META
Creator Erik Spiekermann, born in 1947, calls himself an information architect. He is equally comfortable and prolific as a writer, graphic and typeface designer, but type is always at the epicenter of this communication dynamo. Even as a child, Spiekermann was drawn to the typographic arts. “I had a little printing press and taught myself to set type when I was twelve,” he recalls. “Years later, when I went to university to study art history, I made a living as a letterpress printer and hot metal typesetter.” In 1988, Spiekermann started FontShop, a digital typeface foundry and distributor of fonts. Spiekermann currently holds
a professorship at the Academy of Arts in Bremen, is vice president of the German Design council, president of the esteemed International Institute of Information Design, president of the International Society of Typographic Designers and a board member of ATypI. His book, Stop Stealing Sheep, first published in 1993, has sold over 150,000 copies and is currently in its second edition. He withdrew from the management of MetaDesign in 2000 to work on a new project: The United Designers Network, a collaboration of many designers he has worked with over the years.
and straightforward. “Identify a problem like space saving, bad paper, low resolution, on-screen use then find typefaces that almost work but could be improved,” he explains. “Study them. Note the approaches and failings. Sleep on it, then start sketching without looking at anything else.”1
When it comes to the design of typefaces, Spiekermann sees himself as more of a problem solver than an artist. His process for beginning a new typeface is simple
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Origins of Meta In 1984, the German State Post Office, known as the Budespost, was persuaded by Erik Spiekermann of MetaDesign to commission a new, exclusive font for use on all of the Budespost’s printed material. The aim of the project, which began in 1985, was to develop a face that was easy to read in small sizes, available in several weights, unmistakable as an identity, and technologically up-to-date. 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.
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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.2
Meta (Book Roman) Meta (Book Italic) Meta (Serif Book) Meta (Serif Book Italic) Meta (Bold Roman) Meta (Bold Italic)
Meta Meta Meta Meta Meta Meta
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
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Characteristics As for the construction of the letterforms, Meta has capitals with flat apices, similar to those of Helvetica. It has a wider opening in the C, which also has angled finials. Angled finials also occur in the top strokes of the E, F, G, and on both ends of the S. The E has an extended base, while the base of the G has no spur and the J, no loop. The K has one junction, and the junction of the M rests on the baseline, like Helvetica, except that Meta stems are oblique. The tail of the Q is wavy and the leg of the R is slightly curved. The junction and base of the W are both flat.
The Q has a wavy tail.
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The R has a curved leg.
A closer look at the M shows the flat apices that characterize Meta.
The E illustrates an angled finial and has a base that extends past the top finial.
The G also has an angled finial but lacks the spur found in other typefaces.
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The Z has angled finials on both ends, unlike the lowercase z, which has an upright finial at the top and an angled finial at the bottom. 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.3
The joint of the lowercase y in Meta is not fully connected. The y like the w and v has a slightly angled finial at the top but is not as slanted and the T or E.
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The b in meta is a good example of the bent ascender that many letters share.
Meta’s lowercase g is an interesting letter because of its ear and double story. Its open bowl also distinguishes it from other typefaces.
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Comparison Other distinguishing features include the double-storied g that has a highly unusual open bowl. This is a feature shared by the transitional typefaces Baskerville and Cheltenham; only a few other sans-serif typefaces, such as Kabel, have this feature. The l has a slight curved tail and the y has an offset junction. Overall, Meta is a more condensed face than Helvetica, and it has only a slightly lower x-height. Both Meta and Helvetica have thin shoulders. While the dots of Meta letterforms and punctuation are rounded, Helvetica has square dots. The nuanced construction of the Meta typefaces sets it apart from Helvetica’s regularized structure, creating the face’s appealing personality.4
Meta
Helvetica
Futura 8
Meta has angled finials while Helvetica and Futura only have vertical or horizontal finials. This gives meta a more playful feeling while Helvetica is more serious. The a of Futura has a single round bowl that is very different from the bowls of the other two typefaces.
Meta is Condensed Meta is Condensed Meta is Condensed Above: Meta is a condensed typeface good for small point sizes. Here the dotted line is used to show the length of this line of type set in Meta in comparison to the two other typefaces.
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Xx Xx Xx
Meta
Helvetica
Futura
Meta has a lower x-height than Helvetica and a taller x-height than Futura.
Mm Mm Mm
Meta and Helvetica share the same flat apices and baseline junctions. Futura has pointed junctions that extend past the baseline and Cap line of Meta. In lower case letters like m, h, and n Meta, Futura, and Helvetica share thin shoulder.
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“I’m obviously a typeomaniac, which is an incurable if not mortal disease. I can’t explain it. I just love, I just like looking at type. I just get a total kick out of it: they are my friends. Other people look at bottles of wine or whatever, or, you know, girls’ bottoms. I get kicks out of looking at type. It’s a little worrying, I admit, but it’s a very nerdish thing to do.” Erik Spiekermann
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Bibliography Sweet, Fay. MetaDesign: Design from the Word up. New York: Watson-Guptil Publications, 1999. (A&A: VNC999.6.G4 M48 1999 and Vault) Spiekermann, Erik and Ginger, E.M. Stop Stealing Sheep & Find out how Type Works. USA: Hayden, 1993. (Vault) Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces/essays by Carolyn Annand ... [et al.]; edited by Philip B. Meggs and Roy McKelvey, New York: RC Publications, c2000. (A&A: Z250 .R45 2000) http://www.linotype.com http://www.fonts.com http://www.fontfont.com http://www.typography.com
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First Edition Designed by Maggie Edelman at the Washingon University Sam Fox School of Visual Art and Design. This book was set in Meta Book , Bold, and Italic. Helvetica and Futura. It was printed on Construction Whitewash 70T in the spring of 2014.