The Anatomy of Type Quotes

“blackletter has come to represent a certain reverence and antiquity. There are various forms, such as the French/Flemish Bâtarde, or the German Schwabacher and Fraktur, but the style familiar to most modern-day readers is Textura (colloquially — and inaccurately — called Old English). Yet most Textura typefaces still aren’t very legible to a public accustomed to roman letterforms. Cabazon alleviates that issue by keeping things fairly informal and free of ornamentation.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“fact, Nitti has recently proven its effectiveness as the default font in iA Writer, the most popular word processor for the”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“well suited for long texts on coarse resolution displays, and that’s exactly why Amazon chose it as the default face for their Kindle. PMN Caecilia also has a very pleasant, inviting quality, delivering text without pretension. Good for: Books on low-res screens or in poor printing conditions. Professional but approachable”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Heron Serif is a strong, no-nonsense, hard-nosed typeface ready to go to work. There is a solid monolinear quality to every weight and style — even the bold keeps this feeling, as it lacks the increased stroke contrast that sometimes makes an otherwise stoic face appear somewhat friendly, even whimsical. Still, Heron is not cold: if DIN is a German number-cruncher — a stickler for rules and regulations while devoid of personality — Heron is an American steelworker, tough as nails and steadfast on the job, but loose enough to get a little dirty and tell a tall tale.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“František Štorm has made a habit of infusing historical styles with his own eccentric brand of expression. His Farao is a perfect example. Most modern interpretations of Clarendon and other Egyptians are somewhat cold and calculated. Štorm went back to their ancestors — the uneven, untamed type of the 19th century — and celebrated its imperfections. Farao has exaggerated ball terminals and serifs, inconsistent contrast, and a potpourri of seemingly incompatible features. Yet it all comes together in a wonderful, sparkling typeface full of humor and life. This is Clarendon let loose.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“But the shtick that makes Amplitude unique is its prominent triangular nicks that carve out space at stroke junctions. The “ink trap” is normally a functional device, used to compensate for ink gain (see Bell Centennial), but Christian Schwartz makes it an aesthetic device, giving a stylish edge to headlines without sacrificing the type’s readability in”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“To some, this split personality is a negative trait, demonstrating an identity crisis — it can’t decide what it wants to be and ends up being nothing. But tell that to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries who have adopted Optima as their banner, utilizing its elegant serenity to label all manner of creams, ointments, and makeup. Good for: The stuff of the establishment. Tranquil beauty. Wellness.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“From an innovative trio of Dutch, Finnish, and German designers comes a unique concept: a typeface with not one, but three italics. First, the roman: a sprightly, monolinear Humanist. Where Cronos feels like careful calligraphy, Auto is quick writing — the clear but energetic marks of a lively pen. The italics — labeled as Auto 1, 2, and 3 — offer increasingly expressive forms. The progression is like the growth of a plant, starting with basic stems that grow from buds into long vines that visibly overlap where they change direction, and that then extend to long swashes. The three options let users choose the level of embellishment while retaining the type’s basic weight and constitution. This is the same character playing”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“FF Yoga Sans is part of a double-barreled assault on the traditional classics, with its partner an update of Humanist serifs like Garamond. Not since FF Scala has there been such a bold attempt to redefine these models. Good for: When Gill Sans is wanted but its idiosyncrasies aren’t.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“in many ways, Eric Gill’s typeface, a follower of Edward Johnston’s type for the London Underground, is an awkward mix of Geometric and Humanist ideas — from its circular “o” to its dynamic, calligraphic “a.” Uppercase widths vary wildly. The long-legged “R” causes spacing issues, especially in the lighter weights. And the “g” is an odd concoction that even Gill himself fittingly called a “pair of spectacles.” Still, there is lasting charm in this face, and it has become synonymous with British culture ever since it”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Released at the height of the “Web 2.0” era, Klavika has become a prototypical sans serif of the information age. This is reinforced by the fact that it is the basis for the Facebook logo, but it’s been widely used in many other markets as well, including the automobile, sports, and publication industries. The foundation of the typeface is the pill shape.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“FF DIN Designer: Albert-Jan Pool // Foundry: FontFont // Country of origin: Germany Release year: 1995 // Classification: Geometric Sans DIN is essentially the national typeface of Germany. Developed over many years by the German Institute for Standardization (Deutsches Institut für Normung) for traffic signs and other official applications, DIN is an unusually successful design by committee. Its spare, geometric construction effectively communicates”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Key traits are a large x-height, strict geometry, and the infamous leaning letters and ligatures that allow extra tight fitting words. These glyphs are often abused, leading Ed Benguiat to famously declare, “The only place Avant Garde looks good is in the words ‘Avant Garde.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“right.” Inspired by mid-century architectural lettering of New York City, Gotham celebrates the alphabet’s most basic form. These qualities made Gotham the most popular release of recent years. It’s used everywhere, in logos, in magazines, in the very things that inspired it: signs. Gotham’s simplicity is not merely geometric — like Avenir, it feels more natural than mechanical. In fact, its lowercase shares a lot with Avenir’s, despite being much larger. But Gotham’s essence is in the caps: broad, sturdy “block” letters of very consistent”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Right from the beginning, I was convinced that Avenir is the better Futura,” said a confident Adrian Frutiger in a recent interview looking back at his 1988 creation. In some respects, his declaration was more than mere boasting — coming 60 years after Futura, Avenir remedied many of the compromises that Renner made in his quest for geometry. Frutiger abandoned pure circles and strictly even stroke weight for “corrected” curves and a bit of contrast.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“There are countless digital versions, but Futura ND comes directly from original sources, and the latest release includes alternatives previously unavailable. Caution: the protrusion of pointed apexes (“M,” “N,” “w”) is called “overshoot,” an optical compensation for type intended for Text sizes, but potentially distracting when large.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Bell Centennial’s bizarre “4” and “M” are a perfect lesson in type made specifically for its intended medium. In this case, the platform was telephone books. In 1974, AT&T asked Matthew Carter to replace their previous typeface, Bell Gothic, with something that could save costs by fitting more lines per page. To keep the type legible at tiny sizes on cheap paper, Carter made extensive use of a compensation technique called “ink trapping.” This reduces the amount of ink-spread that distorts letters by filling junctions and counters. So, what looks strange, even ugly, at large sizes, actually takes its proper form on the pulpy pages of a directory. Many capitalize on Bell Centennial’s curiosity to set eye-catching”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Christian Schwartz closely followed the three original weights and added a “Super” heavy weight, which required some changes in form, but retains the tailed “a,” unlike Helvetica’s bolds.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Carol Twombly’s source was Trajan’s Column, an early 2nd-century monument in Rome. While the letters were inscribed into stone with a chisel, recent research suggests that they were first painted with a brush, which explains their graceful serifs. There are many other interpretations of this style, including Goudy, Pietra, Waters Titling, and Penumbra. Good for: Drama, of course. Majesty. Momentous events.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Luxury Diamond, an encapsulation metal engraving style, with its long triangular serifs, wide stance, and decorative details like the notched “R” and curvaceous figures. There is also a Text family with a full lowercase character set. Good for: Raising a product’s perceived value. Filling horizontal space.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“The superellipse — also common in Hermann Zapf’s lettering for book covers — can feel dated, perhaps because it brings to mind the shape of a vintage TV screen.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Most people will likely encounter Ingeborg’s showy Display variants: the decorative fill and shadow of Block, and the buxom swashes of Fat Italic. These are indeed finely crafted crowd-pleasers, but the typeface’s more important contribution to typography is in the text weights. Michael Hochleitner managed to comfortably combine the neoclassical glamour of Didones, the readability of other Rational typefaces like the Scotch Romans, and the sturdiness of a slab serif. The result is a very original design that is both beautiful and practical. Good for: Books. Magazines. Substance and style.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Good for: Reminiscing. Gentle instruction. Putting readers at ease.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Filosofia is pretty and polite, but comes from the country. Good for: Artisanal baked goods. Fine jams and preserves.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“This is the result of a Harper’s Bazaar commission for a new version of the face that had long been a signature of the magazine.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“weight. Arnhem also sports an unusually large x-height for a serif, which enables not only dense text, but also a more harmonious fit with most sans serifs. Good for: Magazines. Forward-thinking newspapers.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“spirit. These rich curves feel crafted by hand, not computer. Dashing — maybe even exuberant — Baskerville has been known to steal the show, so be sure the content fits it (or doesn’t mind playing second fiddle). Good for: Debonair swagger.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Ever since its release at the height of the DTP age, Adobe Caslon has been the “default” serif for many designers. In fact, the original metal type was also a printer’s standby for many years, as evidenced by the expression “when in doubt, use Caslon.” The typeface is now so familiar, it simply feels right most of the time — though it could seem slightly antique for some settings.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“MVB Verdigris is a direct response to these shortcomings. A distinguished Garalde inspired by 16th-century punchcutters, MVB Verdigris comes in a sturdy, functional version for text and a handsome, high-contrast version for titling. Typographic niceties abound, including a set of useful “mid caps” sized between full and small caps. This is truly a text serif for the digital age.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces

“Minion is perhaps the most vanilla of serif typefaces. This isn’t necessarily a negative — often the goal of a text face is to make as little aesthetic impact as possible. Minion does just that.”
― Stephen Coles, The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces