Font Designer – Edward Johnston

Edward Johnston – born 11. 2. 1872 in San José, Uruguay, died 26. 11. 1944 in Ditchling, England – type designer, calligrapher, author, teacher. Studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh.

1898: obtains his Ph. D. Moves to London. Studies ancient writing techniques in the British Museum. 1899–1913: teaches at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London in the new lettering department. 1901–40: teaches at the Royal College of Art in London. 1906: his book "Writing and Illuminating and Lettering" is published, causing something of a "renaissance" for calligraphy. It is considered the most influential book on calligraphy ever written. 1910–30: designs fonts for Count Harry Kessler’s Cranach-Presse in Weimar. 1912: moves to Ditchling. 1913: founder member and editor of "The Imprint" magazine, of which there are a total of nine issues. 1915: Frank Pick, the director of London Transport, commissions Johnston to design a typeface for the Londong Underground’s corporate identity. 1916: Johnston produces a typeface for the Underground. Eric Gill works on the project with him. Johnston works with London Transport until 1940. 1979: Johnston’s London Transport type is reworked by Colin Banks to produce New Johnston. 1928: an edition of "Hamlet" is published with Johnston’s Hamlet-Type and woodcuts by Edward Gordon Craig. 1930: designs a Greed alphabet for Count Harry Kessler’s Cranach-Presse in Weimar, yet only a few of the letters are cast.

Fonts: Hamlet-Type (1912–27), Imprint-Antiqua (with G. Meynell and J. H. Mason, 1913), Johnston Sans Serif (1916).

Publications include: "Writing and Illuminating and Lettering", London 1906; "Manuscript and Inscription Letters for Schools and Classes and for Use of Craftsmen", London 1909; "Schreibschrift", Leipzig 1910; "Hand- und Inschrift-Alphabete für Schulen und Fachklassen für kunstgewerbliche Werkstätten", Leipzig 1922. Priscilla Johnston "Edward Johnston", London 1959.

* TYPOGRAPHY – An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Throughout History by Friedrich Friedl, Nicolaus Ott (Editor), Bernard Stein, published by Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.

more ... Works and Samples

Fonts from the Linotype Library in the style of Edward Johnston:
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