laser-lovers@uw-beaver (04/15/85)
From: Chuck Bigelow <CAB@SU-AI.ARPA> In response to Perry Smith's request for sources of font lore, such questions are not stupid. New students of typography always ask such questions. It is merely a question of ignorance, not of stupidity. It is when people like me try to provide answers that we begin to encounter the possibility of stupidity. Nevertheless, having warped the opinions of several years of students, as well as hundreds of thousands of innocent readers, I feel confident that I can confuse laser-lovers as well. 1. First, it is helpful to distinguish between a "font" and a "typeface". A typeface is a design; it is an artist's conception of how a text image should appear in the mind's eye of the reader. Originally, the face of the type referred to the printing surface of metal type; today, it is a more abstract notion, but usually can refer to the visual image on a printed sheet. A font, on the other hand, is an implementation of a typeface in a particular medium for a particular device. A font is device-specific, unless it is part of a "device-independent" software system, in which case it is still specific to that particular device-independent software. A typeface is an artistic creation, whereas a font is an engineered artifact. It is usually easier to identify and talk about typefaces, unless one is specifying a particular face for a particular device or software system. Also, type designers and typographers would prefer that one speak of a typeface, when it is the design that is being talked about. 2. Some good reference books: AN ATLAS OF TYPEFORMS, by James Sutton and Alan Bartram, Hastings House (Lund Humphries) 1968 A TALLY OF TYPES, by Stanley Morison, Cambridge University Press, 1973 PRINTING TYPES: AN INTRODUCTION, by Alexander Lawson Beacon Press, 1971 THE THAMES & HUDSON MANUAL OF TYPOGRAPHY, by Ruari McLean, Thames & Hudson, 1980 PRINTING TYPES: THEIR HISTORY, FORMS, AND USE, by Daniel Berkeley Updike Dover, 1980 These are all good because they are written by expert typographers of real learning and taste. Some might seem a bit old-fashioned because they talk about types that are hundreds of years old, but of course most of our modern types are based on models that are hundreds of years old. Times Roman, for example, is based on Franco-Flemish designs of the late 16th Century. Helvetica is based on 19th century "grotesque" designs by English and German foundries. Even Lucida, which was designed specifically for laser printers, has letterforms derived from 15th and 16th century scribal styles. An interesting attempt at an organized "key" to typeface styles is Rookledge's INTERNATIONAL TYPEFINDER, by Christopher Perfect and Gordon Rookledge; Frederic C. Beil, 1983. It shows many styles and identifying traits, though it has no explanation about what types really are. It is more like a botanical key that assumes a prior course in botany. One can use it to identify types by name, but not to gain understanding of typographic variation. The problem of identification is made worse by the endemic plagiarism in the typographic industry. Many firms which plagiarize designs resort to pseudonyms to avoid trademark infringement. Thus, a single design might have many names, as well as many implementations -- some good, some bad. If I ever finish my long delayed book on Digital Typeface Designs, it will contain a chapter on the aesthetics of typefaces. Meanwhile, the journal VISIBLE LANGUAGE (c/o Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio 44106) will be publishing the first volume of THE COMPUTER AND THE HAND IN TYPE DESIGN, Proceedings of the Fifth ATypI Seminar, held at Stanford in 1983. This has articles by several noted type designers, typographers, and computer scientists (Hermann Zapf, John Dreyfus, Donald Knuth, etc.) on digital type. This will appear as an issue of the journal, so one should subscribe now and request that the subscription start with this issue. (Rates are $15 per year for individuals and $25 for institutions, 4 issues per year). The second volume will be out later this year, and contain articles by Matthew Carter, Charles Bigelow, and other luminaries and sublunaries. --Chuck Bigelow $
laser-lovers@uw-beaver (04/16/85)
From: Fournier.pasa@Xerox.ARPA I truly appreciated the differentiation you made between "typeface" and "font". As a calligrapher, I became aware of the interrelation between type and script design, and as a neighbor to a typesetting establishment, VIA TYPE, in Claremont, CA, I began to be aware of the diversities of modern type. I was encouraged by another calligrapher to get a free "subscription" to UPPER & LOWER CASE, issued by ITC (International Type Corporation, I think, is the expansion) 4 to 6 times a year. I don't have a copy with me, but interested persons might contact someone they suspect might have a copy and photocopy the subscription form. It frequently has items of interest to calligraphers and other design artists, but is there primarily to advertiise ITC typefaces. Thanks much, Marina Lecture note for So. Calif. interest (if there's a regional dl, message me, please): I'm going to the Fifth Anniversary of the (new) Scripps College Press tonight, at 7:00 on the Claremont campus of Scripps College. The lecture will be in the Clark Humanities auditorium, and a reception for the exhibit on Frederick Goudy and his work follows (I may have the time wrong, by virtue of leaky memory, but calling 714:621-8000 and asking for Calendar Information will give you correct details.) Did you know that Scripps has its own Goudy typeface--obtained for a price well below what he generally charged?
peters@cubsvax.UUCP (Peter S. Shenkin) (04/17/85)
>.... Even Lucida, which was designed specifically for laser >printers, has letterforms derived from 15th and 16th century scribal >styles. > Beg your pardon... I worked for an art supply store in the mid-60's, and am almost certain that the press-on lettering then available had a Lucida font available.... But thanks for your clarifications. P. Shenkin Columbia Univ. Biology cubsvax!peters