The Anatomy of Type Part 1: The Language of Type

From the five different typefaces that we brought in to the session, within our groups we created a categorising system to organise them.

• Italic
• Bold
• Serif
• Sans serif
• Different weights within the typeface

As a class we discussed all the potential categories:

• Blackletter
• Script
• Decorative
• Graphic
• Calligraphic
• Handwritten
• Thin//light

We discussed what these characteristics involved and came to the conclusion that 'graphic' was not a correct category: all typography is graphic.

We then were introduced to the evolution of handmade type and what different methods had been used over time to create typography:

• Stone
• Sable
• Bone
• Wood
• Lead
• Silicone (digital)

These affect the type style and have had influence on all typefaces around today. For example the serif within type came from stone carving where it was necessary to have a point of entry//exit when carving. Within our groups we then categorised the typefaces in relation to the methods.

Silicone

Lead

Wood

Sable & Bone

Stone

It was surprisingly difficult to categorise the typefaces. Because of the invention of digital technology it is sometimes hard to distinguish between a typeface that genuinely come from the use of traditional methods, and those which are just imitating them. We were then asked to think of one characteristic word to describe the different groups, and then discussed them as a class:

Stone          Established, traditional, sophisticated, commercial

Sable           Rough, fast, fluid, gothic

Bone           Elegant, feminine, posh, elegant

Wood          Simple, formal, curved, modern

Lead            Fragile, rounded, bold, minimal

Silicone       Geometric, dense, textured, simplistic

Our task from this session was to identify someone else's five typefaces. I had Jasper's and went on identifont.com in order to do this.

Arial

Courier

Footlight

Info via Identifont
Designer: Ong Chong Wah
Year: 1985
Copyright: Monotype Classic Fonts
Publisher: Monotype

Info via Microsoft
"Designed in 1985, this typeface earns its name due to the theatrical sparkle it imparts to the text set in it. Footlight MT was first designed as an italic face, followed later by the roman version, which is unusual in the typeface industry. Footlight MT is an informal, yet lively and elegant typeface whose craftsmanship lends it an air of authority."

Lucida Blackletter