In today’s world, we pay little attention to type. Where did they come from? Who created the fonts that we use so prolifically today? Have you ever stopped to ponder the difference between Times New Roman, Helvetica or Baskerville? Believe it or not, every font you have ever used has a history of it’s own.
From previous readings, it is clear that printers, engravers and bookmakers were using letters, words and type, however, their methods for doing so followed no standard. Today, we can type a letter in Arial in Kansas, and it will look exactly the same as the Arial type in Poland. How did this occur?
In the 18th century (1700’s), King Louis XIV of France ordered a commission that would help to start this standardization. It was then that type would be designed by ‘scientific principles,’ rather than artistic inspiration.
From previous readings, it is clear that printers, engravers and bookmakers were using letters, words and type, however, their methods for doing so followed no standard. Today, we can type a letter in Arial in Kansas, and it will look exactly the same as the Arial type in Poland. How did this occur?
In the 18th century (1700’s), King Louis XIV of France ordered a commission that would help to start this standardization. It was then that type would be designed by ‘scientific principles,’ rather than artistic inspiration.