The original story of Times New Roman’s genesis goes like this: Morison wrote a blistering article in 1929 arguing that Times Old Roman, the font of The Times of London, was dated, clunky, badly printed and in need of help — his help. The paper listened and charged Morison with directing the creation of a new suite of letters. He did, and on Oct. 3, 1943, Times New Roman debuted on the bright white broadsheets of the London daily.

Here’s the problem with this tidy account: Evidence found in 1987 — drawings for letters and corresponding brass plates — suggests that the real father of the font wasn’t a typographer at all, but a wooden boat designer from Boston named William Starling Burgess.

— Katherine Eastland traces the secret history of the world’s most popular font, Times New Roman. (via thedailyfeed)

wiredmonkey:

These unique maps of Chicago and Boston accurately depict the streets and highways, parks, neighborhoods, coastlines, and physical features of the city using nothing but type.
Only by manually weaving together thousands upon thousands of carefully placed words does the full picture of the city emerge.
A great artwork by designer Andy Woodruff and Axis Maps.
For more details here’s the link.

The Beauty Of Typography: Writing Systems And Calligraphy, Part 2
by Jessica Bordeau
via Smashing Magazine

The Beauty Of Typography: Writing Systems And Calligraphy Of The World.
By Jessica Bordeau
via Smashing Magazine

karenh:

“So You Need a Typeface” infographic by Julian Hansen(via inspiration lab)

Rights Guide for Rough Sleepers
by Tom Balchin

typefaces vs. ink used to print

brookebutler:

interesting.

also see measuring type for another type/ink comparison.

design @ MoMA

Let’s start by looking at the @. No one knows for sure when it first appeared. One suggestion is that it dates to the sixth or seventh century when it was adopted as an abbreviation of “ad,” the Latin word for “at” or “toward.” (The scribes of the day are said to have saved time by merging two letters and curling the stroke of the “d” around the “a.”) Another theory is that it was introduced in 16th-century Venice as shorthand for the “amphora,” a measuring device used by local tradesmen.

Whatever its origins, the @ appeared on the keyboard of the first typewriter, the American Underwood, in 1885 and was used, mostly in accounting documents, as shorthand for “at the rate of.” It remained an obscure keyboard character until 1971 when an American programmer, Raymond Tomlinson, added it to the address of the first e-mail message to be sent from one computer to another.

via The New York Times

“You think you’ve seen tall x-heights until you see Giorgio Sans.”
via ilovetypography

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