The History of Typography - Animated Short

Summary

This video explores the evolution of typography, starting with Johannes Gutenberg's creation of the first typeface, Blackletter. It covers key historical moments, such as the development of Roman type by Nicholas Jenson, Italics by Aldus Manutius, and later typefaces by William Caslon, John Baskerville, and others. The video highlights the transition from serif to sans-serif fonts, including the creation of Futura, Gill Sans, and Helvetica. Finally, it discusses how the rise of computers revolutionized typography, enabling anyone to design their own fonts.

Takeaways

• 🔤 Typography is the power to visually express words and ideas, constantly evolving over time.
• 🖋️ Johannes Gutenberg, credited with creating the first typeface, black-letter, revolutionized communication by mimicking the handwriting of scribes.
• 📖 Before Gutenberg, books were hand-scribed by monks, making them time-consuming and expensive to produce.
• 🇫🇷 Nicolas Jenson created the first Roman typeface in the 15th century, inspired by Roman buildings, which was clearer and more legible than black-letter.
• 🖊️ Italics, introduced by Aldus Manutius in Italy, were initially used to save space and money by fitting more letters on a page.
• ✒️ William Caslon's 18th-century old-style typeface set a new standard for legibility, followed by John Baskerville's transitional typeface and the modern styles of Didot and Bodoni.
• ⚖️ Old-style typefaces have low contrast between thick and thin strokes, while transitional and modern typefaces increase this contrast, with modern featuring thin serifs.
• 🚫 Sans-serif typefaces, introduced by William Caslon IV, removed serifs altogether and became popular during the Second Industrial Revolution, particularly in advertising.
• 🧱 The slab serif, or Egyptian style, featured thick serifs and was used for titles, while simpler geometric sans-serif typefaces like Futura emerged in the 20th century.
• 💻 The digital age allowed for the creation of thousands of new typefaces, transforming typography forever and giving anyone the ability to design their own.

Q & A

Who is considered the creator of typography?

Johannes Gutenberg, a German man, is considered the creator of typography.

What was the first typeface created by Gutenberg, and how was it modeled?

Gutenberg created the first-ever typeface called black-letter, which was modeled after the writing of scribes.

Why did black-letter typeface become impractical for printing?

Black-letter became impractical for printing because it looked very dense and squished together, making it hard to read.

Who created the first Roman typeface and what inspired its design?

The first Roman typeface was created by the Frenchman Nicholas Jenson, who was inspired by the lettering found on ancient Roman buildings.

How did italics come into existence, and what was their original purpose?

Italics were created in the late 15th century by Aldus Manutius from Italy to fit more letters onto a page and save money.

What was William Caslon’s contribution to typography, and how is his style classified?

William Caslon created a typeface that set a new standard for legibility. His style is now referred to as old style.

What distinguishes an old-style typeface from a transitional and modern typeface?

An old-style typeface has fixed serifs and low contrast between thick and thin strokes. A transitional typeface has thinner serifs and a higher contrast, while a modern typeface has very thin serifs with extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes.

What was significant about William Caslon IV's typeface innovation?

William Caslon IV removed serifs entirely from his typeface, creating the first sans-serif typeface.

What is the difference between geometric sans and humanist sans?

Geometric sans, like Paul Renner's Futura, is based on simple geometric shapes, while humanist sans, like Eric Gill's Gill Sans, has gentler, more natural curves.

How did computers change the world of typography?

The introduction of computers revolutionized typography by enabling the creation of thousands of typefaces, giving people the freedom to create their own unique typefaces.