History

the History of Gill Sans

Gill Sans was created in 1928 by designer Eric Gill. The basis for design for this typeface came from a similar typeface, Johnson Sans, that was being utilized by the London Underground System, developed by Gills colleague, Edward Johnson. In hopes of competing with the likes of Futura and other current popular fonts, Gill Sans was created to be versatile, modern, humanist sans typeface. Being inspired by Roman shapes and Art Deco style, it is said that Gill Sans is a quintessentially British font. It soon became the typeface of the LNER railway system, and by 1948, it was the official typeface of British Railways.

ABCDEFG HIJKLMNOthe History PQRSTV WXYZof Gill Sans Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was born on abcdefg February 2, 1882 in Brighton, England. Coming from an artistic and design-minded family, Gill was predisposed to art. His older brother, MacDonald Gill, was a designer as well. hijklmn Gill began studying design at the Chichester Technical and Art School and just 15-years old. He would go on to study architecture, calligraphy, masonry, and lettercutting. He is well known for opqrstuv wxyz Eric Gill work in design, sculpture, and printmaking. Gill passed away in 1940 in Uxbridge, England.