Typography is an essential and important part of a design. It conveys a visual language that communicates a message, shapes the viewer’s experience, and can influence their perception. Fonts are just as important in a design, as is how the typography will look. So I think knowing the history behind them is an important part of being a designer. To not just know how to work with fonts and how to place typography, but the know where it comes from for a deeper understanding of it. I knew a little from my first year at college but never dug deeper from what my design instructor said. So this blog is to help broaden our horizons on typography and font so we can better understand, as designers, what we are working with, and as nondesigners to better understand what it is.
History of Typography
Typography can trace its roots back to hieroglyphs or pictograms. It was used by ancient civilizations to represent ideas, these images soon evolved into alphabets and phonographic writing, which led to the development of various typographic systems. Ancient cave paintings can be credited as the very first recorded written communication. As civilizations advanced, the need to communicate complex concepts grew, hence the development of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Egyptians began to incorporate symbols or ideograms into their art, architecture, and writings [1].
However, it is the Phoenicians who are credited with creating the very first alphabet and this same alphabet was used by the Greeks. After several years the Romans used the Greek Alphabet and styled the Uppercase Alphabet, which is still used today. They would also refine the art of handwriting and fashioned several different styles of lettering. Additionally, they also introduced different scripts [1].
Use of Typography
Back in the 11th century in the burgeoning days of printing. During the Song Dynasty in China. Typography was invented by Bi Sheng (990-1051). He created a movable type using porcelain but later discovered that wood was easier to replace because all you needed to do was quickly carve a new letter or character. Later around 1230 in Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty a metal movable type was invented. Metal proved to be much more hardwearing than previous materials [1].
Then around 1440 Johannes Gutenberg (c.1393-1406-1468) invented the Printing Press. His invention was a movable type printing press which kicked off the printing revolution. With this new-fangled press, he could print up to 3,600 pages per day way more than hand printing, which could only manage a measly forty pages per day. Although Gutenberg automated and mechanized the process of printing, Asia was using movable type for almost a century prior [1].
History of Fonts
Johannes Gutenberg was actually credited for developing the first font along with inventing the printing press. It was a blackletter variety resembling calligraphy. Then the French engineer, Nicholas Jenson (c.1420-1480) developed one of the earliest Roman typefaces in 1470 [1].
Later, front classifications came along. Morris Fuller Benton (1872-1948), an American typeface designer, is credited with the invention of font classification. He was the chief type designer at the American Type Founders (ATF) from 1900 to 1937. His designs include Franklin Gothic, Alternate Gothic, and News Gothic. Then, in 1954, Maximilien Vox (1894-1974) developed the Vox-ATypl classification [1].
Licensing Fonts
Then in the 1980s, came the era of desktop publishing. The old ways of physical typesetting were gone and fonts and their families had now become software products. And with this new digital technology came the need for licensing. If you wanted a font for commercial use, you had to acquire the right permission. Through licensing, the font owner can allow multiple uses of their designs. Licensing is very important and designers, and others, must watch out for it [1].
I think both typography and fronts are very important and their development through the ages is very interesting. They have come a long way from when they both first started. It’s amazing how much they were able to remain through the ages. They didn’t fade away and just improved. The way lots of people had a part to play in it and it was not just one person or people group. Lots of people worked and improved on it, and because of them, we have what we use today, which is still being refined today.
Source:
[1] Wilson-Blackwell, S. (2023, February 22). A Brief History of Fonts. Sufio.com. https://sufio.com/blog/brief-history-of-fonts/