Electra type specimen book

Page 1

W.a. ggins Type Specimen Book

self-winding mechanisms

CalArts

ELECTRA

1935

Motion of the wearer’s arm, to provide energy to run the watch, making manual winding unnecessary.



W.A. Dwiggins

Is the designer of Electra, 1935. Dwiggins was known for many things: his illustration, calligraphy, advertising, book design and his puppet theater, Self-winding mechas well as the typefaces that we know him by. Chauncey Griffith, Director anisms continue of Typographic Development at the Linotype Company, kept the design working even after commissions, of telephone directory, newspaper and non-roman typefaces the mainspring is for himself, but he employed Dwiggins for the company’s commercial text fully wound up. efforts: Before the World War II, Dwiggins, was designed Metro, Electra, and Caledonia for

Linotype Company.

In the original specimen book for Electra, Dwiggins himself points out the type characteristics:” The wide top serifs of the straight letters of the lower case: is a thing that occurs when you are making formal letters with a pen, writing quickly. And the flat way the curves get away from the straight stems: that is cause by the speed.” Electra is not only a fine typeface but is equally responsive to the display sizes, Dwiggins explains the intention behind the type design: “...if you don’t get your type warm it will be just a smooth, commonplace, third-rate piece of good machine technique, no use at all for setting down warm human ideas, just a box full of rivets....I’d like to make it warm, so full of blood and personality that it would jump at you.”


SELF-WINDING WATCH: is a mechanical watch in which the mainspring is wound Dwiggins automatically as a result of natural

W.A.

Is the designer of Electra, 1935. Dwiggins was known for many things: his illustration, calligraphy, advertising, book design and his puppet theater, as well as the typefaces that we know him by. Chauncey Griffith, Director of Typographic Development at the Linotype Company, kept the design commissions, of telephone directory, newspaper and non-roman typefaces for himself, but he employed Dwiggins for the company’s commercial text efforts: Before the World War II, Dwiggins, was designed Metro, Electra, and Caledonia for

Linotype Company.

In the original specimen book for Electra, Dwiggins himself points out the type characteristics:” The wide top serifs of the straight letters of the lower case: is a thing that occurs when you are making formal letters with a pen, writing quickly. And the flat way the curves get away from the straight stems: that is cause by the speed.” Electra is not only a fine typeface but is equally responsive to the display sizes, Dwiggins explains the intention behind the type design: “...if you don’t get your type warm it will be just a smooth, commonplace, third-rate piece of good machine technique, no use at all for setting down warm human ideas, just a box full of rivets....I’d like to make it warm, so full of blood and personality that it would jump at you.”


In 1940, producing a typeface was by necessity a team effort: W. A. Dwiggins’s first letterform drawings were just the beginning of a long process that entailed redrawing the letters for production, engraving masters, and fitting the spacing within the fixed system of widths available on the Linotype machine. In 1940 producing a typeface was by necessity a team effort: W. A. Dwiggins’s first letterform drawings were just the beginning of a long that entailed redrawing the letters for production, engraving masters, and fitting the spacing within the fixed system of widths available on the Linotype machine.

Electra

Use synthetic oil; whether or not synthetic oils congeal is a point of contention among

The limitations of the Linotype machine shaped Electra in fundamental ways: letters such as f and j couldn’t extend past the side-bearings and overhang other letters. Common kerning pairs of letters such as av had to be cast as ligatures,they were rarely used, making unkerned text the norm. Finally, the most important limitation of all required that Roman and italic letters all had to fit on exactly the same widths.

This “duplexing” of letters onto the same widths allowed Roman and italic type to easily be mixed on the same line, which was and is important for everyday typography. Many typefaces available on the Linotype machine had been adapted from “cold metal,” or typesetting by hand, Many italics, were typically been much narrower than their Roman counterparts, became sadly distorted shape of their original designs when were adapted in maWatch which is neither self-winding nor electrically driven is called a manual watch. Most mechanical watches manufactured today are self-winding country. The Royal Marionettes performed at the Centenni-

al celebration in 1876, with George Middleton assisting his family. Middleton performed during the early years of the century and he was an honored speaker at the founding of Puppeteers of America. The Lano family, Nicholas Nelson, Walter

Deaves, Jesse and Mae Jewell, Lillian Faulkner, Len Ayres Mantell Manikins of vaudeville fame and George Pinxy Larsen’s Punch and Judy were all active in 1900. In New York, Boston, and San Francisco, small theatres showed Sicilian


Self-winding

mechanisms continue working even after the mainspring is fully wound up. If a simple mainspring was used, this would put excessive tension on the mainspring.

&

The original specimen book for Electra, Dwiggins himself points out the type characteristics:" The wide top serifs of the straight letters of the lower case: is a thing that occurs when you are making formal letters with a pen, writing quickly. And the flat way the curves get away from the straight stems: that is cause by the speed.�

Electra is not only a fine typeface but is equally responsive to the display sizes, Dwiggins explains the intention behind the type design: "...if you don't get your type warm it will be just a smooth, commonplace, third-rate piece of good machine technique, no use at all for setting down warm human ideas, just a box full of rivets....I'd like to make it warm, so full of blood and personality that it would jump at you.�

This could break the mainspring, and even if it did not, it would cause knocking or banking. The excessive drive force applied to the watch movement gear train could make the balance wheel rotate with excessive amplitude,

causing the impulse pin to hit the back of the pallet fork horns. This would make the watch run fast, and could break the impulse pin. To prevent this, a slipping clutch device is used on the mainspring so it cannot be overwound.


&


chine setting. Dwiggins’s typefaces were different, though: he knew about these limitations in advance and configured a set of tricks to make his italics look perfectly natural on the duplexed widths, although the formal integrity of some letters, notably f and j, were still compromised to an extent by the impossibility of overhanging. Electra has been a standard book

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Micro

Ampersand

Doble angle quotation

Typeface since its release, because as a text type it provides excellent legibility at small sizes. Its family offers a wide array: true-cut lowercase caps, old style figures, perfectly kerned, plus regular, italic, bold and bold italic. In both text and display use, Electra maintains its warmth, elegance and functionality.

Cause by the speed

Which is neither self-winding nor electrically driven is called a manual watch. Most mechanical watches manufactured today are self-winding country. The Royal Marionettes performed at the Centenni-

Q

al celebration in 1876, with George Middleton assisting his family. Middleton performed during the early years of the century and he was an honored speaker at the founding of Puppeteers of America. The Lano family, Nicholas Nelson, Walter

Deaves, Jesse and Mae Jewell, Lillian Faulkner, Len Ayres Mantell Manikins of vaudeville fame and George Pinxy Larsen’s Punch and Judy were all active in 1900. In New York, Boston, and San Francisco, small theatres showed Sicilian mario-


ABCDEF GHIJKL MNOPQ RSTUV WXYZ abcdef

ghijkl

mnopq

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Motion Motionofofthe the wearer’s wearer’sarm, arm,toto provide provideenergy energy totorun runthe thewatch, watch, making makingmanual manual winding windingunnecesunnecessary. sary.AAmechanical mechanical


§

Section

W.A. Dwiggins is the designer of Electra, 1935. Dwiggins was

known for many things: his illustration, calligraphy, advertising, book design and his puppet theater, as well as the typefaces that we know him by. Chauncey Griffith, Director of Typographic Development at the Linotype Company, kept the design commissions, of telephone directory, newspaper and non-roman typefaces for himself, but he employed Dwiggins for the company’s commercial text efforts: Before the World War II, Dwiggins, was designed Metro, Electra, and Caledonia for Linotype Company.

In the original specimen book for Electra, Dwiggins himself points out the type characteristics:" The wide top serifs of the straight letters of the lower case: is a thing that occurs when you are making formal letters with a pen, writing quickly. And the flat way the curves get away from the straight stems: that is cause by the speed.”


THE Spiral MAINSPRI

&

to a ratcheted winding mechanism. The motion of the wearer's arm is thereby translated into circular motion of the rotor which, through a series of reverser and reducing gears, eventually winds the mainspring. There are many

different designs for modern self-winding mechanisms. Some designs allow winding of the watch to take place while the rotor swings in only one direction while other, more advanced, mechanisms have two ratchets and wind

the mainspring during both clockwise and counterclockwise rotor motions. The fully wound mainspring in a typical watch can store enough energy reserve for roughly two days, allowing the watch to keep running through


device was patented by Adrien Philippe, one of the founders of Patek Philippe, on 16 June 1863, long before self-winding

has been a standard book typeface since its release, because as a text type it provides excellent legibility at small sizes. Its family offers a wide array: true-cut lowercase caps, old style figures, perfectly kerned, plus regular, italic, bold and bold italic. In both text and display use, Electra maintains its warmth, elegance and functionality.

{|} ÒÓÔÕÖØ òóôõöø Vertical line and Curly Bracket

Grave

Circumflex

Acute

Diaeresis

Tilde

Stroke

Capital ligature OE

Cause by the speed

J


The "slipping mainspring"


ING


Celebration in 1876, with George Middleton assisting his family. Middleton performed during the early years of the century and he was an honored speaker at the founding of Puppeteers of America. The Lano family, Nicholas Nelson, Walter

Deaves, Jesse and Mae Jewell, Lillian Faulkner, Len Ayres Mantell Manikins of vaudeville fame and George Pinxy Larsen’s Punch and Judy were all active in 1900. In New York, Boston, and San Francisco, small theatres showed Sicilian


E

lectra is not only a fine typeface but is equally responsive to the display sizes, Dwiggins explains the intention behind the type design: "...if you don't get your type warm it will be just a smooth, commonplace, third-rate piece of good machine technique, no use at all for setting down warm human ideas, just a box full of rivets....I'd like to make it warm, so full of blood and personality that it would jump at you.

In 1940, producing a typeface was by necessity a team effort: W. A. Dwiggins’s first letterform drawings were just the beginning of a long process that entailed redrawing the letters for production, engraving masters, and fitting the spacing within the fixed system of widths available on the Linotype machine. The limitations of the Linotype machine shaped Electra in fundamental ways: letters such as f and j couldn’t extend past the side-bearings and overhang other letters. Common kerning pairs of letters such as av had to be cast as ligatures,they were rarely used, making unkerned text the norm. Finally, the most important limitation of all required that Roman and


Cause by the speed

Can also be wound manually by turning the crown, so the watch can be kept running when not worn, and in case the wearer's wrist motions are not sufficient to keep it wound automatically. Self-winding mechanisms continue working even after the

mainspring is fully wound up. If a simple mainspring was used, this would put excessive tension on the mainspring. This could break the mainspring, and even if it did not, it would cause knocking or banking. The excessive drive force

applied to the watch movement gear train could make the balance wheel rotate with excessive amplitude, causing the impulse pin to hit the back of the pallet fork horns. This would make the watch run fast, and could break the impulse pin. To prevent this,


l i noty p e

l i n ot ype


m a ch in e

m ach ine


Watch M

End Of T

Tached T


IN AN ORDINARY

Mainspring

BARREL, THE OUTER

The Spiral

MAINSPRING IS AT

To The In

SIDE OF THE BARREL. And further winding pulls the bridle loose from the notches and it simply slides along the wall, preventing the mainspring from being wound further. The bridle must grip the barrel wall with just the right force to allow the mainspring to wind fully

As long as the mainspring is less than fully wound, the bridle holds the mainspring by friction to the barrel wall, allowing the mainspring to be wound. When the mainspring reaches full wind, its force is stronger than the bridle spring,

In the slipping barrel, the mainspring is attached to a circular steel expansion spring, often called the 'bridle', which presses against the inside wall of the barrel, which has serrations or notches to hold it.


Watch experts. A vice (which involv assembly, cleanin re-lubrication) sh be performed at l every five years Watch winders are avail able to store automatic watches and keep them wound for people Who do not wear their automatic watches every day. This is particularly advantageous where a watch has

A further advantage of this device is that the mainspring cannot be broken by excessive manual winding. This feature is often described in watch company advertising as an "unbreakable mainspring".Watch winders.

But not overwind. If it grips too loosely, the bridle will begin to slip before the mainspring is fully wound, a defect known as 'mainspring creep' which results in a shortened reserve power time.


W.A. Dwiggins is the designer of Electra, 1935. Dwiggins was known for many things: his illustration, calligraphy, advertising, book design and his puppet theater, as well as the typefaces that we know him by. Chauncey Griffith, Director of Typographic Development at the Linotype Company, kept the design commissions, of telephone directory, newspaper and non-roman typefaces for himself, but he employed Dwiggins for the company’s

full serves disng and hould least


86 9 7 Complications, such as perpetual calendars or moon phases. A watch winder can hold one or more watches and move them in circular patterns or oscillating patterns to approximate the human movement which keeps the watch

wound. This movement is what keeps the self-winding mechanism working when it is worn. A special variation of a watch winder is also available to keep non-automatic (hand wound) watches wound by rotating the watch crown periodically. Older


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Self-windin anisms con working eve the mainsp fully wound

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Capital ligature OE

Ligature fi

Ligature fl

Complications, such as perpetual calendars or moon phases. A watch winder can hold one or more watches and move them in circular patterns or oscillating patterns to approximate the human movement which keeps the watch wound.


ng mechntinue en after pring is d up.


W. Dwig


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