Thinking with Type

Italic letters were first created in Italy as an inexpensive form of printing. The cursive italic letters were less expensive than upright scripts because they could be written more rapidly and took up less space.

The new types that were created during the Industrial Revolution were larger (for advertising use) and more mechanized. Some designers saw this “distortion” of the alphabet as “gross and immoral” and distinctly linked to the “destructive and inhumane” industrial system of the times.

Type classification was devised in the 19th century by printers who wanted to give their craft a “heritage...analogous to that of art history.” (42). The three categories were humanist (types based on handwriting; analogous to Renaissance art), transitional (analogous to Baroque art), and modern (analogous to Enlightenment era art). Types from these categories are still used today to create new typefaces.

Would you agree that type style is closely tied to the culture? Can you think of any typefaces that are particularly representative of certain times?