Edward Rondthaler has passed away at the age of 104. He was a founder of ITC and one of the early developers of phototypesetting. There’s a more type-centric obituary up at FontFeed.
Tag: typography
Typeface encyclopedia
Typedia is a community website that aims to classify typefaces and educate people about them. It’s also worth checking out the story behind the development of their logo. Jason Santa Maria and Tim Brown have posted articles outlining the impetus for the project, and why we need it.
Times New Roman history
The Financial Times takes a look at the history of the Times New Roman typeface and who may or may not have been involved.
Movie title type
Christian Annyas has created a collection of movie title stills from the films that he has watched over the years. It also serves as a good repository for typographic inspiration.
Stereotypes
Paul Shaw looks at the use of “ethnic typography” for Print Magazine, and finds that it serves its own purpose.
They are shortcuts, visual mnemonic devices. There is no room for cultural nuance or academic accuracy in a shop’s fascia. Restaurant owners want passersby (often in cars rather than on foot) to know immediately that they serve Chinese (or Greek, or Jewish) food.
His article also examines the background behind a few of the more popular typefaces. I understand that these typefaces serve a purpose, but I still balk at the use of Papyrus as an “Irish” font.
A special type specimen
Amassblog tells the unique story behind a beat-up and battered type specimen. Saying anything more would probably ruin the surprise.
Designing Klang
Work Associates recently created a typographically inspired cover for Klang, the third album from The Rakes. Given that the album was recorded in Berlin, Work turned to the Bauhaus movment and the work of Ludwig Hirshfeld Mack for inspiration. Hirschfeld-Mack developed a light and colour modulator apparatus, to provide a visual translation of music.
Typographic opinion
A recent NYT opinion piece, The Economy is Still at the Brink, received a full page typographic treatment in the print edition with big Victorian style pull quotes that are only hinted at online. The treatment lends a voice and sense of urgency to the story, that is lost in the digital translation.
Arial is everywhere
Sander Baumann documents the ubiquity of Arial in real-world practice. Most of his photos come from Amsterdam, the heart of a culture known from its design prowess.
Improving your web typography
Antonio Carusone offers eight simple steps for improving your typography. It’s fairly standard for the most part, but he provides some good CSS examples for web developers.