After Class 2/18

Chapter 8: An Epoch of Typographic Genius – Including the Romain du Roi typeface, Rococo period, Old Style/Transitional/Modern type, and influential typographers

French King Louis XIV commissioned the Romain do Roi to be created for his Imprimerie Royale printers; the typeface had increased contrast between thick and thin strokes, sharp horizontal serifs and balance; it was illegal for anyone besides the King’s people to use it. It was the first of the “transitional roman” types; later, Baskerville’s transitional typeface, which he printed on woven paper for a smoother finish, was seen as a “transitional” type too. Caslon’s type looked more hand-written and “friendly to the eye” and was considered an “Old Style” typeface with its bracketed serifs and uniform thickness. Didot and Bodoni’s typefaces were seen as more mechanic and considered “modern” because of their narrower and more geometric letters with a vertical axis. The Rococo period featured fanciful French art and lasted from 1720-1770. It was floral, intricate, asymmetrical, and featured many scrolls and curves. Also during this epoch of genius we saw the start of information graphics, like charts, as well as le Jeune pioneering the standardization of types and type faces.

The most useful parts of the chapter to me were analyzing the different typefaces and the differences among them, which made me look more closely at typefaces in general, as well as able to see the differences in typefaces used today. It will make me think and look more closely at the typefaces I use in the future.

Were the promiscuous/entertaining texts back then used by the rich, who also spent their money on the religious texts, or were they used by the poorer people?