Typography Timeline

From Gutenberg to the st

21 Century A Typographic Timeline

From

Gutenberg to the

to the Twenty First Century AS TIMES CHANGE, so too does the art and designs around us.

Typography has made numerous leaps in the last one hundred years alone due to the emergence of the computer and Internet, alongside an array of aesthetic movements like the Bauhaus, post Modernism, the International style, and Swiss design. Typography changes the way we communicate on a global scale and has changed our communication since the appearance of the first type designed in Italy in the 1400s. The typography of our past is indicative of the way cultural context, artistic movements, philosophies, and technological advancements play a large role in shaping the designs of fonts and shows that the vast differences in these fonts from one to another depend on when they emerged and where.

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RENAISSANCE THE RENAISSANCE was a time describing the growth that took place in Western civilization, shifting from a medieval time period to a modern one. From the 14th century to the 16th, Europe was economically unstable, Italy being a main point of interest for all the new developments taking place. Near the end of the 15th century, the humanist belief in classical education impelled searches for ancient texts with the goal of increasing scientific knowledge. With the help of finding these ancient texts and the proceeding study of them, many fields of study were refined during the renaissance, including botany, zoology, alchemy, astrology, and geography. Many theories and discoveries emerged from great thinkers of this time period, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo.

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Following the bubonic plague that wiped out a large number of Europe’s population small communities were practically wiped out, survivors gravitating towards the larger cities where centers of learning were emerging.

Through the general upheaval of Europe and the tireless search for scholarly advancements, a perk of this new age of education was the broad increase of literacy, being able to read as well as write. It became a common habit to write in diaries or journals, no matter your class standing. Sending letters and notes became a very popular practice. From this increase of literacy and record keeping, the artistry of calligraphy and page layout captured major interest, of which was taught to the educated elite (Rabinowitz 81).

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN THE TWENTIETH AND TWENTYFIRST CENTURIES, centers of learning and literacy were recognized standards of education. The world was going through an industrial revolution that brought about a societal shift in the way manual laborers traditionally learned their craft. The theme of the industrial revolution was to produce faster and cheaper, though as a consequence of this style of production the outcome were usually less than adequate products since the critical eye of craftsmanship was traded in for speed and mass production. Laborers became servants to the machine.

In the 1900s several countries were involved in

both the World Wars, from which newspapers, tabloids, and propaganda became huge selling points on the home front ("The Origins and Impact of the Industrial Revolution�). Humanist philosophy played a large part in the Renaissance, humanist scholars in Italy nurtured the culture of antiquity, and welcomed ancient Greek and Roman culture which ultimately inspired creative breakthroughs in Italian art, literature, and letterform design. From this interest in antiquity, it comes as no surprise that the first type designed in Italy, Sweynheym and Pannartz, was simultaneously the first Romanstyle type being inspired by Roman inscriptional capitals and Caroline manuscripts ("Humanist Letterform").

The intention was for type to resemble the humanist script of an Italian calligraphic hand (kane 22).

Top Left: Renaissance notebook.

Left: Example of Sweynheym and Pannartz

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GOTHIC TO ROMAN NICOLAS JENSEN took the previous examples of roman type and expanded their potential, focusing on the spaces within and around the letters, attempting consistent stroke weights, heights, and a proportion system that would make his letters interlock well. It was his work on creating the “first true Roman type” and his books that were the beginning of a 100-year shift from the gothic blackletter towards humanistic or roman typefaces (White). Francesco Griffo worked to design a roman type that would advance the type of Nicolas Jenson. Griffo’s romans used a calligraphic style of shortening capitals more so than the ascending letter height of the lower-case. This ultimately improved the level of legibility in and text as well as color.

The creation of the italic type was credited to Francesco Griffo, the first italic was influenced from script

used usedinin1501 1501ininthe thepapal papalchancery. chancery.

Claude ClaudeGaramound Garamounddesign designenhanced enhanced readability readabilityfurther, further,the theletterforms letterformsofof hishis Old Style font being more open, Old Style font being more open, with little contrast amidst thick and with little contrast amidst thick and thin strokes and heavily bracketed thin strokes and heavily bracketed serifs serifs(Craig, (Craig,Begington, Begington,and andScala Scala).).

Jean Jean Jannon Jannon used used Garmound Garmound to to create create hishis own Roman type, though it was own Roman type, though it was often oftenmistaken mistakenas asGaramound Garamounditself itself asas it it looked soso similar atat first glance. looked similar first glance.

Jean Jean Jannon’s version, however, Jannon’s version, however, hadhad grander forms, andand thethe italics grander forms, italics were werebrilliantly brilliantlycut cutand andelegant. elegant.The The enthusiasm enthusiasm for for readability readability in in Old Old Style Style fonts spurred both William Caslon fonts spurred both William Caslon and and John John Baskerville Baskerville to to design design types types withexceptional exceptionallegibility legibilityand and strudy strudy with textures thatthat would make them textures would make them

easIer on the eyes. easIer on the eyes.

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CASON WORKED in a two hundred year old tradition of Old Style roman typographic design that had originated from the Italian Renaissance while Baskerville attempted to bridge the gap between Old Style and modern type design by making his type wider and giving it an elegance and lightness not seen before (Meggs). Influenced

by Baskerville, Francois Didot went about creating the first Modern type, in a pseudoclassical style. It was characteristic for having small apertures and high and abrupt contrast between the thick and the thin strokes as well as unbracketed thin serifs. Completing the domino effect of influence from Roman to Old Style to Modern, Didot was imperative in influencing the work of Bodoni, another Modern type.

Top: Bodoni's manual.

Below: Baskerville type specimen.

Left: A gothic and roman letter.

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FRUTIGER

Accès aux avions 8

Right: Bayer's Universal font..

Top Left: Gill Sans design.

EXPLORING TYPE STYLES AS TWENTY ASTHE THETWENTIETH TWENTIETHAND AND TWENTY FIRST FIRST CENTURY had a larger range of range of CENTURY had a larger technology, technology,the theability abilitytotoexplore exploretype typestyles stylesand and build build new letter forms was a much easier task than new letter forms was a much easier task than it it had had been centuries ago.

Futurism, International Style been centuries ago.

Futurism, International Style Modernism, Design, and Post Modernism,Dadism, Dadism,Art ArtDeco, Deco,Swiss Swiss Design, and Post Modernism all the Modernism all emerged emergedfrom fromthis thistime timeperiod, period, the vast vast contrast stylereaching reachingnew newheights heightsof ofdesign design that contrast of of style that were unreachable to the Roman and Old Stylesof the were unreachable to the Roman and Old Styles ofpast. the past.

Herbert a longtime teacher the Herbert Bayer,Bayer, a longtime teacher at theatBauhaus, Bauhaus, antypeface idealist typeface for the by sought tosought createto ancreate idealist for the Bauhaus Bauhaus the by reducing the Roman alphabet to simple reducing Roman alphabet to simple geometric shapes geometric shapes that would be universally understood that would be universally understood in their function inand their function and geometric purity. Jan Tschichold geometric purity.

Jan Tschichold argued that type argued type shouldinbeform elementary form without shouldthat be elementary withoutinembellishment, embellishment, san-serif types, of in aweights, range asserting thatasserting san-serifthat types, in a range of weights, were the modern type Using the design of were the modern type . Using the. design philosophy philosophy of Paul the Bauhaus, Paul Renner Futura the Bauhaus, Renner created Futuracreated with the belief with belief that “a modern typeface express that the “a modern typeface should expressshould modern models modernthan models be a revival of previous rather be arather revivalthan of previous design.”

(Challand) design.”

(Challand) Renner avoided embellishments Paul Renner avoided Paul embellishments typical of Renaissance

ty types, sticking with Tschichold’s aversion to serifs. Helvetica itself is types, sticking with Tschichold’s product of Swiss Style, also known aversion to serifs.Typographic Helvetica itself as International Style,is product Swiss Style, for alsoit’s known that wasofcharacteristic use of a as International Typographic Style, mathematical grid to create a unified that was characteristic use of a structure ("The Story offor FF it’s Meta mathematical gridoftoserifs create unified Serif"). This lack anda frills was structure of FF Meta consistent("The with Story the designs of Univers, Serif"). lack and of serifs and frills was FranklinThis Gothic, Gill Sans.

Adrian consistent with the designs of Univers, Frutiger created his typeface Frutiger Franklin and Sans.aAdrian with theGothic, intention ofGill making sans Frutiger created his clean typeface Frutiger serif type that was like Univers with the had intention making a sans but also organicofproportions.

Erik serif type that was clean Spiekermann’s Meta waslike oneUnivers of the but hadtypefaces organic proportions.

Erik firstalso digital to include oldstyle Spiekermann’s was one of the figures, makingMeta the letterforms stand first digital typefaces to include oldstyle apart and has since been heralded as figures, makingofthe stand the “Helvetica theletterforms 90’s.” apart and has since been heralded as the “Helvetica of the 90’s.”

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PRINTING AND PRESSES THE TECHNOLOGY AND PRACTICES OF DESIGNERS in the 1400s to 1800s were largely more archaic that what has become to norm for the 21st century, unsurprisingly. Johannes Gutenberg thought of the principles for moveable type and used his ideas to publish the Gutenberg Bible, a book in typographic style. The book was imperative in evolving the way Europe considered the book and communication, and it was finally possibly to create hundreds of copies of fast and cheap. These reproductions were referred to as Incunabulas, which are any form of book or document that had been printed versus handwritten before the 16th century ("incunabula").

The Aldine Press, founded by Aldus Manutius, was one of the first significant presses in European history, their policies insisting on scholarly editing. The Aldine Press helped to produce portable books for scholars in a small size, similar to the modern paperback. By the end

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of the 1700s, a better method for printing was invented, thankfully, the process of lithography. In the process of lithography, one applies ink to a grease-treated image that lies flat on a print surface; the blank areas hold moisture and repel the lithographic ink. The inked surface is printed directly on paper by using a special press or a rubber cylinder. The process was invented

by Aloys Senefelder who originally used a Bavarian limestone as his printing plate. Color lithographs were invented in the late 19th century, but were initially in very poor quality. Lithography was popularly utilized by many firms to regulate and disperse historical and religious works to a large audience. Color lithography did not become commercially used until 1860, and was then considered the best process of color reproduction for the rest of the 19th century ("lithography�).

Above: Lithographic press machine.

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Top: Generative type..

Mac Personal Computer, 1984.

A TECHNOLOGICAL AGE SINCE TYPE DESIGN is a distinct type of art, it has always correlated with the advancements of art and culture of humanity, past western typography mirroring the growth of art in Europe to a certain level. The type faces from the Roman Empire, Renaissance, and industrialization time period can all be traced to specific design and art developments that grew in stages. In the 20th to the 21st century, modern technology has created a new phase in typography history due to the emergence of the personal computer and Internet. The introduction of the Mac personal computer in 1984 made computers more user friendly and moved control of type production away from professional typesetters to designers, as well as amateurs.

Nearly every font created before the computer has now been converted to a digital format. The personal computer allowed for greater control with faster editing and more means of expression to designers.

Initial personal computers had very low resolution so new fonts were necessary to establish legibility (Harris and Gavin 49). As the printing world shrinks so too do the technical limitations that previously stumped type designers on the web.

Motion type and generative type are wonderful examples of how the computer has evolved letterforms, in that those type designs would be increasingly difficult, and almost impossible to create without the assistance of the computer. Ink jet printers have also vastly improved quality and quantity of printing jobs in record timing compared to earlier printing techniques. Connecting with others and the public is no longer as long and arduous process as it used to be, one can spread their designs across the Internet, their only requiring qualifications as a designer is that they have a computer.

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CULTURAL CONTEXT THE CULTURAL CONTEXT surrounding the type designers and their type designs is considerably different depending on their nationality and what century they emerged from.

For instance, in Europe before the emergence of more efficient printing methods, the goal of the fonts were to be legible and were based on roman characters for means of scholarly advancement and religious propaganda.

The prevalent humanist philosophy at the time influenced many designers.

Conversely, Herbert Bayer and his universal alphabet were influenced by the popular movement of modern design and Bauhaus philosophy to shape his alphabet into a “universal� and simple geometric sans-serif font.

While Paul Renner was not directly connected to the Bauhuas, his designs of form and function resembled the philosophy of the Bauhaus that makes itself evident in the typeface Futura. Erik Spiekermann’s Meta font had a different context than those before him, with the recent emergence of the computer and Internet there was a growing need for a font that would fulfill the needs of modern communication in the growing web era, and Meta did just that, becoming one of the most popular typefaces of the 90s.

Right: Futura poster and Renaissance book.

Left: Meta font.

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COLOPHON

ALEXA CARLSON TYPOGRAPHY II Project: TYPOGRAPHERS TIMELINE BOOK Faculty: FRANCHESKA GUERRERO Typefaces: FRUTIGER, FILOSOFIA Designer: Course:

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WORKS CITED "The Origins and Impact of the Industrial Revolution." How the Industrial Revolution Spawned the Arts & Crafts Movement. Delaware Art Museum, n.d. Web. <http://www. designhistory.org/Arts_Crafts_pages/IndustrialRevolution.html>.

Rabinowitz, Tova. Exploring Typography. Clifton Park, NY: 2006, 81. Book.

"Handwriting in the Italian Renaissance." The Humanist Letterform. N.p., n.d. Web. <http:// www.designhistory.org/Handwriting_pages/Humanist.html>.

Kane, John. A Type Primer. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2002. 22. Print.

White, Alex. "Nicolas Jenson's Typographic Contributions." The Type Directors Club. N.p., 03 May 2010. Web. <http://tdc.org/articles/nicolas-jensons-typographic-contributions/>.

Craig, James, William Begington, and Irene Scala. Designing with Type. 5th Ed. 109. WatsonGuptill Publications, 2006. eBook. <http://books.google.com/books?id=IXHCKKhswdgC&prin tsec=frontcover Meggs, Phillip. History of Graphic Design. 5th Ed. eBook. <https://www.inkling.com/read/ history-of-graphic-design-philip-meggs-5th/chapter-8/caslon-and-baskerville>.

Challand, Skylar. "Know your type: Futura." idsgn. N.p., 17 Jun 2009. Web. 12 Mar 2014. <http://idsgn.org/posts/know-your-type-futura/>.

"The Story of FF Meta Serif." metaserif. N.p.. Web. <http://metaserif.com/story/>. "incunabula." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. EncyclopĂŚdia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/ topic/284960/incunabula>. "lithography." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. EncyclopĂŚdia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/ topic/343748/lithography>.

Harris, Paul, and Ambrose Gavin. The Fundamentals of Typography. AVA Publishing, 2006.

49. Print.

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