Sabon Type Specimen Booklet

I O

H Sabon

a Garamond revival

old-style serif typeface

C.Gomez

Sabon was developed in the early 1960s for a group of German printers who sought a “harmonized” or uniform font that would look the same whether set by hand or on a Monotype or Linotype hot metal typesetting machine.

They were quite specific about the sort of font that might fit the bill, rejecting the modern and fashionable in favour of solid 16th century tradition - something modelled on the work sixteenth-century engravers Claude Garamond and Robert Granjon. The requirement that

Sabon

all weights have the same width was influenced by the ‘duplex’ system of lead casting on the Linotype system: each Linotype-matrix can cast two different characters: roman or italic, roman or bold, which must have the same width. It also meant that the typeface then only required one set of copyfitting data (rather than three) when compositors had to estimate the length of a text prior to actual typesetting (a common practice before computer-assisted typesetting). Another hint of the design’s origins in hot-metal typesetting technology is the narrow ‘f’, since Linotype machines cannot cast an ‘f’ that kerns, or extends beyond the letter’s body.

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a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ABCDEFGHI JKLMNOPQR S T U V W X Y Z 1234567890 { “ . , : ! ? * ” } An early first use of Sabon was the setting of the Washburn College Bible in 1973 by the American graphic designer Bradbury Thompson.

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x - height Sabon

skx 1. Spine

3. Stroke Contrast

2. Serif

A classic typeface for body text, Sabon’s longstanding popularity has transcended its origin as a commission to fit a tight set of business requirements. Tschichold was commissioned by a coalition of German printers to create a typeface that could be printed identically on Linotype, Monotype or letterpress equipment, simplifying the process of planning lines and pagination when printing a book.

Some characteristics of the Sabon typeface include, generous x-height, short descenders, full counters and bracketed serifs.

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xgy 5. Ear

4. Link

6. Tail

anatomy

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Sabon

Styles

1 2 3 4

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Roman

A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats

Italic

A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats

Bold

A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats

Bold Italic A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats

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Sabon

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Jan Tschichold

by the German-born typographer and designer

serif typeface designed

Sabon is an old-style

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The design of the roman is based on types by Claude Garamond

f ry classic & confident

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{

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ABCDEFGHI JKLMNOPQR STUVWXYZ 1234567890

Italic

Sabon

{ “ . , : ! ? * ” } a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ABCDEFGHI JKLMNOPQR STUVWXYZ 1234567890

Bold

{ “ . , : ! ? * ” } a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ABCDEFGHI JKLMNOPQR S T U V W X Y Z 1234567890 { “ . , : ! ? * ” }

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Bold Italic

f

f

fi fl fi fl

} fi

fisherman fisherman flock flock flay flay fly fly

sabon ligatures

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Audrey Hepburn

I I

L A R RY HEARD

holy bible House Music

Q c T I

S TA N F O R D VERSACE

z

Sabon

&

MALLEUS

MALEFICARUM

can you feel it

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n the beginning, there was Jack, and Jack had a groove. And from this groove came the groove of all grooves. And while one day viciously

throwing down on his box, Jack boldy declared, “Let there be house!” and house music was born. I am, you see, I am the creator, and this is my house! And, in my house there is only house music. But, I am not so selfish because once you enter my house it then becomes OUR house and OUR house music!” And, you see, no one can own house because House music is a universal language, spoken and understood by all.

­— Chuck Roberts & Larry Heard

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alluring

Sabon

readable

elegant

SAB 14

classic

intricate

respectable

BON 15

Sabon

B Sources

“Sabon.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabon.

“SABON.” Prezi.com, prezi.com/cpdxma6a9q1n/ sabon/?frame=a368ce90a5688ae3f347e30a5b4bd1ace91f0eae.

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I sabon