Gotham Typeface

This study, rather than a written essay about the history of a typeface, has the intention of being a visual graphic research. After being confronted with Gotham typeface, we felt the urge to understand what makes a type trend in this specific case. Therefore, and without losing perspective on a wider context, we decided to analyse a path rather than specific features.This way when it comes to its classification, we start by placing the Gotham typeface in history, and also connect it with the inspiration that gave birth to it. After understanding its predecessors, it makes sense to comprehend how, when and where they take place. Thus, we must not only know the details of formal configuration and drawing, but also establish comparisons with other widespread typefaces. It is also important to gather several kinds of usages of Gotham in several different contexts. Still, we decided to consider the Barack Obamas campaign, comparing it to Mitt Romneys campaign in order to understand the main role of the typeface in the transmission of associated values. After this, it is important to understand whether and why this famous font family has become the new essential typeface for contemporary communication design.As our main objective we look forward to understand if there is a mainstream use of Gotham in such a way that it can be considered as a type trend or if it can become a long-lasting event in time.

Abstract

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Pre GothamFrom tradition to nowadays Comprehension of the tradition of sans serif geometric typefaces until Gotham typeface8-15

From New York to New Jersey Analysis of the visual inspiration for the creation of Gotham and review of the brief given by GQ and comparison with the creative process of Copperplate Gothic16-23

Gotham From the character to the typeface Gotham as a typeface. Comparising to other similar typefaces. 26-27

From the workshop to the streets Examples of famous utilizations of Gotham28-33

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Post GothamFrom Obama to Romney Comparison between Gotham (used by Barack Obama) and Mercury (used by Mitt Romney) and the main values associated with the graphic features of each typeface36-45

From American Apparel to Tom Ford Understanding if and why Gotham has became a new trend in communication design and branding and compare that with other type trends.46-51

Conclusion Try to predict the lifetime of Gotham in terms of widespread usage.52

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9From tradition to nowadays

From Las Vegas to New York

2. PRE GOTHAM

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Gotham typeface is a result of centuries of tradition of type design. It is important, in this stage, to quickly understand the path that led to this result. The historic influences are, in this case, extremely important. We must consider, for once, that the design of typefaces is as old and written language itself. Therefore, we must firstly take a look at the very first examples of the Latin modern alphabet.

The Greeks have firstly developed a writing system from the inheritance of Phoenician alphabet. The Greek characters were rational and had very explicit rules, based on geometric shapes. The Greeks also had a special interest for rationality and that explains the constant proportions of their writing.

Soon after, the Romans started their writing system going from the Greek alphabet. It soon became certain that it was not enough to consolidate a universal graphic language. Because of this, the Latin alphabet was born with several modifications to the one that served as an inspiration. We can see that there is still a geometric rule that applies and the same rhythm is clear as it was with the Greek writing. We can also see that now it has suddenly became more clear, with the inscription of points or blank spaces to mark the difference between words.

We must also say that both classical civilizations had also other types of written language that were normally for faster written or learning exercises. It isnt, for this purpose, interesting.

PRE GOTHAMFROM TRADITION TO NOWADAYS

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The evolution of typefaces continued with the creation of the first Roman typeface by Nicolaus Jensen. After the in-vention of the movable type method by Johannes Gutten-berg in the 15th century, Jensen moved to Venice, where he opened his printing workshop. It was only a question of time before he developed the first typeface inspired in the Roman scripts. This style was different from the Gutten-berg typeface, as it was based on a clearer style of writing, without the characteristic features of the German medieval calligraphy.Not only there was now a clear geometric inspiration, but also the ascenders and descenders gained strength and a dimension that made them stand out from the line of the x. In a way, the roman typeface made by Jensen was not anymore a repetition of vertical elements with thick con-nections that made the text hard to understand. It was now a more clear way of reading, with the characters having an appearance that looks very modern.


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BOTTOM:De envagelica praeparatione. Sample page of the book printed by Jenson (1470).

BACK:Roman carved stone: the modular alphabet. Rome, Foro Romano

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Later in time, the creation of Bauhaus school in the late 19th century began a new way of thinking arts and crafts. Inspired by the thinking of William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement, the school was based on the theory that all professionals should control the whole creation process in design and architecture. Formation was taken based on theory (with artists and scholars such as Paul Klee, Marcel Breuer and Wassily Kandinsky) and practice by art crafts-men. The school based the teaching on rules of geometry and rationality. Perfect geometric shapes and primary colours were privileged as simple reasoning.


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Not long after, Paul Renner created Futura, a typeface inspired by Bauhaus visual inspiration. Renner was not connected to Bauhaus, even though they were from the same historic period and shared a big part of their beliefs. Commissioned by the Nazi Government, he created Futura in 1927. Quoting Lupton, Futura, completed by Paul Ren-ner in 1927, embodied the obsessions of the avant garde in a multipurpose, commercially available typeface. Although Renner disdained the active movement of calligraphy in favor of forms that are calming and abstract, he tempered the geometry of Futura with subtle variations in stroke, curve, and proportion. Renner designed Futura in numer-ous weights, viewing his type family as a painterly tool for constructing a page in shades of gray.


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BOTTOM:Overlook of Futura typeface, created by Paul Renner in 1927.

BACK:Photo of Bauhaus school faade using a modular typeface.

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy ZzAa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz

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After understanding what is the historic tradition behind the creation of Geometric Sans Serif typefaces, we are now going no analyse the process of creation and the inspira-tion of Tobias Frere-Jones for designing Gotham. But first, we are going to watch another typeface and realise what was the process for designing that.Andy Cruz and Rich Roat created House Industries in 1993, after both quitting their jobs on another type found-ry. They developed their company and created a type foundry that not only designs typefaces, but also a series of objects based on one same inspiration. More than type design, they provide a solution for integrated design that gathers inspiration and concretization.Based on the aesthetics of Las Vegas and the lettering on the faades of the buildings, they designed a series of four different typefaces to recall that reality. It is a sequence of different typefaces that actually provide us a visual inspi-ration for graphic design more than a typeface for contin-uous reading. This is after all the spirit of Las Vegas. Ellen Lupton says that Castaways is from a series of typefaces based on commercial signs from Las Vegas. The shapes of the letters recall the handpainted strokes made by tradi-tional sign painters and lettering artists.

PRE GOTHAMFROM LAS VEGAS TO NEW YORK

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TOP:Lettering from Castways hotel and casino: conceptual inspiration.

BOTTOM:Lettering from plaque in Las Vegas, Nevada: visual inspiration.

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After understanding how the sans serif typefaces were created generally, we now get to understand how Gotham was designed. First of all, it is important to understand what was the reason for the creation of our typeface. GQ Magazine asked the Hoefler & Frere-Jones Foundry to create a new typeface for the magazine. It is important to remember now what they were asking. According to Jonathan Hoefler, they wanted a sans serif typeface with a geometric structure. The curious part is that GQ wanted a masculine, new and fresh look. Also, they needed something that was going to be very fresh and very established to have a sort of credible voice to it.Our question is then how should we meet the briefing and create something that lasts in time. Tobias Frere-Jones answered this by walking through New York with a camera on his hands. He found some lettering on buildings that were particularly interesting for this. The signs of the beginning of the century proved to be a source of inspiration that, even though they were not new in the strict meaning of the word, it would be a new interpretation. Also, by the beginning of the millennium, TV shows like Sex and the City, Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond transmitted a cultural trend that would very much connect to that lifestyle that would take us to older parts of the city. As the designer says, I suppose theres a hidden personal agenda in the design, to preserve those old pieces of New York that could be wiped out before theyre appreciated. Having grown up here, I was always fond of the old New York and its lettering.


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BOTTOM:Photo from Port Authority Bus Terminal, NYC: visual inspiration for the creation of Gotham.

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International Style, architectural style that developed in Europe and the United States in the 1920s and 30s and became the dominant tendency in Western architecture during the middle decades of the 20th century. The most common characteristics of International Style buildings are rectilinear forms; light, taut plane surfaces that have been completely stripped of applied ornamentation and decoration; open interior spaces; and a visually weightless quality engendered by the use of cantilever construction. Glass and steel, in combination with usually less visible reinforced concrete, are the characteristic materials of construction. (Enciclopdia Britannica Online)

It was now clear for the designer that this type of visual inspiration was the right one. It was masculine, as the spirit of old New York City, but could also transform into something fresh and that felt new and familiar.The Port Authority Bus Terminal in particular had a sign with lettering in the main faade that would very much transmit this feeling. It was built on 1950, still in International Style.The question was now to understand how we go from architecture to type design. The lettering in the buildings such as this had a certain design what is very much alike the architectural style itself. It is not a surprise then that the architect also designed the lettering for the faade, in the same way that he did the rest. The geometric perfection and rationality was actually an important part of that. The examples on the next page also testify that same style.


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BOTTOM:International Style: new skyscrapers with a different visual approach.

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As the inspiration from Bauhaus that we saw previously, also the International Style featured this ability of the architect to design more than just the walls. He was supposed to think of the ensemble as one and therefore it was common to also design the lettering for the frontage of the building. Therefore, it is not surprising that the inspiration for Tobias Frere-Jones new typeface was one of these rationally designed series of characters. He started by doing a photographic research, followed by an abstraction on what the typeface could be.On the next page, we can see how the same geometric sketches can apply to both the lettering and the typeface.


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BOTTOM:Different samples of lettering from NYC: visual inspiration.

From the character to the typeface

From the workshop to the streets

3. GOTHAM

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When Gotham was designed, it featured nine different weights, each one with a correspondent italic version. Soon after, the narrow, extra narrow and condensed versions were released. Each version features a full range of numerals, ligatures, punctuation marks and symbols. Here are a few examples.

GOTHAMFROM THE CHARACTER TO THE TYPEFACE

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Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy ZzAa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz

BOTTOM:Characters of Gotham in regular and italic version.

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As previously said, Gotham is a geometric sans serif typeface, part of a tradition of typefaces. Like those before, Gotham was also inspired in rationalism, pure geometric shapes and strict rules. Here, we can see some differences between Gotham, Futura (designed in 1927 by Paul Renner) and Century Gothic (designed in 1991 for Monotype Imaging).

GOTHAMFROM THE WORKSHOP TO THE STREETS

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Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy ZzAa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy ZzAa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz

BOTTOM:Comparison between Gotham, Futura and Century Gothic.

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As most geometric typefaces, Gotham is not the best typeface for continuous reading, but it is very much appropriate for using in short phrases because of its graphic features. On the following pages are a few examples of famous usages of this typeface in the popular culture.

GOTHAMFROM THE CHARACTER TO THE TYPEFACE

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BOTTOM:Chicago 2016, Olimpic Games.

TOP:New York University Logo: two versions of Gotham.

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BOTTOM:Saturday Night Live Ad with Gotham logo.

TOP:Conan OBrien poster with Gotham Typeface.

LEFT:Poster of Gran Torino, featuring Gotham typeface on the title.

From Obama to Romney

From American Apparel to NASA

4. POST GOTHAM

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Barack Obama first competed for the White House for the elections of 2008. It was the first time that an African-American ran for President of the United States of America. Therefore, he needed to come up with a message that was special and gathered the Americans. After George W. Bush, the economy was weak and the north Americans needed an iconic presence as their leader.As well as the new message, Obama soon felt the need to create a visual support for what he was saying. He was defending change and hope and it was urgent to create something that kept on that message graphically.First, Obamas campaign team came up with the idea of creating a brand with a logotype that celebrated what he was defending. That message got translated into a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional American colours and the American flag. It featured a geometric O with a sunrise in blue and red stars and stripes. With this, Gill Sans and Perpetua were chosen as the typefaces for this graphical ensemble.

However, these typefaces made the Obama campaign look too formal and reminiscent from a European style, not like the new American dream that the team was trying to pass. When it came to write the phrase War in Iraq, it just did not seem appropriate. Gotham was then firstly used on October 12th, 2008. It was fresh, American, masculine and transmitted that message of hope.

POST GOTHAMFROM OBAMA TO ROMNEY

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BOTTOM:Barack Obamas logo. Made out from a Gotham O

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The use of Gotham because solid and it inspired a new campaign, based on the American system of printing that used different weights to create solid blocks of text. This was no longer a question of style. This was now the Obamas image. The typeface in that specific usage was now this campaigns trademark and even though there were no more elements to identify the printed material, the association was fast and effective.The typography was used mostly in uppercase, with different colour and kerning to highlight the important parts of the message.


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BOTTOM:Poster from 2008 campaign using appercase Gotham.

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After the first victory in November 2008, Obama ran for a second time at the White House. The message was now slightly different: Obama started to change the state of the economy and the country, but he needed more time to consolidate that. Four years were not enough to complete the whole program with the needed results. The message was now of continuity and strength. He needed more time to become stronger. Once again, his team invested a lot of time on the visual part of the campaign. As the graphic campaign of 2008 was obviously a leading one, that same continuity was needed to enhance the possibilities of the Obamas administration. The team that designed the last visual identity needed to continue that graphical language without copying. It was a challenge. When it comes to the use of Gotham, it was now time to innovate as well. Frere-Jones was once again contacted to create a new fresh version of Gotham. The previous one resulted well, but it lacked stability. The idea was to create a Slab version of it.


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BOTTOM:First use of Gotham Slab version on the 2012 campaign.

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It came to a point when a North American campaign for presidency is not anymore just a question of arguments. It is more a question of popularity and reaching closer to all the different social groups within the United States. Obama was aware of that and his team created a series of printed and online material to get directly to the people. It was soon until variations of the logo generated also different uses of typography, with different scales of the typeface, sometimes balanced with symbols and in different compositions.


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BOTTOM:Political campaign of Obama with Gotham billboards.

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It is also interesting to see how his competitor adopted a different kind of visual language. Mitt Romney, as the candidate for the Republican Party, has a different message to pass and therefore the graphic support must be different. Although the colours are roughly the same (blue, white and red are the colours from the American flag), Romney wanted to make a statement related to tradition and conservatism. His design team chose Trajan typeface to represent visually the political concept of Romney. It is a serif typeface, designed in 1989 by Carol Twombly inspired on the Trajan capitals. It reminds of the glories of the past.It is interesting to see how it has changed from the Obamas campaign. This was pointed at a certain group of Americans of political right wing and the message was also effective. It proved not to be enough to convince the most part of the country. This was not what Americans wanted. The typeface was the last proof: the visual message is not as convincing as the Obamas one.


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BOTTOM:Mitt Romneys logotype with a serif typeface.

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Gotham has begun to be a typeface created for GQ magazine, as it was already explored earlier. The fact was that it was not long until it spread its usage to other fields of graphic communication and made a statement. As it was already explored in the last part of this short study, it is a typeface that can send a message. It is related to an American spirit, in part a reminiscence of the American Dream. The visual connection with architecture is a direct reference to a specific reality, connected with the lifestyle of New York. The usage in American brands, media and events relates to a very specific way of designing. The application on the Freedom Tower cornerstone is an example of this.

POST GOTHAMFROM AMERICAN APPAREL TO NASA

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BOTTOM:Use of Gotham typeface on the freedom tower cornerstone, NYC.

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Helvetica is a typeface designed in 1957 by Max Miedlinger and Eduard Hoffman. It was made after Akzidenz-Grotesk in order to be a successful competitor in the sans serif typeface field. It was soon adopted by a series of companies as the official typeface for logotypes and communication. It is one of the most used typefaces of all time. It is considered to be a neutral typeface, and its supporters say that it can transmit any message in any level of graphic speech. About this, in the documentary called Helvetica, Hoefler says, Designers, and l think even readers, invest so much of the surroundings in the typeface. American Apparel uses Helvetica and it looks cheeky. American Airlines uses it and it looks sober. And its not just a matter of the weight they use and the letter spacing and the colours. Theres something about the typeface l think really invites this sort of open interpretation.


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TOP:American Airlines logotype with the name of the company written in Helvetica.

BOTTOM:American Apparel Ad with a provocative photo and use of Helvetica typeface.

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On the same documentary, Leslie Savan says Governments and corporations love Helvetica because on one hand it makes them seem neutral and efficient, but also the smoothness of the letters makes them seem almost human. So instead, by using Helvetica they can come off seeming more accessible, transparent, and accountable, which are all the buzzwords for what corporations and governments are supposed to be today.The value of Helvetica is the neutral quality, very much connected with Swiss design, where this typeface got its name. Helvetica has stayed being a top used typeface for almost 60 years for being a semiotic chameleon: it says nothing but it can say everything depending of the given usage.


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BOTTOM:NASA Space Shuttle using Helvetica typeface.

Gotham has a graphic connotation; it makes a statement. Gotham is a representation of a modern American Spirit. In a way, a new American Dream. The message is one of hope, of equality, of future. It is certainly influenced by the Obamas campaign and the Freedom tower cornerstone but still takes a part on the creation of that message.The value of Gotham must only prevail if that same message keeps up as well. It is hard to predict design tendencies, especially with the fastness of todays predispositions for a certain graphic style. Nonetheless, Gotham will probably remain as the head speaker of typefaces for this period in time and this place. And as long as this remains a graphic inspiration for design creation, Gotham will probably take a part as well.

Conclusion

Documents

Gotham Typeface