Akzidenz-Grotesk Type Specimen by Melanie Dyson

Akzidenz-Grotesk

Akzidenz-Grotesk Type Specimen

Designer/Editor: Melanie Dyson 2010 Typography 1

ABCDE FGHIJK LMNOP QRSTU VWXYZ abcdef

[[ This book is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about the original sans and the most influential grotesque, Akzidenz-Grotesk.

“”

“It is the work of anonymous type cutters: craftsmen, specialists, whose professional background and experience meant they were familiar with the finest subtleties and principals, and not just those of Grotesque. They gave AkzidenzGrotesk the ultimate accolade a typeface can have: a functional, formal rightness, transcending the whims of fashion.” -Karl Gerstner, Swiss Graphic Designer

History

Type Family

Characteristics

Similarities

The Font

H. Berthold AG

Akzidenz-Grotesk was first released in 1898 under the name Accidenz-Grotesk. In German, Akzidenz means trade type and Grotesque means early sans serif.

Berthold is a name long associated with type design. H. Berthold AG was one of the largest and most successful type foundries in the world for most of the modern typographic era.

Akzidenz-Grotesk is a classic design in the truest sense of the word. It is timeless, authoritative and quietly elegant. It has served as the design foundation for many contemporary sans serif typefaces and was the first sans serif to be widely used around the world. Max Miedinger at the Haas Foundry used it as a model for the typeface Neue Haas Grotesk, released in 1957 and renamed Helvetica in 1960. Miedinger sought to refine the typeface making it more even and unified. Two other releases from 1957, Adrian Frutiger’s Univers and Bauer and Baum’s Folio, take inspiration from Akzidenz-Grotesk.

Established in 1858 by Hermann Berthold and based in Berlin, the company played a key role in the introduction of major new typefaces and was a successful player in the development of typesetting machines. The growth of H. Berthold AG’s large and distinguished library of original typefaces of uniform excellence has been directed by Günter Gerhard Lange. Lange supervised the production of the Berthold typeface library, that consisted of a series of exclusive designs as well as typefaces licensed from other foundries – comprising a total of more than 2000 typefaces, including Akzidenz-Grotesk, The H. Berthold foundry’s most celebrated family of typefaces.

10 pt

14 pt

18 pt

24 pt

30 pt

36 pt

48 pt

60 pt

72 pt

A G

AG 8

KZI DENZ GROTESK 9

Günter Gerhard Lange Günter Gerhard Lange was born in Frankfurt-an-der-Oder, Germany, in 1921. He was a soldier in the German army in World War Two. He suffered a serious injury, and loss his leg, leading to a medical discharge. In 1941 he embarked on a masters course at the Academy of Graphic Arts and the Book Trade in Leipzig. He studied calligraphy, typesetting, and printing In 1949 he moved to Berlin and enrolled at the University of Pictorial Arts, studying freelance art. After graduation his first major client was the typeface foundry, Berthold AG. He was promoted to artistic director in 1961 a position, which he held until 1990. He was not only the designer of classic typefaces such as Akzidenz-Grotesk BQ, Berthold Bodoni Old Face BQ, and Imago BQ, but also a communicator and teacher who was an inspiration to many young type designers.

December 2nd, 2008, Günter Gerhard Lange passed away in Munich at the age of 87. In his obituary he was referred to as one of the important type designers and typographers of the 20th century. Also appearing in his obituary was a quote from Yvonne SchwemerScheddin, a member of the presiding committee of the Association Typographique Internationalé. She stated: “Günter Gerhard Lange relentlessly encouraged the younger generations, teaching and counseling until almost the end. By doing so he opened doors, eyes and hearts to art, architecture, literature and typography. He transmitted the value of education and love for the minute details that are indispensable for the whole to function. We lost a passionate type lover and expert – an authentic man. An era has irreversible come to an end.”

Günter Gerhard Lange originally designed 33 different font styles for the Akzidenz-Grotesk family. Showcased here are 14 of the more popular styles available today. The typefaces’ font size is default at 11 pt. Light

Light Oldstyle Figures

Aa Jj Rr 1

Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Regular

Italic

Aa Jj Rr 1

Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Medium

Medium Italic

Aa Jj Rr 1

Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Bold

Bold Italic

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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Super

Light Extended

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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Extended

Medium Extended

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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Bold Extended

Bold Extended Italic

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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Glyphs and Special Characters in Akzidenz-Grotesk. The typefaces’ font size is default at 11 pt. The style Light Oldstyle Figures is ommited for the characters are the same as Light.

Light

Regular

! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ~ ` _ + = { } [ ] \ | : ; “ ‘ , < > . / ? ¿ ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¶ Ø Ð Ł À Ã ÄÅ Ç È Ë Ì Ï Ñ Ò Õ Ö Ù Ü Š Ÿ Ž à ã ä åçèëìïñòõöùüÿžƒœŒÞßµÆ

Italic

Medium

Bold

Bold Italic

! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ~ ` _ + = { } [ ] \ | : ; “ ‘ , < > . / ? ¿ ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¶ Ø Ð Ł À Ã ÄÅ Ç È Ë Ì Ï Ñ Ò Õ Ö ÙÜŠŸŽ àãäåçèëìïñò õ ö ù ü ÿ ž ƒ œ Œ Þ ß µ Æ

! @ + = ? ¿ À Ã Š Ÿ õ ö

# $ % ^ & * ( ) ~ ` _ { } [ ] \ | : ; “ ‘ , < > . / ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¶ Ø Ð Ł ÄÅ Ç È Ë Ì Ï Ñ Ò Õ Ö Ù Ü Ž à ã ä å ç è ë ì ï ñ ò ù ü ÿ ž ƒ œ Œ Þ ß µ Æ

Super

Light Extended

Extended

Medium Extended

! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ~ ` _ + = { } [ ] \ | : ; “ ‘ , < > . / ? ¿ ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¶ Ø Ð Ł À Ã ÄÅ Ç È Ë Ì Ï Ñ Ò Õ Ö Ù ÜŠŸŽ àãäåçèëìïñò õ ö ù ü ÿ ž ƒ œ Œ Þ ß µ Æ

Bold Extended

Bold Extended Italic

! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ~ ` _ + = { } [ ] \ | : ; “ ‘ , < > . / ? ¿ ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¶ Ø Ð Ł À Ã ÄÅ Ç È Ë Ì Ï Ñ Ò Õ Ö Ù ÜŠŸŽ àãäåçèëìïñ òõöùüÿžƒœŒÞßµÆ

A A

Comparison of weight changes shown through overlapping characters. Type size is 200 pt in various weights. Weights listed from front to back.

Medium Bold Super

Light Regular

Italic Medium Italic Bold Italic

Light Extended Extended Bold Extended

A A 16

These are the identifying features of Akzidenz-Grotesk and what makes the font unique. - Tail of uppercase Q does not cross the circle - Right-angle bar/spur at base of the uppercase G - Capital I is just a straight line - Middle of uppercase M descends to baseline - Uppercase J does not descend below baseline - Uppercase R has a straight leg - Single-story lowercase g (no lower ball) - Square dots on lowercase i and j - Double-story lowercase a - Uppercase R has a straight leg

Q G I MJR g i j a 18

Akzidenz-Groteskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heavy monotonous line and small aperture creates an image of strength, force, persistence, and very little refinement. That coarseness contributes to the typefaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effectiveness when it comes to headline use but takes away from its readability and usability when it comes to large amounts of text.

Headlines: Flush Left at 36 pt Akzidenz-Grotesk in various weights.

REGULAR MEDIUM MEDIUM ITALIC BOLD BOLD ITALIC SUPER EXTENDED 19

Text: Justified at 9 pt Akzidenz-Grotesk in various weights. Akzidenz-Grotesk Italic at 9 pt. Akzidenz-Grotesk’s heavy monotonous line and small aperture creates an image of strength, force, persistence, and very little refinement. That coarseness contributes to the typeface’s effectiveness when it comes to headline use but takes away from its readability and usability when it comes to large

Akzidenz-Grotesk Medium at 9 pt. Akzidenz-Grotesk’s heavy monotonous line and small aperture creates an image of strength, force, persistence, and very little refinement. That coarseness contributes to the typeface’s effectiveness when it comes to headline use but takes away from its readability and

Akzidenz-Grotesk Bold at 9 pt. Akzidenz-Grotesk’s heavy monotonous line and small aperture creates an image of strength, force, persistence, and very little refinement. That coarseness contributes to the typeface’s effectiveness when it comes to headline use but takes away

Akzidenz-Grotesk Extended at 9 pt. Akzidenz-Grotesk’s heavy monotonous line and small aperture creates an image of strength, force, persistence, and very little refinement. That coarseness contributes to the typeface’s effectiveness

Akzidenz-Grotesk Light at 9 pt. Akzidenz-Grotesk’s heavy monotonous line and small aperture creates an image of strength, force, persistence, and very little refinement. That coarseness contributes to the typeface’s effectiven ess when it comes to headline use but takes away from its readability and usability when it comes to large

Akzidenz-Grotesk Super at 9 pt. Akzidenz-Grotesk’s heavy monotonous line and small aperture creates an image of strength, force, persistence, and very little refinement. That coarseness contributes to the typeface’s effectiveness when it comes to headline use

Akzidenz-Grotesk is sometimes at first glance mistaken for the Helvetica or Univers typefaces. The differences between Akzidenz-Grotesk and Helvetica or Univers can be seen on the upper and lowercase C, G, J, R and Q. Akzidenz-Grotesk is generally thought to remain more circular whilst Helvetica and Univers have more consistency in weight. Aside from the subtle differences in these individual letters, Helvetica has a higher x-height than AkzidenzGrotesk. The general effect is that Helvetica appears more oblong while Akzidenz-Grotesk maintains circular counters and bowls.

Akzidenz Grotesk

Cc Gg Jj Rr Qq 2 7

Helvetica

Cc Gg Jj Rr Qq 2 7

Univers

Cc Gg Jj Rr Qq 2 7 22

Melanie Dyson Akzidenz-Grotesk G端nter Gerhard Lange Copies: 2 December 2010 Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akzidenz-Grotesk http://new.myfonts.com/foundry/H._Berthold_AG/ http://www.identifont.com/show?13Y http://www.rightreading.com/typehead/akzidenz_grotesque.htm http://fontfeed.com/archives/gunter-gerhard-lange-passes-away-at-87/ http://issuu.com/clvj86/docs/type_specimen_book_final