Fraktur Sans
Fraktur Sans An Original Typeface by Taylor Smith
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Table of Contents
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4 Problem 8 Research 14 Concept 16 Development 20 Evolution 30 Specimen 36 Exhibit 43 Citation
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Problem
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German Sans Serif Typefaces Akzidenz-Grotesk 72pt
German Historic Fraktur Typefaces Fraktur BT 72pt
Germany lacks a quinticential historic typeface that captures both aspects of the nations type design heritage.
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Both the city of Munich and it’s signage, are at odds with Germany’s modern progression and it’s historic roots. Old buildings are mixed in with modern constructions. Munich is a living and breathing city that grows but remembers from where it came. This characteristic is lacking from the display typography and signage.
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Research
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Fraktur
Sans-Serif
Emperor Maximilian (reigned 1493-1517) decreed that a new typeface be developed for the books he planned to place in his new library. The criteria were for the new letterforms to look elegant, modern, and distinctly German. Based on the scribes in the Emperor’s chancellory, Leonhard Wagner designed Fraktur, named for its “broken” lines in the letterforms. The Reformation movement in Germany allowed printed media to use Fraktur and increase its popularity.
After the end of World War I, Germany became more accepting of outside influence. The German Bauhaus movement in the 1920s pushed away the elegant and decorative serifs of previous typefaces and gave more importance to a typefaces’ purpose and function. Futura idealized this scorn for the adornment of serifs on letterforms with letters made with strict geometry.
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The divide between great German Sans Serifs and the historic and cultural Frakturs is apparent and jarring.
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Large, uniform stroke weights
Rests on baseline
a e n z
Flat terminals
Wide angles at stroke intersections
Futura - 217pt
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Stroke weights widen in the middle and thin at the top and bottoms
Small ascenders and decenders
a e p o
Terminals and other areas end in unique 45 degree angles
narrow letterforms with narrow negative space and tall x-heights
Chursaechsische Fraktur - 195pt
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Concept A typeface to celebrate the history and roots of German type design, allowing Munich to connect their past to the present.
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Development
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Identifying Key Forms
Uniform set width of characters
Unique angle at terminals to allude to the 45 degree angle in Fraktur
Specific narrow and geometric negative space
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Uniform set width
Geometry based internal angles
Unique angle
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Evolution
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abcdeg Repetition of Form
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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdef g h ij k l m n o p q rs t u vwxyz ßÄäÖöÜü01234567 8 9
ghmnüy
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Repetition of Form
BDEF
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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdef g h ij k l mn o p q rs tu vwxy z ßÄäÖöÜü01234567 8 9
FHTPIR
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Specimens
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A B C D E F G H I R S T U V W X Y Z k l m n o p q r s t u 5 6 7 8 9 0 ß Ä ä @ © # $ % ^ & * } \ | , < > . ; : ' "
I J K L M N O P Q Z a b c d e f g h i j u v w x y z 1 2 3 4 ä Ö ö Ü ü π ` ~ ! * ( ) - _ = + [ ] { ? /
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A B C D E F G H I R S T U V W X Y Z k l m n o p q r s t u 5 6 7 8 9 0 ß Ä ä @ © # $ % ^ & * } \ | , < > . ; : ' "
I J K L M N O P Q Z a b c d e f g h i j u v w x y z 1 2 3 4 ä Ö ö Ü ü π ` ~ ! * ( ) - _ = + [ ] { ? /
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Exhibit
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Citations Unsplash City of Munich, Germany Wikimedia Berlin Typography Blog Flickr
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