page 49

Design in Typography. Systematic Design.

Great as is the variety of Ornamental Types, they can all, as we have shown in our last article, be readily classified under a very few general heads. The printer has to complain, not of want of variety; but of want of system in variation. The hap-hazard style which has characterized the sequence of type bodies has been equally annoying in the matter of design. It would be supposed that a founder, in designing a new series, would naturally take into consideration the styles he had already produced, and where it could be conveniently arranged, would so shape his new design as to supplement and add to the value of the old. Yet nothing is more rare than the production of a new style having any fixed relation to an existing pattern. Looking through the large specimen books of the two principal American houses, we oan only find three or four instances of this being attempted. Bruce's « Style 1526, » was followed some time afterwards by « Style 1527, » an italic to correspond, and « 1525, » a heavier letter of the same character. The two series of « Monogram, » 530 and 531, are the only other examples we find out of some thousands of styles. MacKellar supplemented his « French Clarendon Shaded » by the « Slanting Shaded, » but they are about twenty pages apart in the book, and there is nothing to show that one is complementary to the other. So with « Black Ornate » and « Sloping Black. » The only other instance we know is the supplementing of the « Arboret » by « Arboret No. 2. » What is now the exception, would be the rule if type-foundries were conducted on rational principles. There is, let us say, a standard series of roman, with the corresponding italic. This is the body-fount. A series of ionic is being cut. What would be easier than to make it line with the roman? A series of sloping ionic is devised. Why not make this correspond with the former ionic, and at the same time with the standard italic? Next, a fat-faced roman and a fat-faced italic. In the ordinary foundry, these would be cut without any reference to each other or to any pre-existing fount. We know a fine set of heavy-faced italics, nonpareil to pica, which have been shown for years by two English founders, with no roman to correspond. In all but very exceptional cases, ionics, clarendons, sanserifs, latins, and all the other styles now so freely used to emphasize words in ordinary text, could be cast with a uniform beard, corresponding to the standard roman of the same body. Sanserifs, latins, ionics, &c, cast on the slope, should always correspond with an upright letter of the same style. The printer would benefit by the harmonious effects he could introduce into his work, and would save time by working different faces in the same line without papering or carding; and the founder would benefit by selling two and often three or more job founts where he now sells one.

It is strange that the obvious advantages of system in designing haye been so overlooked by the founders, not only in types but in borders and ornaments. In the latter branch some of the German firms are introducing a systematic sequence; but the whole field of design in types, plain and fancy, has been occupied at hap-hazard. Not one step has yet been made to produce a systematic series of properly-graded sizes and styles. The printer who should confine himself to one foundry would find his material as chaotic as if he had bought it of fifty houses. We have only to look critically through any specimen book to see the utter want of system. We have the wreck of a Caslon and Livermore book (out of which, in bygone days, we learned our alphabet) issued about 1830. The range of design is very limited—the fancy styles of late years had not been dreamed of— but in its pages we find a rational system of gradation of styles. It is the only specimen book we have seen of which as much could be said, and the most go-ahead founder of 1887 might take some useful hints from that old book, notwithstanding all its defects in design— its cumbrous antiques, its inordinately fat romans, its hideous « Italians, » and its grim borders.

It is evident that where new designs are turned out by the hundred without reference to any standard, that a vast amount of useless material must be produced. Styles come out so closely resembling each other that they are continually being mixed; while on the other hand gaps exist in every department which there is nothing to fill. It would be the easiest thing possible to systematise the products of a foundry. We will suppose that in a given size—say brevier—there are roman and italic founts, full-faced, narrow, and wide. Let the lower-case alphabet of the narrow equal, say, 14 ems pica, of the ordinary face, 15½; of the wide 17. There we have a basis from which all the allied characters could be measured. Take, for example, Ionic. A narrow ionic should correspond letter for letter with the narrow roman; No. 2 with the full roman; No. 3 with the wide roman. No. 4 might run to 18½; No. 5 to 20; No. 6 (wide) to 21½. Wider founts could be cut if desired; but the whole series should correspond precisely in every respect save width. So with antique, latin, sanserif, and fat-faced roman. In this case, every new fount would take a fixed place in a well-defined system, and the printer, having any one, would find it to his interest to adhere to the one series. Then, when sloping founts are cut, let each one be the exact complement of one of the existing founts. As regards founts without lower-case, the caps of those already described, cast on a body one size smaller, would form another harmonious series. We need hardly say that a systematic width of character (on the principle of « self-spacing » type) would simplify the scheme, and add enormously to its value.

It might, at first sight, be supposed that the system we have outlined would be a check to invention. On the contrary, it would stimulate production, merely regulating what is now altogether chaotic and perplexing. Not only this, each foundry would be able to mark out a special path of its own, and would have its own circle of admirers and supporters. At present, there are too many designs and at the same time too few. While the very foundation styles show large gaps in sequence and orderly gradation, crude designs are thrown upon the market in eight or ten sizes at a time. Not one of the specimen books can show an orderly and systematic series in any given style—sanserif, latin, ionic, or antique—such as we have outlined. Let the plain styles once be brought out on a rational system, and the same principle would soon be extended to the ornamental styles. The starting-point in every case should be the standard roman.

Before proceeding to our next subject—Word and Line Ornaments— we will briefly notice some of the styles of type not easily classified under the headings given in our last month's article. There are first, letters built up of uniform pieces, such as we illustrated under the page 50name of « star » combinations. If all the letters were composed of straight lines and right angles, the result would be satisfactory, and every plain border could be made to do duty as a combination fount, as in the margin. But curves and diagonals can never be satisfactorily represented thus. The ordinary cross-stitch needlework letter is an example of this kind of work; but the compositor has more freedom than the embroiderer, as his squares need not lie in regular lines, but may be placed across the centre or otherwise as convenient. Thus in the « star » S (p. 45) both en quads and thick spaces are used. This is, however, a useless and unprofitable style of work.

Allied to these are the « sectional, » in which the letter is in halves, and crossed by a band; and the « Mortised » initials, in which part of the letter is cut out on the right-hand side, for the insertion of smaller types. Another style much in favor is a grotesque and exaggerated imitation of the old-style character, with the letters irregular in size, and in some cases out of line. Such are the

These have their place in decorative work; but must be used with caution, being very liable to abuse. The most original and the earliest of these eccentric forms is the « Harper, » which has had an extraordinary popularity. It has been cut from pica up to large-sized poster letters, and entire books have been printed in the character.