STORM - Catalog (Intro)

8/14/2019 STORM - Catalog (Intro)

1/16


2/16

An extract from the introduction to Manul typograck.

In this catalogue you will nd a whole range of type faces beginning from thosewhich have been designed for books through the ones designed for magazines andnewspapers to display and decorative type faces. The recommendations for use ofthese type faces are not, naturally, mandatory; they should serve only as guidelinesfor less experienced designers. In the case of most book type faces, designs whichcan be used to create emphasis in the text are available from the range of styles onlyand their names are not included in the menu. Magazine and display type facescomprising four designs are presented together on a single page. Samples of jobbingtype faces and ornaments are shown only in the Summary printed on page 130 ff.

After this section (from page 136 onwards), there are text pages of selected displaytype faces which can be used for shorter texts as well. In the last section you will ndfull comments on the individual type faces.Different type faces require different forms of presentation. There aremultifunctional alphabets which can be viewed from various angles and used invarious types of text but there are also single-purpose jobbing type faces in the caseof which it is sufcient if they are shown in a sample alphabet only. A pagepresenting a body type in twenty different sizes looks cramped and confusing.However, if the same type face is shown in a book lay-out with proper margins, itlooks different it has now space enough to breathe. Thanks to a different angle of

view it has acquired a different character...Back to the roots is a tendency which characterizes a large part of our productioninspired by the Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-classical periods. Our catalogueincludes a group of Baroque type families which have been digitized for the rst timein the world and whose shape is almost intact.Storm Type Foundry was founded in Prague in 1993 with the aim to restore thevalues of classical typography for the benet of digital technologies. We started bydrawing alphabets which could be used in book printing, then we proceeded toalphabets for lm- and photosetting and nowadays, in the era of computers, we usethe experience we have gained to make digital type faces more human.Our current TypoKatalog contains over 230 original PostScript and TrueType fontsfor the Mac or the PC.When digitizing original Czech type face we cooperate with experienced Czech

designers Otakar Karlas, Jan Solpera and Josef Tfa. We are convinced that suchteamwork is a guarantee of the permanence of the artistic value of our type faces.


3/16

3

Aichel

Every type face which was originally designed for use in architecture (in this particular

case for a UNESCO memorial plaque for a church built by Jan Santini-Aichel on ZelenHora) is surprisingly well usable also in minor graphic works. The proportions and colour(tonal value) of the upper-case letters derive freely from Mediaeval and apart from thisthey paraphrase, as was required in the order, the morphology of the Baroque Gothic.The lower-case letters seem to ring with gambolling melodies in their details and behavelike immature counterparts of the upper-case letters. To combine monumentality withplayfulness and gravity with ease means to arrive at a magnanimously balanced whole.That is why such type face can be used not only for casting in bronze or chiselling instone, but also for childrens books, magazine headings and invitation cards. I would,however, be apprehensive about using it for setting longer texts in which considerableamount of artistry tends to be cumbersome.

AlcoholicaThe source of inspiration for this design is immediately apparent in its name. It is suitablefor texts of drunkards and dubious persons. Likewise it is cut out for posters for theatrepieces by contemporary dramatists. It has been issued in three designs only.

Antique Ancienne, Moderne & Regent

The concept of the Baroque Roman type face is something which is remote from us.Ungrateful theorists gave Baroque type faces the ill-sounding attribute Transitional, asif the Baroque Roman type face wilfully diverted from the tradition and at the same timedid not manage to mature. This transition was originally meant as an intermediate stagebetween the Aldine/Garamond Roman face of the Renaissance, and its modern

counterpart, as represented by Bodoni or Didot. Otherwise there was also a transitionfrom a slanted axis of the shadow to a perpendicular one. What a petty detail led to thepejorative designation of Baroque type faces! If a bookseller were to tell his customersthat they are about to choose a book which is set in some sort of transitional type face,he would probably go bust. After all, a reader, for his money, would not put up with sometypographical experimentation. He wants to read a book without losing his eyesight whiledoing so.

Nevertheless, it was Baroque typography which gave the world the most legible type faces.In those days the craft of punch-cutting was gradually separating itself from that of book-printing, but also from publishing and bookselling. Previously all these activities couldbe performed by a single person. The punch-cutter, who at that time was already fullyoccupied with the production of letters, achieved better results than he would haveachieved if his creative talents were to be diffused in a printing ofce or a booksellersshop. Thus it was possible that for example the printer John Baskerville did not cut asingle letter in his entire lifetime, for he used the services of the accomplished punch-cutter John Handy. It became the custom that one type founder supplied type to multipleprinting ofces, so that the same type faces appeared in various parts of the world. Thetype face was losing its national character. In the Renaissance period it is still quite easy

AaEeGgRrSsVw

123&


4/16

4

to distinguish for example a French Roman type face from a Venetian one; in the Baroqueperiod this could be achieved only with great difculties.

Imagination and variety of shapes, which so far have been reserved only to the ne arts,now come into play. Thanks to technological progress, book printers are now able toreproduce hairstrokes and imitate calligraphic type faces. Scripts and elaborate ornamentsare no longer the privilege of copper-engravers. Also the appearance of the basic, bodydesign is slowly undergoing a change. The Renaissance canonical stiffness is now replacedwith colour and contrast. The page of the book is suddenly darker, its lay-out more variedand its lines more compact. For Baroque type designers made a simple, yet ingeniousdiscovery they enlarged the x-height and reduced the ascenders to the cap-height. Thetype face thus became seemingly larger, and hence more legible, but at the same timemore economical in composition; the type area was increasing to the detriment of themargins. Paper was expensive, and the aim of all the publishers was, therefore, to sell asmany ideas in as small a book block as possible.

A narrowed, bold majuscule, designed for use on the title page, appeared for the rst timein the Late Baroque period. Also the title page was laid out with the highest possibleeconomy. It comprised as a rule the brief contents of the book and the address of thebookseller, i.e. roughly that which is now placed on the flaps and in the imprint lines.Bold upper-case letters in the rst line dramatically give way to the more subtle italics,the third line is highlighted with vermilion; a few words set in lower-case letters arescattered in-between, and then vermilion appears again. Somewhere in the middle thereis an ornament, a monogram or an engraving as a kind of climax of the drama, while atthe foot of the title-page all this din is quietened by a line with the name of the printerand the year expressed in Roman numerals, set in 8-point body size. Every Baroque title-page could well pass muster as a striking poster.

The pride of every book printer was the publication of a type specimen book atypographical manual. Among these manuals the one published by Fournier stands out also as regards the selection of the texts for the specimen type matter. It reveals thescope of knowledge and education of the master typographers of that period. The sameFournier established a system of typographical measurement which, revised by Didot, isstill used today. Baskerville introduced the smoothing of paper by a hot steel roller, inorder that he could print astonishingly sharp letters, etc. ...In other words Baroque typography deserves anything else but the attributetransitional.In the rst half of the 18th century, besides persons whose names are prominent and well-known up to the present, as was Baskerville or Caslon, there were many type founders

who did not manage to publish their manuals or forgot to become famous in some otherway. They often imitated the type faces of their more experienced contemporaries, butmany of them arrived at a quite strange, even weird originality, which ran completelyoutside the mainstream of typographical art. The prints from which we have drawninspiration for these six digital designs come from Paris, Vienna and Prague, from theperiod around 1750.The transcription of letters in their intact form is our rm principle. Does it mean,


5/16

5

therefore, that the task of the digital restorer is to copy meticulously the outline of theletter with all inadequacies of the particular imprint? No. The type face should not to

evoke the rustic atmosphere of letterpress after printing, but to analyze the appearanceof the punches before they are imprinted. It is also necessary to take account of the sizeof the type face and to avoid excessive enlargement or reduction. Let us keep in mind thatevery size requires its own design. The longer we work on the computer where a changein size is childs play, the more we are convinced that the appearance of a letter is tied toits proportions, and therefore, to a xed size. We are also aware of the fact that thecomputer is a straightjacket of the type face and that the dictate of mathematical vectorseffectively kills any hint of naturalness. That is why we strive to preserve in these sixalphabets the numerous anomalies to which later no type designer ever returned due totheir obvious eccentricity.Please accept this PostScript study as an attempt (possibly futile, possibly inspirational)to brush up the warm magic of Baroque prints. Hopefully it will give pleasure in todays

modern type designers nihilism.

Bahnhof

Poster type faces from the twenties and thirties are enjoying a new wave of popularity.The summary, even rather hard principle of the sign is required for a view from a distance.The information appearing on the poster must be readable even from the oppositepavement. And, as is often the case with monumental type faces, these type faces arelegible even in small sizes. The name Bahnhof suggests the hypothetical use of the typeface on railway station buildings. By overlapping the designs Outline and Solid, a two-colour effect can be achieved.

Biblon (new not on TypoKatalog 2 CD)Originally intended for printing of the Bible. Has a slightly narrower look, but the readerdoes not perceive it as a compact type face. Released in 8 designs, including small capitals.

Clichee

Has a subtle Art-Nouveau flavour, inspired by the sans-serif type faces (Grotesks) of theperiod, of which possibly hundreds of designs were cast under such melodious-soundingnames as are for example Grotesk Roland, Grotesk Astra, Art Nouveau Light, etc....Belongs to the same blood group as Bertholds Block. It is suitable for setting of occasionalbrochures, leaflets and annual reports.

Cobra

A cross between a Roman type face and a slug, a type face with blurred letters, inspiredby a tropical snake remotely contained in the letter g. Or a mere attempt to come up,at all costs, with something new and original. This type face has a truly avant-garde solutionof the enclosed forms; these create horizontal connecting lines which help to hold theline together. It is interesting that Cobra looks good in any size, which cannot be said atall about the majority of respectably-looking letters. This type face is very suitable for


6/16

6

posters where its dynamics and softness stand out in large sizes, as well as for smallexperimental books for bibliophiles where it surprises us with its commendable legibility.

Compur

Is the name of the most famous photographic shutter of all time. This is a reconstructionof a type face which served for describing various devices, using the technique ofmonolinear engraving. With its soft forms, stringency of signs and period accent it ranksamong the display alphabets offering the widest use in magazines, on posters and fordescription of devices. It comes right in small sizes and in inscriptions arranged in a circle.

Dynamo Grotesk

Has altogether 60 designs, because it was originally produced as a Multiple Master typeface. The entire big family is grouped into eighteen independent, smaller, four-designfamilies, of which the user may choose, for example, only two or three which suit him

as regards colour and width. The somewhat confusing use of abbreviations to designatethe individual designs is, nevertheless, simpler than giving them numbers or full names.The abbreviations denoting weights are as follows: L Light, R Regular, D Demi; andthose denoting widths are: XC Extra Condensed, C Condensed, M Semi Condensed,E Extended, XE Extra Extended.Sans-serif type faces, except for good old Gill, are not provided with genuine italics; insteadof italics there are electronically slanted designs. In all italics of the Dynamo Groteskfamily, however, the design of lower-case letters markedly differs from that of uprightlower-case letters.The warm character of Dynamo derives from early sans-serif type faces, those whichappeared before Helvetica. Ever since Helvetica was created until the present day, only

cold sans-serif alphabets have been drawn which exclude use in longer texts. The x-heightis not too large it is identical with that of the Roman type face Jannon Text. The basicdesign (designated with R) is gradually becoming a classic body type. The completeinstallation of all designs of Dynamo Grotesk is the professional choice of the designerof the most demanding magazine.

Excelsior Script

Is inspired by lithographically produced scripts. It is softer and simpler than, for example,engraved Splendid Script, because its designer used pens and lithographic needles. Thegraver for steel is held in a quite different way and this has an influence on the shape ofthe letter. Similar type faces were in use from Neo-Classicism until the beginning of Art

Nouveau, when they were pushed aside by a completely different view of festivetypography. It has, in contradistinction to other scripts, slightly narrowed letters, whichsignies a distinctive elegance without wasting space on the line. For practical reasons itwas not possible to encircle the bottle with too long a label. It is, therefore, a suitable typeface for labels. Its body and extended designs cover a wide range of sizes.

AaAa


7/16

7

Farao

If a text is set in a good Egyptienne, we can observe a kind of sparkle in the lines.

Egyptiennes are cheerful type faces, possibly due to the fact that they developedsimultaneously with sans-serif faces. The design principle of a sign from the rst half ofthe 19th century does not have such rm and long-established roots as for example, theRenaissance Roman type face; it is, therefore, much more prone to mistakes which aresymptoms of a decline. We know of Egyptiennes with uneven colour, with letters fallingbackwards (this often happens in the case of S), and also with slightly bizarre modellingof details. In the course of time, however, it was realized that such things could be quitepleasant and inspiring. After a century and a half we nd that Egyptiennes could be auseful tool which could give life to the uniform computer typography. The bequest ofthe decadent typography is the following: Let us not be like a machine, let us not beafraid of doing things in a slapdash way. If monolinear sans-serif type faces palpably lackserifs, then Egyptiennes literally have them in excess. It is not uncommon for the serif

itself to be darker than the stroke it stems from. The forms of many twisted letters resemblethe gesture of a juggler: others, rectangularly static ones, the prole of a rail or a steelgirder things which, in their time, were new and were unawares observed by the rstcreators of Egyptiennes. These type faces are ideal for circus posters andprogrammes for theatre performances, just as for printing on cement sacks. TheEgyptienne Farao is soundly imperfect, in which it differs from the cold currentEgyptiennes. It has been released in three designs.

Genre

The ofcial terseness and grey of Neo-Classical type faces will stand out when we narrowthem. The consistently vertical shading of the letters suppresses ones desire for

eccentricity, just like tea with bromine. It would, however, be wrong to consider Bodonias the originator of this vertically shaded trend in type face production. In his Manualwe can also nd type faces with a slanted axis of shade, picturesque italics and a numberof normal, more human type faces. It remains a mystery why his name is connected onlywith one of his many works. Genres basic design is fairly light in colour, which is whyit looks good in illustrated magazines and short texts and directly calls for graphicallystriking, contrasting headings. It shows off beautifully next to photographs, on diplomasand on printed materials connected with a persons death.

Ideal Gothic

At the turn of the 20th century monolinear alphabets were often despised for theirdullness. Typographers, therefore, took great pains to breathe some kind of individualityinto the monotonous sans-serif scheme. They started with subtle differentiation in thethickness of vertical and horizontal strokes and nished by improving details. By this theyarrived at a more decorative appearance of the type face which thus became more regardfulof the eye of the bourgeoisie. Ideal Gothic is no exception. It is characterized by a correctstiffness which will improve the morals of every idea printed by this type face. Theawkward curves of the italics are a little suggestive of openwork cast-iron products or the


8/16

8

bent iron of the decorative little railings in a Prague park. The so-called hidden and,furthermore, curved serifs complete the inconspicuous charm of this type face. All its

above-mentioned features, however, suddenly turn into advantages when we need todesign a magazine, a brochure or an annual report, in short whenever illustrationsdominate. It is not by accident that the basic design of Ideal Gothic has such a lighttonal value it competes neither with ne pencil sketches, nor with sentimentallandscapes. It is very suitable for business cards and corporate identity graphics.

Jannon

The engraver Jean Jannon ranks among the signicant representatives of Frenchtypography of the rst half of the 17th century. He was born in 1580, apparently inSwitzerland. He trained as punch-cutter in Paris. From 1610 he worked in the printingofce of the Calvinist Academy in Sedan, where he was awarded the title Imprimeur deson Excellence et de lAcademie Sdanoise. He began working on his own alphabet in

1615, so that he would not have to order type for his printing ofce from Paris, Hollandand Germany, which at that time was rather difcult. The other reason was that not onlythe existing type faces, but also the respective punches were rapidly wearing out. Theirrestoration was extremely painstaking, not to mention the fact that the result would havebeen just a poor shadow of the original elegance. Thus a new type face came into existence,standing on a traditional basis, but with a life-giving sparkle from its creator. In 1621

Jannon published a Roman type face and italics, derived from the shapes of Garamondstype faces. As late as the start of the 20th century Jannons type face was mistakenly calledGaramond, because it looked like that type face at rst sight. Jannons Early BaroqueRoman type face, however, differs from Garamond in contrast and in having granderforms. Jannons italics rank among the most successful italics of all time they are

brilliantly cut and elegant.Jannon Text has proportions which have been adjusted for small sizes. The family TextMedium OSF (with newly released small capitals) is a wise choice for every designer ofction books.

Lexicon

Is a typical newspaper, dictionary and magazine type face. It is also very suitable forchildrens books and posters. The large x-height, condensed shapes and darker colour ofthe basic design guarantee its legibility already in small sizes and even in morning twilight.The line is bitten into the surface by the marked slippers of the letters. The lower- caseletters have flattened upper and lower limbs, just like in letterpress. Their bellies are quiteround and their knees are lightened by slight incisions. The type face is rather archaic inexpression and its italics are dynamically flamboyant. The juicy design of the alphabetis achieved by strengthening the elements of variety, sometimes even in exaggerated form.When reading newspapers, we are interested in the surface of things, in their, as far aspossible, unbiased description. We forage for arid facts which do not require our spiritualor emotional participation. That is why the type face must be neither dull nor expressive,but absolutely huckstering. For seen from the other side if we are publishers, we sell


9/16

9

information, or else merchandise just like any other. The type face is its packaging, itsouter form which here has all manner of functions except for the aesthetic one. The

apparent proportional disharmony between the upper-case and lower-case letters is aquestion of habit. The view that the upper-case and lower-case letters must have the samewidth proportions is prejudice. On the contrary the history of type faces enlightens uson the fact that the two alphabets did not have much in common. To prove this it issufcient to look briefly at their forms we will nd out that only 8 out of 26 pairs ofletters resemble each other and, moreover, the ones which do are less frequent in the text.The bold design does not need serifs, because the upright nial of the wide stroke alreadysits well on the surface. Moreover, the sans-serif bold design better sets off the basic, morepicturesque design. Both sets of italics have non-aligning gures, so that in a small numberof designs we have everything that is required of a dependable type face which is notexactly intended for the setting of poetry. The design called Headline has sharp edgesin place of hidden serifs and is darker, which predetermines it for use in headlines. The

complementary SC & OSF will be welcomed when we design headings, by-lines andcaptions to illustrations.An original newspaper type face must also create an impression of uninterchangeabilityof the typographical appearance of the periodical, but not to the detriment of legibilityand technical reliability, even when printing on bad quality paper. Under such conditionsthere is nothing worse than a banal type face of fragile strokes. A newspaper type faceshould be original and uninterchangeable in order that the subscribers might feel a certainsnugness in the pages. An original type face also extricates the printed matter from theomnipresent graphic anonymity and endows it with a more intimate character.

Mediaeval

In printing terminology means a kind of Roman type face of Renaissance origin withstrengthened round shapes; it has nothing to do with the Middle Ages. It follows up thewell-tried proportions of Jannon Text. Mediaeval has a robust skeleton covered in softflesh and its italics still show the Renaissance dynamics. It is suitable for the setting ofvery long texts, since it does not contain any sharp points, hairstrokes or other disruptiveelements. The darkness of the basic design is 14% of grey, which is frequently regarded asan ideally balanced tonal value of the setting, reducing eye fatigue to a minimum. Itsmoderate weight encompasses elements of variety and its shading seems to follow a half-moon rolling in the direction of reading. This rhythm considerably speeds up theperception of the text.Mediaeval has, in addition, been adapted for use in architecture; two memorial plaqueson the Old Town Hall in Prague are a proof of this. The inner radius corresponds in detailsto the arched form of the serifs and makes the production of three-dimensional letterson CNC milling machines easier. It is a sculptors type face.

Modell

This type, composed only of horizontal and vertical strokes, has been inspired by technoculture. It is appropriate for various posters and invitation cards for house-parties. It isquite illegible, therefore I would recommend combining it with some normal type face.


10/16

10

Monarchia

The Monarchia family, consisting of three designs, is a transcription of Frhling of

the German type designer Rudolf Koch, enriched by a bold and text design. The lower-case letter a had in the original an italic-like, single-counter form, but in the endpreference was given to a richer form, originally contained only in the diphthong .The type is intended for text setting, but its reading requires certain exercise.

Mramor

Arose (about 1988) through the narrowing of Roman capitals. It has uniform widthproportions and, above all, original lower-case letters and picturesque italics. The textdesigns are suitable only for the printing of shorter texts, because the artistic singularityof the type face soon makes the reader tired. Altogether, Mramor has 14 designs. Each ofthem is appropriate for posters. The upper-case letters used in a simple inscription haveabsolute mastery of the entire area of the page, whereas the arabesques of the lower-case

italics play an uncommon decorative accord in it. Were we to look deeper into the nooksof this alphabet, we would behold florally modelled serifs and stems with a very delicateentasis; the curves seem to follow on the one hand the merging of palm trunks, on theother a succession of rugged ridges. The overall expression of Mramor is vertical. It is atranquil, contemplative and intimate type face. It is not suitable for inscriptions whichare supposed to shout out of the surface. However, in large areas the nakedness of theletters results in a strange, wistful tone.

Negro

Is a very bold display alphabet having a slightly aggressive expression. That is why it issuitable for book covers, posters and headlines in magazines. It is only very vaguely inspired

by Latin of the type foundry Stephenson Blake, which evokes a similar period atmosphere.

Ornaments 1 + 2

Two separate PI- Fonts. The rst set includes heraldic gures, leaves, decorative endings,the second offers various skull forms, weather signs, borders and many more...

Pentagramme

Or a ve-pointed star, is a symbol of the microcosm, i.e. of man. A type face locked intoits proportions has, therefore, a lot to do with cabbala. But a geometrical dogma usuallyis not a good guide when deciding on proportions in typography. It is better to rely onones sense and experience. All emotions nish when we start using a ruler and a compass.The Pentagramme type face thus remains a mere experiment. It is, therefore, surprising,that it has already been used with success for the setting of literary magazines andadvertizing brochures. It combines the qualities of both book and display type faces. Itsweight is barely perceptible; in smaller sizes it appears almost monolinear. The ascendersare very long, thus recalling Renaissance proportions. Apart from the above-mentionedcabbalistic writings it is also suitable for obscure shorter texts of all kinds. A longer book,however, should be rather set in some other type face.


11/16

11

Preissig

The majority of Vojtch Preissigs type faces have been, from their very creation, subject

to controversial evaluations which might perhaps ll more pages than have been set inthese type faces so far. The considerable technological backwardness of Czech typographybetween the world wars intensied the authors creative effort even more. He had beendevoting thought to his Roman type face from 1912 onwards and dozens of hardlyperceptible nuances of the same design have been preserved in his drawings. It was hisonly book type face, but it shows no signs of any hard struggle in creating it. Itsextraordinary vividness and elegance are really surprising. It may be still indebted to theforms of Art Nouveau, which was withering away at that time, but its proportions, colourand expression inspire other Czech type designers. Preissigs Roman, Menharts gural(and also Rikas Faireld) and Tfas Roman represent a clear line of development,very far away from the soft aesthetics of Tusar, Dyrynk or Brunner. The co-author of themodication for computer composition is Otakar Karlas. Without his experience the

work would remain only a shadow of Preissigs design. Our aim was to produce a largefamily of type faces for the setting of both books and jobbing works.The digital transcription of Preissigs Roman came into existence from summer till winter1998. The direct model for this type face is the most successful, two-cicero (24 pt.) designdating from 1925. The designs of other sizes (12 pt., 14 pt., 16 pt. and then 36 pt. and 49pt.) lack vividness and are the source of the widespread mistaken belief that PreissigsRoman consists of straight lines. That is, unfortunately, how even Muzika and Menhartdescribe it. Neither is it a Cubist type face as many of the semi-educated think today.Special attention had to be paid to italics. It is apparent that their design is not as perfectas that of Preissigs Roman. In contradistinction to the original we have deleted almostall lower serifs in the lower-case letters, enlarged the angle of inclination and completely

redesigned the letters a, e, g, s, k, x, ... All crotches have been lightened by marked incisions.In other words, none of the italic letters corresponds to Preissigs model. The signs whichwere missing have been supplemented with regard to the overall character of the alphabet.Preissig did not deal with bold designs, but the crystal-clear logic of his chopping-off ofthe round strokes enabled us to complete the type face family without any greater doubts.An excessively fragile type face, however, cannot be used for setting in smaller sizes; thatis why we have prepared a separate family of text designs which has shortened ascenders,normal accents, slightly thickened strokes, and is, in general, optically more quiet androbust. We recommend it for sizes under 12 points. By contrast, the elegance of the basicdesign will be appreciated most in the sizes used for headlines and posters.Preissigs Roman is suitable not only for art books and festive prints, but also for poetryand shorter texts. This type family is released in 12 designs and is supplemented withPreissigs original ornaments.

Preissig 1918

was cut by the author in linoleum for purposes of teaching poster design. These warmupper-case letters enrich our palette of expression in magazine and advertising graphics.

11


12/16

12

Regent

This modernized rustic Baroque Roman face paraphrases freely its model from the rst

half of the 18th century. As far as the historical origin of this type face is concerned, thesame applies here as in the case of the Baroque type faces described above. The shape ofthe letters has been cleared from all unevenness and softness, but has retained its livelyexpression. It is deliberately rather cooler than the reverently digitalized Baroque Romantype faces, since it was necessary to adjust it with regard to the visual experience of thecontemporary reader. In addition, it has bold designs and aligning gures, which alsoconsiderably extends the range of its application. It is an entirely reliable text type facefor the most demanding extensive works. Thanks to its calm expression and excellentlegibility it is widely used when printing series of professional literature.

Regula

Is a Baroque alphabet taken over from a historical model including the latters inaccuracies

and uneven letter edges. It reminds one of the character of letterpress, but if we were tobe consistent, the letters which repeat themselves should also differ from each other,

which is not possible in the case of digital setting. It is named after the secular monasticorder Regula Pragensis, in honour of the inspiration which emanates from every momentspent in the presence of the members of this order with a glass of some good beverage.Agreeable distraction experienced when working with Regula will please every tiredcomputer graphic artist. The type face looks best in text, in sizes from 11 to 20 points the model used for digitalization was in the size of todays about 17 points. Regula has arather narrow range of application. It does not take kindly to enlargement to poster sizesand for a long text in a small size it is preferable to use Regent. Nevertheless, it willcertainly nd its own niche in graphic studios, advertisements and illustrated magazines.

Rondka

Is a sentimental reminder for those who have not forgotten what is a pen with a broad,flat nib. Digitalized from a brochure of letter patterns for teachers and clerks, publishedbetween the world wars, it is most appropriate for books of folk songs.

Serapion

Another variation on the Renaissance-Baroque Roman face, it extends the selection oftext type faces. In comparison with Jannon, the contrast within the letters has beenenhanced. The dynamic elements of the Renaissance Roman face have been strengthenedin a way which is illustrated best in the letters a, b and s. These letters contain, incondensed form, the principle of this type face in round shapes the dark stroke invariablyhas a round nial at one end and a sharp one at the other. Another typical feature is thelower-case g; the upper part of this letter consists of two geometrically exact circles,the inner of which, a negative one, is immersed down on the right, upright to the directionof the lower loop and the upright knob. The vertical strokes slightly splay out upwards.Some details of the upper-case letters may seem to be too daring, but they are less apparentin the text sizes. It has to be admitted that typographers tend to draw letters in exaggerated

12


13/16

sizes, as a result of which they stick to details. Serapion Italic are italics inspired partlyby the Renaissance Cancelleresca. This is obvious from the drop-shaped nials of its lower-

case descenders. The type face is suitable for illustrated books, art posters and short texts.It has a rather ugly name after St. Serapion.

Splendid Quartett

The traditional division of a type-face family into four designs pertains to every body type.However, jobbing typography calls for a richer tonal scale. Its purpose is to decorate, torepresent and to please. Splendid Quartet is an example of a combination of heterogeneoussources of inspiration into a single harmonious formation. An American-style script isaccompanied by a subtle English-type Roman type face with a bold design. The whole isreinforced with a Germanic Grotesk. The designs as such do not surpass the signicanceof their models, but the real charm of this family consists in the sensitive interplay ofperfect, even though antagonistic shapes.

Pure elegance, renement and gracefulness radiate from this quartet of type faces. Thebasic design is a paraphrase of Didot, but it is also inspired by Modern, a type face ofEnglish provenance. The details of the serifs, however, are not rounded, but left in acoarser, more interesting engraved form. The semi-bold sans-serif type face resemblingAkzidenz Grotesk works in contrast, similarly as the bold designs of Lexicon.Splendid Script functions in this case as italics, having the same x-height of lower-caseletters as the basic design. The script was freely transcribed from the pattern-book of theNew York Type Foundry from 1882, paying regard to numerous other sources of thatperiod. This resulted in a blend of balanced typographical flavours, as if a connoisseursmoker had blended together some ne tobacco. It is by far the most tting material forgraphic design of festive printed materials and an ideal supplement to engravings and

etchings.

Tenebra

Is an example of a combination of the Baroque inscriptional majuscule with decorativecalligraphic elements and alchemistic symbols. The widespread forms of the letters allowsfor the use of the old German manner of writing of the Umlaut when, in place of twodots above the letter, there is a reduced E. In our case it is inserted in the open letters.This concerns only the decorative upper-case letters in the position of the lower case. Theupper-case letters of the basic design are a monumental alphabet without anyembellishments, having a classic, two-dotted Umlaut. Tenebra Shaded and Old Facedecorate, but do not rene.

Traktoretka

Even relatively useless type faces can enliven a poster, cover or advertisement.Interchanging of various sizes of this type face on a large area is quite effective. Theindividual letters are not graphically that valuable, but combined with other type facesthey can create a vivid contrast. Traktoretka can be used for headlines in combinationwith text set in almost every body type.

13


14/16

Tyfa ITC, Tyfa Text

Designed by Josef Tfa in 1959, digitalized by Frantiek torm in 1996. This Roman andItalic are well-known perhaps to all Czech graphic artists and typographers ever sincetheir release. Although this type face in some details is under the sway of the period ofits rise, its importance is timeless, in contradistinction to other famous types dating fromthe turn of the sixties which were found, after some time, to be trite. The italics live theirown life, only their upper-case letters have the same expression as the basic design. Thinand fragile, they work excellently, emphasizing certain parts in the text by their perfectcontrast of expression. When seen from a distance they are a little bit darker than theRoman face.Tyfa Roman was released in 1960 by Grafotechna in Prague for hot setting. Later on,Berthold produced letter matrices rulers for Staromat devices, used for manualphotosetting of display alphabets. In the eighties it was available on dry transfers of

Transotype and today it is offered also by ITC.The meticulously executed designs of the individual letters in the 400 point size arearranged into a set of signs on a cardboard of about B2 in size. The yellowed paper revealsretouches by white paint on the ink. Blue lines mark the baseline, the capital line, theascender and descender lines and the central verticals of the letters. With regard to theformat of the flat scanner, the designs had to be reduced, with the use of a camera, to theformat A4, i.e. to the upper-case letter height of about 30 mm. These were then scannedin 600 dpi resolution and read as a bitmap template to the FontStudio programme. Thenewly created bold type faces derive from Tyfa's designs of the letters a, n, p, thedarkness of which was increased further, approximately by 3%, to enhance theiremphasizing function. The text designs have hairstrokes thickened by one third; the

contrast between thin and thick strokes has been modied, in order to improve legibility,in sizes under 12 points. We have used electronic interpolation to produce the semi-bolddesigns. Josef Tyfa himself recommends to choose a somewhat darker design than thebasic one for printing of books.

Zeppelin

A type face lighter than air, if it is possible to express something like this by typographicmeans. But the name does not make a difference. This mosquito-like Groteskappropriately complements the jobbing steel-engravers scripts Splendid and Excelsior,and is, therefore, suitable for designing letterheads and graphic materials for personalrepresentation. Medium and Black weights have been added recently to improve the rangeof application of this type face.

14


15/16

Solpera (new not on TypoKatalog2 CD)

This type face lls one of the gaps between the world of Roman alphabets and that of

linear alphabets. The rst to be designed was the set of upper-case letters. The expressionof these characters cannot conceal that they were originally intended only for the sculptorsuse, as a type face for three-dimensional inscriptions. Their width proportions reflect adialogue between the contemporary feeling and the legacy of classical Roman inscriptions.The type face was later complemented with a set of lower-case letters and elaborated intofurther designs. Its clear, concise letter forms end with small serifs which not only makethe type face more rened, but above all anchor the individual letter signs visually to thehorizontal of the text line. The austere construction of the majority of the letters isbalanced by the more exuberant, humanizing forms of the most frequently used lettersa; e. (The three variants of the lower-case e enable to create rhythmicallydifferentiated texts.) The letters in which a straight stroke is connected with an arch aredesigned in two ways. That means that the letters n, h, m and the group of letters

b, d, p, q are conceived in a different way. Thus an interesting tension is createdin the structure of the text, which, however, does not endanger legibility. Theeconomizing, slightly narrowed design of this type face predetermines its use for thesetting of usual texts. In larger sizes, however, it produces a rather serious, even solemn,impression.

15


16/16

Documents

STORM - Catalog (Intro)