by Gagan Diesh
The other day someone used the word Manifesto, and I realised how much I like that word. So I looked it up:
Main Entry: 1man·i·fes·to
Pronunciation: “ma-n&-’fes-(”)tO
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -tos or -toes
Etymology: Italian, denunciation, manifest, from manifestare to manifest, from Latin, from manifestus
: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer
So what is your manifesto for life? For your career? Do people know it or is a secret? Or is it a secret even to you, because you have never thought about it till today? I am thinking it is important for all of us to be clear about our intentions because then, everyone in our life can have a more authentic connection to us and sometimes even help us act upon our intentions (at least the noble ones!).
P.S: What is the collective manifesto for this Blog?
Posted in Inspiration | No Comments »
by Robin Mitchell
“Futura is a subtly crafted geometric sansserif. The stroke appears to be unmodulated, but in fact it is carefully shaped to give optical balance” — Bringhurst
Futura is a superstar of twentieth-century type design. With its optimistic name, bubbly round o’s, and oddly long ascenders, it is a lovely, quirky typeface. For many of us, it is one of the first faces we recognize as students. It may be so ubiquitous that it is sometimes taken for granted. Here is a brief history of Futura, how it influenced/influences contemporary design, and a list of alternate typefaces for Futura fans.
Futura has been used by great designers from Saul Bass to Bruce Mau. It was Stanley Kubrick’s favourite typeface! Whether it appeals to your personal aesthetics or no, Futura’s pedigree is clear. After almost a century of popular use, it’s earned its stripes.
Designed in the mid 1920s by Paul Renner, Futura arrived only about thirty years after the first sansserif type began appearing on posters. Futura is a “geometric” sansserif — its letterforms are based on the proportions of the circle, square and triangle. Most typefaces have a bit of a slope to them, the way human handwriting does. But Futura embraced the age of the machine in which it was born, and its form is pure. That is why the o’s are so perfectly round. A number of geometric sansserifs came out of the 1920s, but Futura was the most popular (except the UK, where Gill Sans took the place by storm).
Futura’s strict geometric proportions were still radical in 1927, when it was first issued by Bauer. It was one of the first sansserifs to make its way into popular use and became an important ingredient in the revolution of “The New Typography”, which embraced asymmetrical grids and sansserif typography, and which still heavily influences us today.
But does Futura fit into the typographic landscape of the 21st century? Renner himself believed that each new generation of graphic designers should “attempt to create a contemporary form true to its own time” (Philip Meggs). Futura is no longer of the future; its cubist gestalt is even quaint by today’s standards. Should we move past it, or modify it? There have been several revised versions of Futura already. The most famous is probably Avenir (recently re-reworked as Avenir Next for Linotype). Avenir has never had the same popular appeal as Futura, though.
I feel that the biggest problem with Futura for contemporary designers is the popular digital version. It’s OK, but not as nice as the original — just look at old Paul Rand pieces from the 1950s and 60s. You will be envious (well, if you’re a nerd) and wonder why your own type, even at the same size and weight, looks a little shabby. There is actually a beautiful font of Futura up at the Regional Assembly of Text on Main Street. Hopefully the R.A.T. letterpress will be available to the public soon.
Futura is an excellent typeface for students new to typography. It is appealing and its form is simple and transparent. Nevertheless, it would be shame if it did not serve as a stepping stone to other, more sophisticated typefaces (many of which it influenced).
Students who enjoy Futura’s simplicity, range of weights, and “cleanliness”, might be encouraged to consider Frutiger, Univers or Akzidenz Grotesk (the Berthold version has a nice, clean light weight).
Those who find Futura’s proportions appealing might consider Century Gothic, News Gothic, Memphis, Rockwell, Avant-Garde or Gill Sans.
Finally, those looking to equal Futura’s “friendly” quality (and although it has strict geometric features, its heavy emphasis on circular forms allows Futura to appear bouncy, even cute in its lower case) might consider the slightly-more-serious Franklin Gothic, Syntax or even Clarendon.
If anyone wants to find out more about lovely Mr. Paul Renner and his exciting life as a revolutionary typographer, there is a book about him by Christopher Burke called “Paul Renner: The Art of Typography”. If you are lazy, you can just look at the cover and see a picture of Paul Renner. He’s such a cutie. No wonder he made such a nice typeface.
PS to Futura-istas: Unless you are using all caps, it’s a good idea use generous leading when you are setting Futura.
Posted in Opinion, Typography | 2 Comments »
by Robin Mitchell
This is my first blog post anywhere, ever! Oh, I am such a print-y lady. Of course, it is a post on…type!
Sometimes people ask me if I “like” a typeface that they are interested in using. Although I personally like some faces more than others (Akzidenz Grotesk, Clarendon, Info, Jenson, Bodoni, Century, Bell MT, Joanna and Electra) I think it’s not a good idea to approach typography this way. The question is “is it appropriate?” not “do I like it”. For display type, you could examine the rhythm of the letters in your words — are there lots of straight lines, with letters like “MNT”? Or repetitions of more circular forms, like “abc”. How can you emphasize the form? Or you can choose to interpret the content.
There are also practical considerations, such as legibility, or space considerations. So, if you need to make a short word fit across a wide space, you wouldn’t want to use a condensed face.
But anyways, I don’t want to to “like” or “dislike” in professional discussions. I am going to try to avoid using those words. Besides, what I like one week, I might not like the next. I mean, typography has trends, too!
So, in the spirit of this, I am going to answer the “do you like futura” question, which I’ve been asked by a few people. I had no idea that futura was so controversial. Or that VFS had such hotblooded typographers! Myself, I’ve only used Futura a couple of times in the last eight years….
Posted in Typography | No Comments »
by Brett Forsyth
Please check back soon for a write up about the current design of this blog.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »