[Gllug] Font annoyances of the day

[Don Williams]

On Mon, 2007-05-21 at 09:52 +0100, John G Walker wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 21 May 2007 09:39:02 +0100 Don Williams
> <don at rose963.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> > 	My thoroughly enjoyed bit of nostalgia baulks at relating
> > many of the wonderful hot metal typeface names (and designs): Fry's
> > Ornamented, Caslon old Face, Bodoni Elephant, Nicholas Cochin - oh,
> > those were the wonderful, beautiful days ...
> 
> 
> Is Caslon Old Face the same as Caslon Antique? I have the latter as a
> True-type font. And I also have Bodoni Poster (which I've used in the
> past). Is this the same as Bodoni Elephant? It's heavy enough to have
> that name :)
> 
> -- 
>  All the best,
>  John

Hi John - first, no, Caslon Old Face was considered the family base (its
italic probably the most beautiful italic ever designed). Caslon Antique
was, shall we say, a "roughed-up" version, with added weights and
damaged edges aimed at looking um, antique.
	Next, the Bodonis. A "book" face, bodoni was a tad angular with a small
x-height. Only when the verticals were grotesquely accentuated  into
Ultra Bodoni did the face come into its graphic design forte. Bodoni
Poster should be alike to Ultra, if not quite as heavy, but should have
a much-reduced "beard", allowing the lines of type to appear much
closer, as "poster-work" required. You realise, John, that I still see
these typefaces in their metal forms - digital reproduction has not
given original typeface designers much credit ...
	I mentioned the word "grotesque". Colloquially "grot", a huge influence
on printing in the sixties ...
	OK, I'll shut up now ... Don

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