Studio brief 2: Müeller-Brockmanns classic and lead typefaces research

caslon

Caslon 

This serif typeface was designed by William Caslon in the 18th Century. The characteristics include short ascenders and descenders, with the purpose of fitting more characters on a page whilst at the same time leaving blank space for aesthetics and legibility. Based on handwriting, the italic form has a rhythmic calligraphic stroke that makes it easier to read when in a body of text. The high contrast makes the typeface appear more formal. 

berthold

Berthold

This sans-serif typeface was designed in 1898 by the designer Hofmann, in Berlin. A characteristic of the typeface is the equal thickness of the vertical and horizontal strokes. 








Helvetica

helvetica

This typeface was designed in 1957 by Swiss designer Max Miedinger, to be specifically neutral and to not give any impression or have any meaning in itself. The neutrality was based on the idea that type itself should give no meaning. This font is the adapted version of 'Akziden Grotesk', making it more universal. 






Clarendon

clarendon

This is a strong, British typeface which was created to reflect aspects of the Victorian British Empire, by Robert Besley. The thick strokes blend into thick slab serifs and the fat ball terminals represent the hearty and unstoppable aspects of the British Empire. The increased contrast, opening the counters, only allow it to be used on short passages of text. 





Univers

univers

This is a Swiss designed san serif typeface by Adrian Frutiger in 1954. It is known for its legibility due to it being the first typeface to form a family of consistent designs. The legibility allows it to be used for a lot of signage and different brands. 
The typeface has tall x-heights, a common feature of sans-serif fonts. It has a very subtle, but visible contrast in stroke. The contrast and curved terminals give the typeface a sense of uniqueness. The curves portray friendliness, so this aspect and the legibility make it the typeface of choice to be used in UK exams.




Baskerville

baskerville

Baskerville was designed in 1754 by John Baskerville; an illiterate, self-taught printer. The typeface then went on to be one of the most legible typefaces, known for its crisp edges, high contrast and generous proportions. The academic qualities lead universities to use it to make statements stronger and more believable. The history, careful design, embellishments and crisp edges make it a class typeface. The characteristics of the typeface are that it is elegant, soft but strong and fine quality.




Garamond

garamond

This typeface was designed by the French Renaissance punch cutter, Claude Garamond around 1530. It is seen to be an old-style serif typeface with a relatively organic structure resembling handwriting with a pen, but with a slightly more upright structure. The typeface is known for its elegance and readability, allowing it to be used for a number of applications. The anatomy of each letter means that on as a whole, the text takes up less space than other typefaces, but the readability is not reduced because of it. 



Bodoni

bodoni

Bodoni is a typeface designed by Giambattista Bodoni and the aim was to produce a geometric appearance and extreme contrasts between thick and thin strokes. The ascenders and sanders appear long in comparison to x-height, making it less legible as a text typeface, it is mainly used as display type. The typeface is commonly used by fashion brands.

times

Times 

In 1931, 'The Times' newspaper commissioned a new type design fir the body of the paper. Stanley Morison was the designer and used the typeface 'Plantin" as the main basis for the new design. It become a workhorse typeface, used by many companies, magazines, newspapers and annual reports. It has good legibility as the letters have short, powerful and sharp-cut serifs. 

Akzidenz Grotesk was created in 1896 and released in 1896, during the industrial revolution. Akzidenz means 'trade type' and Grotesk meaning 'sans serif'.
The geometric form of the type positively impacts the legibility of the type and this allowed it to be used in industrial advertising and large signage. The typeface is thought to be very suitable for presenting statistical information, but also holding an emotional undertone that users can engage with. 
The typeface is ironically simple in a time which was far from that, being the only typeface to have a fixed stroke width. The typeface is free from the political problems associated with Russian constructivism and Bauhaus.