An exploration of the history, usage and terminology of type as used in the graphic arts
Curlz is a whimsical serif typeface designed by Carl Crossgrove and Steve Matteson in 1995 for Agfa Monotype. While decorative and without a historical model, the face bears comparison with the Emigre foundry's 1991 typeface Remedy designed by Frank Heine.
NO ONE KNOWS WHY ‘A’ IS THE FIRST LETTER OF OUR ALPHABET. Some think it’s because this letter represents one of the most common vowel sounds in ancient languages of the western hemisphere. Other sources argue against this theory because there were no vowel sounds in the Phoenician language. (The Phoenician alphabet is generally thought to be the basis of the one we use today.) Some say the Phoenicians chose the head of an ox to represent the ‘A’ sound (for the Phoenicians, this was actually a glottal stop). The ox was a common, important animal to the Phoenicians. It was their main power source for heavy work. Oxen plowed the fields, harvested crops, and hauled food to market. Some sources also claim that the ox was often the main course at meals. A symbol for the ox would have been an important communication tool for the Phoenicians. It somewhat naturally follows that an ox symbol would be the first letter of the alphabet. The Phoenicians first drew the ox head ‘A’ as a ‘V’ with a crossbar to distinguish the horns from the face. They called this letter “alef,” the Phoenician word for ox. Through centuries of writing (most of it quickly, with little care for maintaining detail) the alef evolved into a form that looked very different from the original ox head symbol. In fact, by the time it reached the Greeks in about 400 BC, it looked more like our modern ‘k’ than an ‘A’. The Roman capital letters have endured as the standard of proportion and dignity for almost 2,000 years. They’re also the basis of many of the lowercase designs. ‘A’ is the first letter. There are 25 more stories.
Generally speaking, there are no launch dates for the letters of our alphabet. For the most part they’ve come down to us through an evolutionary process, with shapes that developed slowly over a long period of time. The G, however, is an exception. In fact, our letter G made its official debut in 312 B.C. ITC Mona Lisa, designed in 1991, is an interpretation of Albert Auspurg's 1930 design for the German Ludwig & Mayer foundry. ITC Mona Lisa is in the family tree of modern types such as Bodoni, Didot, and Walbaum, as evidenced by its strong contrast between thin and thick letter strokes.
Of course, the story begins a bit earlier than that. The Phoenicians, and the other Semitic peoples of Syria, used a simple graphic form that looked roughly like an upside-down V to represent the consonant ‘g’ sound (as in “go”). They named the form gimel, which was the Phoenician word for camel. Some contend this was because the upside-down V looked like the hump of a camel. The Greeks borrowed the basic Phoenician form and changed its name to gamma. They also made some dramatic changes to the letter’s appearance. At various times in ancient Greek history, the gamma looked like a one-sided arrow pointing up, an upside-down L, or a crescent moon. Throughout this time, however, the gamma always represented the same hard ‘g’ sound that it did for the Phoenicians. The Greek form was adopted by the Etruscans and then by the Romans, where for many years it represented both the hard ‘k’ and ‘g’ sounds. This brings us to 312 B.C., when our modern G was formally introduced into the reformed Latin alphabet. The G was created to eliminate the confusion caused by one letter representing two sounds. The basic shape, which now looked like our C, was used to represent the palatalized sounds ‘s’ and ‘c,’ and a little bar was added to create the letter G, which denoted the guttural stop ‘g.’ The G took its position as the seventh letter of our alphabet, replacing the letter Z, which was considered superfluous for the writing of Latin. The ousted Z took its place at the end of the line.
What letter is used most rarely in English? Poor lonely z finishes up the alphabet at number 26. The final letter, z’s history includes a time when it was so infrequently used that it was removed altogether. The Greek zeta is the origin of the humble z. The Phoenician glyph zayin, meaning “weapon,” had a long vertical line capped at both ends with shorter horizontal lines and looked very much like a modern capital I. By the time it evolved into the Greek zeta the top and bottom lines had become elongated and the vertical line slanted, connecting to the horizontal lines at the top right and the bottom left.
The original Rockwell was produced by the Inland typefoundry in 1910, which issued it as Litho Antique; American Type Founders revived the face in the 1920s, with Morris Fuller Benton cutting several new weights.
Around 300 BC, the Roman Censor Appius Claudius Caecus removed z from the alphabet. His justification was that z had become archaic: the pronunciation of /z/ had become /r/ by a process called rhotacism, rendering the letter z useless. At the same time that z was removed, g was added, but that’s another story. Two hundred years later, z was reintroduced to the Latin alphabet but used only in words taken from Greek. Because of its absence and reintroduction, zeta is one of the only two letters to enter the Latin alphabet directly from Greek and not Etruscan. Z was not always the final letter of the modern English alphabet, although it has always been in the 26th position. For years the & symbol (now known as the ampersand) was the final, pronounced “and” but recited with the Latin “per se,” meaning “by itself.” The position and pronunciation eventually ran together, with “X, Y, Z, and per se and” becoming “X, Y, Z, ampersand.” Z is the most rarely used letter in the alphabet; however, American English uses it more often than British English. Early English did not have a z but used s for both voiced and unvoiced sibilants. Words in English that originated as loan words from French and Latin are more likely to be spelled with a z than an s. Also, American standardization modified /z/ suffixes to more accurately reflect their pronunciation, changing –ise and –isation to –ize and –ization.
Historians tell us that our current M started out as the Egyptian hieroglyph for “owl.” Over thousands of years, this simple line drawing was further distilled into the hieratic symbol for the ‘em’ sound. Eventually, the great-grandparent of our M looked a bit like a handwritten ‘m’ balanced on the tip of one stroke. Designer: Joachim Müller-Lancé Year: 1996 Publisher: Adobe No lower-case characters.
The Phoenicians called the letter mem. It’s easy to see that the Phoenician mem is based on the Egyptian hieratic symbol, and that it’s the forerunner of the thirteenth letter of our alphabet. The mem looked much like our two-bumped lowercase ‘m’ with an added tail at the end. The Greek mu evolved from the Phoenician mem. The Greeks further simplified the letter and, in the process, converted the soft, round shapes into angular strokes. The Etruscans and then the Romans adopted the Greek form, but neither made substantial changes to the shape or proportions of the character. Sometime in the third or fourth century A.D. the rounded lowercase ‘m’ began to appear, but it was almost lost in later centuries. In medieval writing, it became common practice to place a stroke over the preceding letter instead of writing the ‘m’ (probably because ‘m’ is one of the more time-consuming letters to write). The Romans also pressed the M and six other letters – I, X, V, L, C, and D – into double-duty as their numerals, and gave M the honor of standing in for the highest value, 1,000. —Allan Haley
Rudolf Koch, (born Nov. 20, 1876, Nürnberg, Ger.—died April 9, 1934, Offenbach), German calligrapher, type designer, and teacher, a major influence on decorative arts in early 20th-century Germany. Kochʼs formal education ended when he finished high school in Nürnberg, Ger. He moved to Hanau, where he attended evening art classes while serving as an apprentice in metalworking. After an unsuccessful effort to become an art teacher, he moved to Leipzig, an important printing centre, where he freelanced as a graphic designer. In 1906 he joined the Klingspor type foundry in Offenbach (near Frankfurt am Main) as a type designer and spent the rest of his working life there. Beginning in 1908 he also super vised the lettering course at the revitalized Technical Educational Institution of the City of Offenbach a.M. (now the College of Design). In the early part of his career he was particularly interested in manuscript books, and he produced a number of impressive examples, including several Gospels. He designed his first typeface, Maximilian, shortly before World War I. (He served in the war as an infantryman.) He eventually designed about 30 typefaces for Klingspor, the best known being Neuland (1923) and Kabel (1927).
Photographs taken from Pinterest. None of these were photographed by the artist, nor does she want to take credit for them. The artist also thanks you for the A grade.
CCSA Hosts:
Personal Counselors Workshop
Librar News Yoga Workshop New Year, New You! How to Wellness Fair
Save a Life
Meditation
Wrap up Student Activitie Winter is here, but it’s never Join too our CCSA Club for a FREE Yoga Wellness Week with an aft class. Learn how yoga can help your early to think about Spring/Summer noon meditation session. Le to allthe New Year by being trends. Come to the Informationphysical & mental state. Open Start Come hear personal stories fromby twoMeditation sepcialist, S healthy. Join us for our annual current students. Desk and check out what current students about overcoming Joseph. Leave feeling refres health fair! depression. Learn tips and tools on& clam for your weekend forecasters are saying! Tuesday, JanuaryGet 21 services and info from: how to help yourself and others. •Vertigo Salon 11:15 a.m. - 12;00 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2 •Evoke Yoga Room 425 Thursday, Jan. 23 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p •Los Angeles Athletic Club Room 425 •Ralphs •Target Pharmacy Student Council Hosts Wednesday, Jan. 22 Attention All First Year 2nd 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Quarter Students! Have you met with your Student Student Lounge Advisor? If not, you need to schedule Join Student Council for a fun your appointment in Rm. 401 as soon as introductory pilates class. Open to all possible to start planning for your 2nd year. Informational Session Dates: current students. Monday, February 24 Current Information from the FEDERAL PERKINS LOAN must Thursday, Jan. 23 Does FIDM have your most current or ad complete E-EXIT COUNSELING by the 11:15 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 25 dress, phone number, & email address? deadline: Friday, February A332 11:15 a.m. in the Student Lounge IDEA Center E-Exits are available online WWW.UASEXIT.COM Assistance is available in writing, mathematics, computer competency, COMPLETION IS MANDATORY study skills, research skills, time man Failure to complete will result in agement, and much more. Come to DIPLOMA being held. MAXX will be on campus Wednes the IDEA Center, located in the TJ Design Studio East. day, Jan. 22, recruiting for If Assistant you have any questions, please This unique competition allows partici Evelyn Garcia at (213) 624-1200 x M – Th: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Managers in the Los Angeles area. pants to become actively acquainted stop by Room 401-N. For techni Please sign up in the Career or Center. -wear design. In teams of three, par Find us in the Student LoungeF:on8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, Jan.28, to learn about our ticipants are challenged to research Instructor-led workshops in Photoshop/ 999-6227. SUNGLASS HUT will be on campus 2014 Paris Summer Institute. Illustrator & Sketching have begun. A trip you don’t want to miss! Stop by the IDEA Center for a Thursday, Jan. 23, recruiting for their rich garment that is functional and fashionable. $19,000 in scholarships will schedule of instructors. new store at 7th & Figueroa. Please be awarded. Application deadline: January 23 to Suite 201E. For more infor sign up in the Career Center. Check out the IDEA Center & Design at the top of the page & select Studio West schedules on the FIDM visit the Portal. “ABOUT STUDY TOURS” in the navi Portal. Go to “Resources,” click on gation bar on the left. For questions, “Student Services,” then click “Annex contact Sevana Dimijian at Design Studio” or “Tutoring.” You can Time Management: also stop by the IDEA Center to pick up a schedule. Here are some tips to organize FACEBOOK @ streamline your schedule Textile Science Workshop •Plan ahead Assistance in putting together your •Get a planner/calendar Swatch Book will be available on •Set up a work statio Party Wednesday, Jan 22 from 1:00 p.m.Launch •Stay organized 2:30 p.m. in the IDEA Center. THE FIDM MODE Newly accepted students presents the release of Fall/Want more tips? Visit your Pers Students may apply now for the Jessica Counselors: Cattani, Roo Winter 2014 issue. Join us as we 3rd year Footwear Design program Shannon DiLauro, Room eLearning Students which, begins Fall 2014. Accepted celebrate the launch with an ex www.ReachOut.com Thursday, students are eligible to apply for Jan. 9 - Wednesday, Jan. 15 clusive party! Tickets will be sold book/supply distribution will be on the Two Ten Scholarships until March starting Wednesday, Jan. 22, in last day to add a class is this Wednes Arcade 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and The in the Student Activities, Rm. 425, for JR Bookroom (P1) 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.day, and Jan. 22; however, due to the MLK holiday a Monday class can be added$10.00 or $15.00 at the door. 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Jan. 27. The last day to drop a M-F class is ™ Magazine Wednesday, Feb. 19; for a Saturday class Friday, Jan. 10 book/supply distribution Thursday, Feb. 6 will be on the Arcade 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 Have you checked your name onp.m. and in the Bookroom (P1) 4:00 last 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. p.m. day to drop is Jan. 25. the tentative grad list in room 313? - 4:30 p.m. Vertigo Salon (penthouse of the From weeks 3 through 6 (Jan. 23 Feb. 19) Have you applied for your degree Annex) classes may also be dropped on the web 213.624.1200 x4160 Saturday, Jan. 11 book/supply distribution on the FIDM Portal? through the FIDM Portal from 7:00 a.m. 9:00 will be in the Bookroom (P1) 9:30 a.m. M - Th: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 Any questions? p.m. daily. F: 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p Please see Elizabeth De Gies 10:00 in a.m. room 313. Students issued Late Registration Forms: Jewelry Design Studio Classes New supplies just arrived at The Note the due date on the form - failure Pick up course books and supplies in the Store! Mod Podge, charcoals, wa to return by the due date may result in a ARCADE between 7:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. color paper pads and aqua - bee a prior to your class on the day your class is ist marker pads in a new size 8. charged for any Late Reg. Form returned scheduled. If you are adding a course, after the due date. you must present a Course Change Form FIDM’s bi-annual Immigration Law soon: Camel Bak 2 pack bite val (Add Slip) with your instructor’s signature. Workshop, conducted by immigra and straw replacement. Open on Saturdays until Feb. 8 tion attorneys who will be here to A FIDM Student ID card must be present review all visa options applicable ed to receive Course Books and Supplies. to you once your program and or Optional Practical Training expires, will be held on Thursday Jan. 23 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in Rm. 200B (main campus building).
Student Advisement
FIDM BACH ENCE
ood stud habits start at the
Just Design It Celebrate (Active Wear for Cotton) Paris with us!
2014 Scholarships for Footwear Design Advanced Stud Pro gram Books and Supplies Winter 2014
Pilates Class MARCH 2014 RADS Center
FIDM MODE ™ Magazine
Personal Counseling Freudian Slip
From the Registrar
March 2014 raduates
The
Attention All International Students
FIDM
Store
es’ ter ead Sonya shed d.
24 p.m.
t e
14.
e at
n your
call x4292 ical
and e:
r on
sonal om
0
p.m. p.m.
FIDM ater art .5x11
lve n 8.
-
alex truchut
andy warhol
chip kidd
herb lubalin
paula scher
david carson