Mueller-Brockmann’s Classic and Lead Typeface
Garamond
Caslon
Baskerville
Bodoni
Clarendon
Berthold
Times
Helvetica
Univers
Joseph Mueller-Brockmann
was part of the Swiss international style movement. He was influenced by ideas
of several different design and art movements including Constructivism, De
Stijl, Spermatism and the Bauhaus.
Garamond
Garamond was
designed by Claude Garamond (1499-1561)
In comparison
to the earlier Italian letterforms, Garamond has finer serifs and a generally
more elegant image. Garamond worked in the traditional ‘old style’ serif letter
design, that produced letters with relatively organic structure resembling
handwriting with a pen.
characteristics:
small eye
of the ‘e’ and bowl of the ‘a’ has a sharp hook upwards at top left
‘m’ is
slightly splayed
x-height is
low, making the capitals large relative to the lower case.
Garamond
typeface has an old world feel
Described as
elegant and graceful and professional
Eco-friendly
font, using the least ink per page.
Clarendon
Clarendon
is a slab serif typeface that was created by Robert Besley for Thorowgood and
Co. of London. It was apparently named after the Clara don press in Oxford.
The typeface
was published in 1845. It is considered to be the first registered typeface. It
is extremely useful, compact and easier to read than the fat faces and antiques
of the period.
Characteristics:
Often used
as a headline font
Strong square
serifs but with an added softness from the curved brackets.
It has a
low contrast between the thicker and thinner parts of the letterform.
Clarendon
has strengths, it gives a feeling of importance and substance. It is commonly
used in ‘wanted’ posters in the old west.
Helvetica
Helvetica is
a sans serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer max
miedinger. Neo-grotesque or realist design, Helvetica is the hallmark of the
international typographic style that emerged from Swiss designers in the 1950’s
and 60’s. Helvetica has terminating lines, either horizontal or vertical on all
strokes. It also uses unusually tight letter spacing, which gives it a dense,
compact appearance.
Characteristics:
Tall x-height,
which makes it easier to read in smaller sizes or at distance.
It is an
oblique rather than an italic style, a common feature of almost every grotesque
and neo-grotesque typefaces.
Narrow t
and f
Square looking
s
Bracketed top
flag of l
Rounded off
square tail of R
Concaved curved
stem of 7
Two storied
a
Helvetica has
narrow apertures, which limits its legibility onscreen
Created specifically
to be natural, to not give any impression or have any meaning itself. It is
internationally marketable. It is associated with corporate culture and
business. The typeface makes use of negative space and has a monotone stroke
weight.
Baskerville
Baskerville
was designed in 1754. It is known for its crisp edges, high contrast and
generous proportions. Baskerville is characterised as a traditional typeface in
between classical typefaces and the high contrast modern faces. It has a light
and pen feel. It is an elegant book face and can excel in purely typographic
compositions.
Characteristics:
The bottom
of the E projects further than the upper.
The J has a
ball terminal at the bottom.
The bottom
loop of the g Is open.
Many characters
have clear ball terminals.
Baskerville
has been described as ‘rounded and more sharply cut’ than its predecessors.
The typeface
reflects Baskerville’s ideals of perfection: simplicity and quiet refinement. It
displays dignity and tradition.
Times New Roman
Times New Roman
is a serif typeface commissioned by the Times newspaper in 1931. Created by
Victor Lardent. Microsoft use it as their standard computer font. It was
developed from the old Didone typeface, which was considered spindly and dated.
Time New Roman is robust and solid.
Characteristics:
The design
is slightly condensed, with short ascenders, descenders and x-height. This saves
space and increases clarity.
When compared
with other serif fonts like Georgia, Times New Roman looks thinner.
All side
shoots of the letters look sharp
Firm and authoritative
look and feel.
Legibility
and economy of space.
Stable, practical,
mature and formal.
Traditional.
Bodoni
Serif typeface
designed by Glambattista Bodoni in the late 18th century. Bodoni has
a strong stroke contrast. the design has changed and varied over the years,
ending with a typeface that has a slightly condensed underlying structure with
flat, un-bracketed serifs, extreme contrasts between thick and thin strokes and
an overall geometric construction.
Massimo
Vignelli – ‘Bodoni is one of the most elegant typefaces ever designed,’
Most commonly
used in headlines, headings and display use. It is a regular and rational
design. It has horizontal serifs, vertical axis and rounded terminals on
certain lower case letters. Bodoni is a visually distinct typeface.
Univers
Univers is
a sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1954. Classified as a
neo-grotesque typeface. These typefaces figure frequently in the Swiss style of
graphic design.
Characteristics:
More stroke
modulation than Helvetica.
Squaring of
round strokes.
The 2
storied a is the most distinctive letter, with a straight back, no base curl,
and perpendicular connection at top bowl.
The diagonal
strokes of the k meet at stem.
Univers has
a smaller x-height than Helvetica, and the base font sets a little wider.
Univers doesn’t
mix well with other sans serifs, however, it goes well with a range of serified
fonts. (works best with ‘transitional’ fonts such as Baskerville)
Caslon
Serifed
typeface designed by William Caslon in London. Old Style serif letter design.
Old style produces letters with a relatively organic structure resembling
handwriting with a pen.
Characteristics:
The A has a
concaved hollow at the top left, the G is without the downward pointing spur.
The sides of the M are straight.
Ascenders and
descenders are short.
Caslon is a
versatile typeface with a friendly, homely quality.
Based on
Dutch models.
The
individual letter forms are not particularly elegant, the face has altogether a
pleasing aspect.
Berthold
Akzidenz-Grotesk
is a sans-serif or grotesque typeface
originally released by the Berthed Type Foundry of Berlin.
'Akzidenz' means a 'trade' typeface for commercial use such as publicity
materials, adverts, tickets and forms, this typeface was not intended for
decorative or book use.
The typeface was first issued in 1898 and designed by Gunter
Gerhard Lange. It was used as a text font in Europe, especially Switzerland, until
being supplanted by Univers and Helvetica. Akzidenz-Grotesk
is less wide in comparison to Helvetica. Some letters are more geometric than Helvetica.
It has a smaller x-height which is among the qualities that make it more
appealing to me for most usages, especially continuous text. It comes in a
range of weights and condensed and expanded forms. Akzidenz-Grotesk the
ultimate accolade a typeface can have: a functional, formal rightness,
transcending the whims of fashion.
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