type family originally developed for New York’s Whitney Museum, designed by Tobias Frere-Jones, who works in t he Hoefle&Frere-Jones Foundry. Whitney contends with two different sets of demands: those of editorial typography, and those of public signage.

Typefaces for catalogs and brochures need to be narrow enough to work in crowded environments, yet energetic enough to encourage extended reading. But typefaces designed for wayfinding programs need to be open enough to be legible at a distance, and sturdy enough to withstand a variety of fabrication techniques: fonts destined for signage need to anticipate being cast in bronze, etched in glass, cut in vinyl, and rendered in pixels.

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic (1908) have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger (1975) have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently, and its ample counters and open shapes make it clear under any circumstances.

Economy

Crowd control Typefaces designed for extended reading need to be narrow enough to work in congested environments, yet energetic enough to encourage extended reading.

Clarity

Clarity that invites and sustains Since the brief for Whitney included a range of signage applications, its forms were shaped with both distance reading and material fabrication in mind. Each of Whitney’s design strategies serves the font in both two and three dimensions.

Indices

Indices Whether it’s enumerating the steps in a recipe, labelling a diagram, or marking key places on a map, a set of circled numbers — known as indices — comes in handy. Whitney provides them pre-assembled in sixteen different styles.

Numerics

Numbers for every occasion.

With numbers for text, titles, and tables, as well as fractions, symbols, and indices, Whitney contains more kinds of numbers than any other font in our library.

x Height: Maximal Lowercase 65/78

13 Shapes

Terminals: Extroversion 65/78

13 Shapes

Character Widths: Compact Widths 65/78

13 Shapes

Shears: Active Terminals 65/78

13 Shapes

Branches: Articulate Branches 65/78

13 Shapes

Upright 12/8,5

Whitney light Whitney Book Whitney Medium Whitney Semibold Whitney Bold Whitney Black

ABC abc ABC abc123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123

Italic 12/8,5

Whitney light Whitney Book Whitney Medium Whitney Semibold Whitney Bold Whitney Black

ABC abc ABC abc123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123

Condensed 12/8,5

Whintey Light Whitney Book Whitney Medium Whitney Semibold Whitney Bold Whitney Black

ABC abc ABC abc123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123

Sc 12/8,5

Whitney LightSC Whitney BookSC Whitney MediumSC Whitney SemiboldSC Whitney BoldSC Whitney Black SC

ABC abc ABC abc123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123

Sc Italic 12/8,5

Whitney LightSC Whitney BookSC Whitney MediumSC Whitney SemiboldSC Whitney BoldSC Whitney Black SC

ABC abc ABC abc123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123 ABC abc ABC abc 123

Light 75/109

Book 75/109

Medium 75/109

Semibold 75/109

Bold 75/109

Black 75/109

Whitney Whitney Whitney Whitney Whitney Whitney

Whitney in Use

WHITNEY MUSEUM

Kodak

AmericanAirlines DELTA AIR LINES Hotel & Resorts Boston University

Whitney Light 8/9,6

Whitney

Whitney Light 10/12

Whitney

Whitney Light 12/14,9

Whitney

Whitney Light 14/16,8

Whitney

Whitney Light 18/21,6

Whitney

Whitney Light 24/28,8

Whitney

Whitney Light 30/36

Whitney

Whitney Light 36/43,2

Whitney

Whitney Light 48/57,6

Whitney Light 55/66

Whitney Light 60/72

Whitney

Whitney

Whitney

Characters 18/21,6

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv wxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS TUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv wxyz

Numbers 18/21,6

1234567890 1234567890

Superscript/Subscript 18/21,6

JABCDEFGHI

Fractions 18/21,6

QWRTYUO PSKLXVN M

Glyphs 18/21,6

ÀÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏÒÓÔ ÕÖØÙÚÛÜÝ àáâäãåæçèéêëìíîïòóôõöø ùúûüýÿ Þ!?ŒĐ&ŁÑZœ&ŠšŽž ()[]{}!?¿/+- %=µ *¨^ˇ˙¯˚˜˝‘“ ªº°ª◊™® ….:,;_¬ ·£$¤¢¥@©π# •¶§¦«»łı †‡

JABCDEFGHI

Numbers Overview

Whitney: Old-Style and Lining Figures Lining figures, standard in all editions of Whitney, are designed around the shapes of the uppercase. While lining figures are always recommended when setting in all caps, Whitney’s lining figures have been designed to a proportion that makes them attractive and useful in upper- and lowercase setting as well — especially useful in newsier contexts where old-style figures might seem quaint.

N 1234567890 Old-style figures, also known as “ranging figures” or “non-lining figures,” are numbers whose shapes are designed to harmonize with the proportions and rhythm of the lowercase. Old-style figures, intended for use in upper- and lowercase text, are essential when accompanying small caps; they’re especially useful for postal codes which contain both letters and numbers. Whitney’s Advanced and Pro editions include old-style figures in all twelve weights.

Nny 1234567890 Lining Figures Proportional 30/60

1234567890

Lining Figures Tabular 30/60

1234567890

Oldstyle Figures Proportional 30/60

1234567890

Oldstyle Figures Tabular 30/60

1234567890

Index Round Black Lt1 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyZ

Index Round Black Md 18/22

Abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Round Black Bd 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Round Black Lt2 18/22

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Index Round White Lt1 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Round White Md 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Round White Bd 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Round White Lt2 18/22

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Index Square Black Lt1 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyZ

Index Square Black Md 18/22

Abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Square Black Bd 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Square Black Lt2 18/22

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Index Square White Lt1 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Square White Md 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Square White Bd 18/22

abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

Index Square White Lt2 18/22

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Whitney Light 10/12

A type family originally developed for New York’s Whitney Museum, Whitney contends with two different sets of demands: those of editorial typography, and those of public signage.

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently.

Whitney Medium 10/12

A type family originally developed for New York’s Whitney Museum, Whitney contends with two different sets of demands: those of editorial typography, and those of public signage.

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently.

Whitney Semibold 10/12

A type family originally developed for New York’s Whitney Museum, Whitney contends with two different sets of demands: those of editorial typography, and those of public signage.

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently.

Whitney Bold 10/12

A type family originally developed for New York’s Whitney Museum, Whitney contends with two different sets of demands: those of editorial typography, and those of public signage.

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently.

Whitney Black 10/12

A type family originally developed for New York’s Whitney Museum, Whitney contends with two different sets of demands: those of editorial typography, and those of public signage.

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently.

Whitney Medium 8/9,6

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic (1908) have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger (1975) have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design.

Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently, and its ample counters and open shapes make it clear under any circumstances.

Whitney Medium 9/10,8

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic (1908) have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger (1975) have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently, and its ample counters and open shapes make it clear under any circumstances.

Whitney Medium 10/12

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic (1908) have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger (1975) have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently, and its ample counters and open shapes make it clear under any circumstances.

Whitney Medium 12/14,4

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic (1908) have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger (1975) have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently, and its ample counters and open shapes make it clear under any circumstances.

Whitney Medium 14/16,8

While American “gothics” such as News Gothic (1908) have long been a mainstay of editorial settings, and European “humanists” such as Frutiger (1975) have excelled in signage applications, Whitney bridges this divide in a single design. Its compact forms and broad x-height use space efficiently, and its ample counters and open shapes make it clear under any circumstances.

Whitney Book 24/28,8

A font that’s expected to perform in small sizes naturally does well with a large lowercase, which helps it look bigger than it really is.

Whitney Condensed Light 15/15,6

Because Whitney’s extroverted forms invite more white space into each letter, they make it possible for the letters themselves to become narrower — without ever feeling narrow. Whitney’s compact proportions are vital in tight columns, especially when the family’s heavier weights are used.

Whitney SC Semibold 12/14,4

Whitney typefaces designed for extended reading need to be narrow enough to work in congested environments, yet energetic enough to encourage extended reading.

Whitney Medium 10/12

Some of the world’s most common sans serifs have stroke endings that point inward, a technique that makes for handsome letters but ugly words.

Whitney’s stroke endings point outward toward their neighbors, a “social” attitude which helps bind letters into more coherent wordshapes, and guides the eye along the line.

These horizontal gestures also allow Whitney to comfortably accommodate more weight than many sans serifs, since even its heaviest strokes are never in danger of turning inwards.

A careless design motif can doom a sans serif to either blandness or eccentricity.

Whitney’s visual themes are

quiet but insistent, its steady use of the same recurring angle helping to give small size text a lively hum, and producing in larger sizes a subtle but identifiable feature of the design.

All of Whitney’s design themes — squarish curves, articulate branches, and extroverted terminals — are in the service of creating large counters. These large interior spaces maintain the font’s clarity at small sizes, helping defend against the effects of limited resolution (whether it’s a shortage of pixels or an abundance of ink.)

OpenType Features 72/79

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