Re: Font Peeves

Subject: Re: Font Peeves
From: Don Plummer <donp -at- BGNET -dot- BGSU -dot- EDU>
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 18:23:18 -0500

(Note to Bruce Byfield: I'm sorry you received this twice--I meant to post
it to the entire list. DP)

>>BTW, the fonts with square" serifs are often called "Egyptian" >fonts, or
>>slab-serif fonts. Some of them have Egyptian names, >like Memphis.
>>Another example would be Lubalin.
>
>By far the most versatile slab serif is Eric Gill's Joanna. It can be
>used to set an entire book, which is not true of the majority of slab
>serifs.

Interesting! I'm not familiar with Joanna, but would like to see it.

>>In truth, of the faces you mention here, Garamond is the >oldest. Its
>>design dates back to the 16th century. Claude >Garamond was one of the
>>early type designers.
>
>Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe "Garamond" is a name that
>has been given to a number of fonts loosely inspired by Claude Garamond
>- not a font that he actually designed. There are also enough variations
>in the different modern Garamonds that a layout can change substantially
>if a document is opened on a system that doesn't have exactly the right
>version of the font.

You are not wrong. The modern fonts commonly called Garamond probably have
as much direct relationship to Claude Garamond's designs as a modern
performance of a sixteenth-century motet has to the way it likely sounded
originally. Nevertheless, they are, as you say, at least loosely based on
Garamond's designs, and carry the design characteristics of old style fonts.

Interestingly, according to their promotional literature, when Adobe set
about designing the Adobe Garamond series, they took great pains to
research Claude Garamond's original designs, including making trips to
Europe to examine museum archives of his drawings and plates. At the same
time, they wanted to make the series desktop friendly, so the final
results, while they bear the family resemblance to other Garamonds, include
design features that Garamond himself would not have considered, such as
the "semibold" weights. Overall though, I think Adobe Garamond is a
successful series.

I wish I could say the same for Adobe Caslon, though it probably has its
admirers. I think Adobe's attempt to blend together various Caslon designs
succeeded to such an extent that the result is rather bland. Caslon 540
looks much better.

>>Bookman is called a "transitional" style font--type designers >began
>>making fonts in this style during the latter 18th >century. Caslon is
>>also considered a "transitional" style. >So is Times Roman, believe it
>>or not.
>
>Bookman was designed as an attempt to make a more readable version of
>Caslon. I don't know that it succeeded. After all, if Caslon was good
>enough for Ben Franklin (for whom it was a favorite font, although he
>also championed Baskerville), it's good enough for me.

I did not know that about Bookman, but if true it explains why it is
considered a "transitional" design.

>I'm a little surprised by your description of Times Roman, however.
>Robert Bringhurst describes Times Roman as "a historical pastiche,"
>which has "a humanist axis but Mannerist proportions, Baroque weight,
>and a sharp, Neoclassical finish." It was also released in 1931, years
>after Caslon, Bookman and Baskerville.

Correct. Times was designed in the 1920s, originally for the London Times
newspaper. It is still regarded as a transitional design, however, because
it carries most of the design characteristics of transitional fonts.
(While Times is not my favorite font either, its compactness can be useful
in certain situations.)

Obviously, modern type designers can create new designs in any style they
choose. FWIW, Palatino is also considered a transitional design, even
though it is a fairly recent creation. So also, I believe, is Stone Serif,
though I could be wrong about that. (The Stone family, as most of you
probably know, is a very recent product--released within the last eight
years or so--of the Adobe studio.)

>Adobe also carries Berthold Baskerville, which I personally prefer to
>New Baskerville. Berthold Baskerville has more color than New
>Baskerville, and I've found it more versatile and easier to read in long
>passages.

I think I have seen that one, but have not worked with it. I am not sure
about this, but I believe Berthold was a German type designer who made
revised versions of several historic fonts, all of which bear his name
followed by the historic name.

--don

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Don Plummer <donp -at- bgnet -dot- bgsu -dot- edu>
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, Ohio USA

Unless the pilgrim carry with him the thing
he seeks, he will not find it when he arrives.
--Stephen R. Lawhead, "Byzantium"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *




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