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Baskerville typeface design8/24/2023 And typefaces? Hmm! Typefaces can be.anything you want them to be, right? There are many reasons to pick any one typefaces, all of them more or less arbitrary. For the truth is that in our field, to quote screenwriter William Goldman, " Nobody knows anything." Black can be ominous or elegant. Like other experienced designers, I appear to navigate this miasma of hearsay with confidence. Or is it black? Or red? Or China? To tell you the truth, I've always appreciated this ambiguity. I've been asked if it's true that white means death in Japan. I've been told in meetings that triangles - to take one example - are the "most energetic" (or the "most aggressive"?) shape. What do they mean? How do they work? Why does one work better than another? What criteria should we use to choose? This ambiguity can be maddening, especially to clients, who in desparation will invoke anecdotes and folk wisdom to help control an otherwise rudderless process. But I also know that the ingredients used by graphic designers - colors, shapes, typefaces - are fundamentally mysterious. Sometimes the fate of nations depend on it, sometimes it's the missing link between a soft drink brand and Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, sometimes it just makes you happy. I know in my heart that graphic design is important. There is also a sans-serif companion font called Mr Eaves.John Baskerville, The Book of Common Prayer, 1762. The font was meant primarily for book titles and headings. Adaptations, a revival of sorts for Baskerville, was the release of a font called Mrs Eaves in 1996. The punches for his font were sold by his wife to a French company after his death. He adopted the typeface for most government printing in the US. Benjamin Franklin was particularly impressed by the font and with John Baskerville himself. Specimen of the typeface Mrs Eaves, Jim HoodĬuriously John Baskerville’s typeface did not become popular until after his death. This also translates to websites – so if a bank or financial company wants to send that “solid” image – they may want to consider using the font. Knock off copies exist of this font under the name of “old face” along with digitised versions.Ī study found people were more likely to agree with statements written in Baskerville than other typefaces. The Bible he put together for the University of Cambridge in 1763 is seen as his landmark work that shows his mastery of the printing and bookmaking crafts.īaskerville is still widely used today, especially in books. This combined with the use of smoother whiter paper is where his work really stands out. Image: By Paul Hunt – Own work by the original uploader, Public DomainĪs well as developing his typeface he also worked on an accompanying ink to use when printing his work, rather like Gutenberg. It has been said that the developer – John Baskerville – used his diverse background of tombstone engraver and formal training in calligraphy to inspire his design. The curves are more circular and this produces a more crisp, consistent type that is easier to read. Introduced in the 1750’s Baskerville has a sharper contrast with thick and thin strokes. Where do you start with this font? Wikipedia summaries the font as a “transitional” typeface that moves on from the old style faces used in the era.
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