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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 1

Design in Typography. Typographic Flourishes

page 57

Design in Typography. Typographic Flourishes.

However quaint or eccentric a style may be, there is generally some kind of work to which it is appropriate. But this consideration does not justify the ordinary printer in investing largely in out-of-the-way styles. There are, in large cities, houses which make a specialty of peculiar and (so-called) old-style work, where every fantastic novelty is at once adopted; but in all ordinary offices, the plain work so entirely predominates that the eccentric styles are scarcely in place. All kinds of every-day work—all that is most profitable—can be satisfactorily executed without them, and if they are absent from the composing-room, « they never will be missed. » In writing of combination letters, built up of stars, &c., last month, we characterized this kind of work as useless and unprofitable. We must not include, however, in this category the regular « letter combinations » of the St. Louis Foundry, already casually mentioned in this paper (p. 32.) With these, very well-formed letters of almost any size can be readily constructed. They fill a very useful place in jobbing material, and if the compositor possess the requisite skill, he can produce exceedingly good effects by their judicious use. The « Albatype, » for posters, is an analogous device, which is also favorably reported upon; but which we have not yet seen in use. One of the peculiar fancies in recent job styles is an imitation of « type-writer » work, by the St. Louis Foundry. The construction of the type-writer requires that each character shall occupy precisely the same space—hence the W, m, &c., are inordinately thin, and the i, 1, points, &c., very wide. This peculiarity is imitated in the fount, which is pica size, and all the characters are an en in width. It is, of course, an ugly letter—its sole object being to convey the idea that the circular has been specially written from dictation, instead of printed. It has had a great sale in America.

After Ornamental Letters, the next subject to engage our attention is Word and Line Ornaments. Though it has always been customary with compositors to decorate ornamental lines with « flowers » and pieces of border, suitable or otherwise, it was as lately as 1877-8, when the Johnson Foundry brought out the « Filigree » and « Glyptic » series, that the first systematic attempt was made to produce those ornaments, some of which are now to be found in every job-room.

But a somewhat analogous decoration—the Typographic Flourish—had long been in use. It originated in France, and is still in great favor with French printers. Derriey, a French founder noted for his type combinations (scores of which may be seen in English specimen books under the name of « French Borders ») has produced some elaborate series. German founders have been busy in the same field; and one of the finest sets we have seen, containing some very large and boldly-designed pieces, is Wilhelm Gronau's fourth series.

There is a good reason why this class of ornament is not popular with English printers. It is borrowed from copper-plate printing, and strictly speaking, is not adapted to typographic work at all. The methods of the two arts are so different as to require a correspondingly different decorative treatment. The free and sweeping curves so easily traced upon the plate can only be stiffly and laboriously imitated by the typographer, who is necessarily obliged to work with rectangular material. All the early designers of ornamental types fell into the error of copying copper-plate models, such as may be seen on the engraved title-pages of the last century. The resulting styles were as unsatisfactory as they were elaborate, and it was not until the punch-cutters completely emancipated themselves from the copper-plate tradition, and struck out a new line, that any real excellence was attained in fancy type. Since then, the progress has been rapid, and there is now a clearly-marked contrast between the two classes of work. Even in scripts the same rule holds good—the old copy-book style has been abandoned, and the typographic forms have developed a freedom and beauty entirely their own. Of all patched-up horrors we know of none to exceed a lithographic job produced by a process of double transfer—from a copper-plate design, with type lines introduced into the blanks. The most uneducated eye can detect the incongruity. A few of the antiquated copper-plate fancy styles still linger in the specimen-books, but they have been practically obsolete these twenty-five or thirty years. It was therefore with some surprise that in Bruce's last Supplement (Style 1087) we noticed an attempt at the revival of one of these forms.

The curved line with flourished ornaments is the natural and appropriate decoration for engraved work. The flourishes can be made to sweep across the face of the letters, or, crossing the interstices only, may appear to pass behind; thus uniting with the general design. In type-work this is not possible, the two sets of flourishes being always more or less sharply divided by the line of type. Still another objection to their use is, that very few styles of letter can be found to harmonize with them.

We know of no better or more useful series of type flourishes than Series A and B of the Cincinnati Foundry. They are cast to pica and nonpareil bodies, and the two series together contain 106 sorts.

In this specimen four pieces are used; the two end-pieces being on an L-shaped body. The following is an example of some of the smaller pieces in use:—

The effect of copper-plate is more closely imitated in the brass-rule flourishes (54 characters), patented by the same house. We show some of them in use:

It will be noticed that the brass flourishes embrace the lines more closely than those of metal. In our first two specimens, the break in page 58the design is very evident. To obviate this defect, the Cleveland Foundry have recently devised an ingenious system of cut or « Interline » flourishes, containing 25 sorts. This series, as may be seen from the illustration in the margin, is only appropriate to such styles of letter as fill the body. With open styles, the breaks appear more sharply than with ordinary flourishes, unless brass rules are used above and below the line:

In this, as in all other flourished ornaments, abundance of space is essential to effective display. In the above example, with only three small lines of type, the design occupies two inches in depth.

The strangest and most pretentious amateur production we have seen has been sent to us by a friend. It is No. 1 of the Jubilee Herald, a 32-column weekly, started in Wellington last month. The sheet before us is anything but a good specimen of printing. The heading is adorned with a sadly-smudged portrait of her gracious Majesty, to whom, by the way, the paper « is respectfully dedicated. » An advertisement on the first page sets forth that « the foreign and Colonial news enterprise of the Jubilee Herald places it in the lead of any other such newspaper venture in the colonies. » There is, however, very little news of any kind in the big sheet. The leader (on the mission of the press) is an extraordinary essay, two columns long, interspersed with anecdotes from Plutarch, Ovid, &c. The following is an extract: « And so it is that before many centuries shall have passed away the word 'history' shall also have passed away into oblivion and become a word of the past, while the term newspaper will most agreeably to public wishes supplant it with its long columns of purified, sifted, and authenticated narratives. In the hope of this state of things being hereafter realized, and with the view of serving our own purposes also, we have entered the field of letters, and at no small expense have imported a splendid printing plant, with which on our own account we have printed this newspaper, the Jubilee Herald, » &c. In a local, the editor tells us how a part of the printing machine was broken in putting together, and was efficiently replaced « in a few days » by a local firm, innocently adding: « The only thing that surprises us is, why some such firm as —, possessed as they are of the best machinery in this line, do not start the manufacture of Wharfedale printing machines. Thousands of pounds annually are sent out of the colonies for these machines, which might be saved to the colonies by their local manufacture. And as printing machines come into the colony duty-free, to encourage such an industry 25 per cent. ad valorem should be put upon them. » On behalf of the trade, we must thank our amateur friend for these suggestions. He is evidently as oblivious of patent-rights as he is of political economy or the Queen's English. Another paragraph dilates upon the subject of his machine and plant—vast novelties to him—and travels off to the literary merits of his paper. « We write differently to others, therefore we are read; and having been read we become 'par excellence' the only newspaper that should be supported in the advertising line. » The editor's ideas of reporting are original. Holding that police-court news « is not very desirable for Sunday readers, » he intends to « select some cases from the courts suitable for decent readers. » Some of his original paragraphs, however, are coarse enough. A long biography of the late Prince Consort and a history of England (!) occupying 2½ columns, beginning with Hengist and Horsa, and chiefly anecdotal, help to fill the sheet. The latter concludes thus: « The above historic facts should form a useful compendium for young men preparing for matriculation, and has been compiled by the editor of the Jubilee Herald with this object in view. » But for this explanation, we might have supposed it to be intended for the coming centuries, when history shall be obsolete, and a file of the Jubilee Herald take its place. A long article, headed « Biographical » seems to account for the appearance of this unique phenomenon in journalism. The editor has in hand a biographical cyclopædia of New Zealand notabilities, which would have been in the press ere this but for « the exorbitant high charges made for such work. » Therefore the editor has set up his own office and started the Jubilee Herald. In a few weeks (or months) he will be « a sadder and a wiser man. »