Gutenberg’s letterforms were based on the Blackletter calligraphy that was used to write manuscripts. The downside was that it limited the amount of text that could fit on a single page, creating longer books that required more time to set up. Pages from Gutenberg’s bible, with original Blackletter typeface and decorative illustrations.īlackletter typefaces were the original standard for printing, mainly because they mimicked the handwriting style of the time. But as mentioned above, the downside was that they took up considerable space on the page. In 1470, Nicolas Jenson recognized that simpler letterforms would result in being able to fit more text on a single page, resulting in shorter books with faster setup times. He created the first Roman typeface, based on Blackletter and Italian Humanist lettering. Jenson’s early Roman typeface was more streamlined than Blackletter and saved space on the page. Jenson’s typeface was the first to be created based on typographic principles rather than manuscript models.
His Roman type is the basis for multiple modern fonts, including Centaur, created by Bruce Rogers in 1914, and Adobe Jenson, created by Robert Slimbach in 1996. While Jenson’s Roman type saved space on the printed page, others were trying to save even more space to improve the efficiency of book printing. In 1501, Aldus Manutius and Francesco Griffo created the first italic typeface, which allowed even more text to fit onto the page. While initially invented as a space-saving measure, italics are still used to emphasize text.Įfficiency was not the only typographic challenge tackled by the first type designers. Readability of early typefaces wasn’t ideal, especially the italic typefaces favored for saving space. In 1734, William Caslon created a new typeface style that included more contrast between strokes in each letterform. Now referred to as “Old Style” type, these typefaces made letterforms more distinguishable from one another at a glance, improving readability.Īn early typeface specimen for William Caslon’s typefaces, which include his Roman type. John Baskerville took this a step further in 1757, creating Transitional typefaces with more distinct letterforms. While he made improvements to type, ink, and printing presses, his typeface was blacker than that of his contemporaries. Baskerville’s design was criticized due to the thickness of the strokes. One of his critics even went so far as to say that his typeface would be “responsible for blinding the nation.” His typeface was a commercial failure but was revived in the 20th century, and he has since been hailed as “ the greatest printer England ever produced.”Ī typeface specimen of Baskerville’s early type, including an italic version. In the 1780s, two type designers- Firmin Didot in France and Giambattista Bodoni in Italy-created modern serifs with extreme contrast between strokes. At first glance, the typefaces are very similar in appearance and showcased the quality of the metal-casting work done by the respective companies, as thinner strokes required much better craftsmanship.
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