Chapter 8

Chapter 8: An Epoch of Typographic Genius

This chapter delved into the time of mastery over typography. This all began with French King Louis XIV and his Imprimerie Royale, his royal printing office. Under his commission in 1692, mathematician Jaugeon created the Romain du Roi typeface, which had increased contrast between thick and thin, sharp horizontal serifs, and more balance. It became the forerunner of the “transitional Roman type” category. The Rococo period followed with the influence of fancy French art: floral, intricate, asymmetrical decoration with scrolls and curves, classical and oriental art, and colors that ranged from pastels to ivory and gold were in. In 1737, Fournier le Jeune pioneered standards of type by publishing a table of proportions. He made many other contributions, including publishing manuals of typography. Over the years, engravers became more skilled and began to produce books by hand-engraving both illustrations and text. In 1722, William Caslon created his Caslon Old Style; Baskerville was an all-around book designer who first came out with a shiny page of type, using an unknown method to achieve the luster. Bodoni’s page layouts, which lacked the extravagance of former styles, introduced the simplistic modern layouts that we know today.

I think I was most excited in this chapter to see names that I recognize, especially type faces (Caslon, Bodoni, etc.). I was also happy to see the influences that are more prevalent today, and the simplistic book designs that we all know.

Why was the Rococo period called the “Rococo” period? Where did that name come from?