Fonts in Focus, November 2006

Aquinas™ was designed by David Quay in 1989. It is distinguished by the contrast between its upright, generous capitals and its narrow, slanted lower case letters which look almost like italics. The combination of these so different alphabets creates an opportunity to give texts an unusual yet elegant look. Aquinas is suitable for both running text and headlines and should be used in point sizes of 10 or larger. The lyrical and sophisticated feel of Aquinas makes it a particularly good typeface for poems, songs and other artistic texts.

Tony Wenman designed the display typeface Bottleneck™ in the early 1970s and its figures reflect the spirit of the times. Its distinguishing characteristic is the extreme heaviness of the serifs in the lower third of the characters, a trait which the viewer could associate with the plateau shoes of the 1970s. Bottleneck is a carefree, playful typeface which can be found even today on entertainment fliers and retro advertisements. When used sparingly in headlines and slogans, it is a real eye-catcher.

Breeze™ is a fun font from Frank Marciuliano where the letters are formed like the sails from the boat. He may have been inspired from the sailboats which he sees on the walks along the shore on the Hudson River. There are two forms available. Left and right define the direction of the blowing wind.

Chiller™ is the work of British designer Andrew Smith, a chaotic, reckless fun font. Although the ink blots and stray strokes might look undisciplined, the forms of this typeface were carefully planned and it is surprisingly legible even in small point sizes. Chiller is equipped with a number of alternate characters as well as illustrations and almost guarantees eye-catching graphics.

German designer Jürgen Weltin designed Linotype Finnegan™, a modern text design with roots in the humanist letterforms of the Renaissance. As the recognizable direction of movement in writing runs from upper left to lower right, Weltin mimicked this in his design: Linotype Finnegan’s up and down strokes end in residual serifs. All of the thick strokes have a taper; horizontal strokes and curves are noticeably thinner than the verticals. This dynamic nature lends a combination of individualness and energy, along with a high degree of variety, to Linotype Finnegan. Linotype Finnegan is a wholly new and unique typeface. It distinguishes itself through its extreme legibility, originality, and formal excellence. Linotype Finnegan makes fun to read longer texts non-stop. However, the typeface never distracts the attention from the text’s content by forcing itself too much into the foreground.

Thomas Schnaebele designed Linotype Method™ in 1997. Linotype Method is a geometric, constructed font, which has rather narrow proportions. The letterforms have been slightly abstracted and simplified, creating a futuristic aura. Linotype Method is best used for text in headlines and on display surfaces.

Linotype Ordinar™, from Swedish designer Lutz Baar, is part of the TakeType Library, chosen from the entries of the Linotype-sponsored International Digital Type Design Contest 1999 for inclusion on the TakeType 3 CD. A headline type, this font is available in regular, italic and double weights. The figures are based on the form of a rectangle. The forms on the base line are relatively large and the ascenders and descenders relatively short. The strong figures make a modern and cool overall impression and emphasize the vertical strokes. Among one another, the letters are rather similar, which can reduce legibility in longer texts. Linotype Ordinar is best for short to middle length texts and headlines. Linotype Ordinar double can be seen as a kind of experiement. The figures of the other two weights are set against a background of an outline typeface, which interrupts the strict character of the typeface on the whole and makes it look three dimensional. The unique characteristics of this font are especially highlighted when it is used in its negative form.

In 1952, Charles Peignot made a bold and fortuitous move: he invited a young Swiss designer to Paris to be the art director of the Deberny & Peignot type foundry. This started the professional type design career of Adrian Frutiger; and since then he has designed an astonishing range of masterful typefaces. One of the earliest for Deberny & Peignot was Président, a sharp-seriffed Latin titling face. “Latin” is a typographic designation for roman typefaces with wedge or triangular-shaped serifs, a stylistic form that Frutiger would return to later with his beautiful typeface Méridien. Président™ has wide, solid shapes; very little contrast between thick and thin strokes; and an air of assurance. Use this titling font for business cards, announcements, or artistic signage.

Rapier™, designed by Martin Wait for ITC in 1989, is an impulsive, energetic script font with strong ties to the brush and advertisement typefaces of hte 1940s. The zestful capitals contrast with small, narrow lower case letters, lending the font its dynamism and liveliness. Designer Wait reached the energetic, almost aggressive feel of Rapier with snappy base forms and especially with ascending strokes. For an optimal look it is advisable to set Rapier’s forms near to one another, so that the ends of the strokes of one figure touch the beginning of the next. Rapier is best used for headlines and short texts.

Linotype Rory™ is part of the Take Type Library, selected from contestants of Linotype’s International Digital Type Design Contests of 1994 and 1997. The font was designed by Canadian Tad Biernot with strictly constructed forms. The similarly formed figures seem mechanically created and their light slant gives the impression of strenght and dynamism. Linotype Rory oblique should only be used in the shorter texts of headlines in larger point sizes.

Salto™ was developed by Karlgeorg Hoefer and introduced in 1952 by the foundry Gebr. Klingspor in Offenbach. The capital letters were drawn with a brush, the lower case with a broad-tipped pen developed by Hoefer especially for the task. Salto font reflects the Zeitgeist of the 1950s, appearing frequently in advertisements during the years of the Wirtschaftswunder. The font’s extravagance and dynamic quality arise from the contrast between the strong, zestful capitals and the more reserved lower case letters.

Linotype Schachtelhalm™ is part of the Take Type Library, chosen from the entries of the Linotype-sponsored International Digital Type Design Contests of 1994 and 1997. The inspiration of German designer Ilka Kwiatkowski is not hard to figure out and the font carries the German name of the plant which was its model. The alphabet consists exclusively of capital letters with clear geometric basic forms. The font is meant for headlines in point sizes of 18 and larger. The details which make Linotype Schachtelhalm unique and true to its inspiration are however best seen in large point sizes, such as on posters, and Schachtelhalm is best combined with neutral fonts.

Trackpad™ is the work of British designer Timothy Donaldson, an easy, free-spirited typeface. Don’t let the undisciplined style fool you. Despite its casual appearance, it has been carefully worked to ensure legibility even in small sizes and retain its handwritten appearance. The jagged features of Trackpad give text a pleasing texture and produce an informal yet striking appearance.

Linotype Xmas™ Font brings variety to the dry Christmas card genre. The font can also be used on posters to spread holiday cheer at home. No limits are placed on your creativity here! The family has three different fonts, each with more than 60 symbols inside: Xmas Story includes the whole figure palette necessary for a classical Christmas story. From a cute little Baby Jesus to the Three Wise Men and wooly Aramaic sheep, and everything that one needs to add special flair to a letter to grandma, or to set up a Nativity Scene at home for the kids is included. Customers who aren’t searching for a biblical font should check out Xmas Essentials. This font contains typical non-denominational end-of-the-year holiday ornaments, such as snowflakes, decorated Christmas trees, nutcrackers, and stars. Last but not least is the Xmas Modern font. Just as global warming poses severe risks to snowmen, this font will make recipients of your holiday and New Year’s cards melt. Glyphs such as Santa Claus riding on a Vespa – complete with iPod – speed away from normal, stuffy holiday seriousness, and signal that the Fun Generation has arrived!