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Last active May 19, 2018 16:49
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History & classification of typefaces
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typefaces.md

Notes

  • 1450: Blackletter (Johannes Gutenberg)
  • Roman / Serif (Nicloas Jenson)
    • italics (Aldus Manutius)
    • 1530s: Old Style (William Caslon): thick serifs, low contrast between thick & theen strokes
    • 1750s: Transitional (John Baskerville)
    • 1784: Modern (Didot, 1767 "Bodoni", Giambattista Bodoni)
    • 1815: Slab Serif (advertising)
  • 1816: Sans Serif (William Caslon IV)
    • Geometric Sans (1927 "Futura", Paul Renner): simple geometric shapes
    • Humanist Sans (1928/6 "Gill Sans", Eric Gill): similar to geometric sans, but with gentler, more natural curves
  • Slab serifs: block serifs usually joining the stroke at right angles and of a similar thickness to the stroke itself.
  • Geometric: rectilinear and machine-like qualities
  • Humanist: curvilinear and scribal qualities usually found in typefaces of the 14th and 15th centuries where the design is clearly imitating lettering as formed by a pen.

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