Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
0809_1
{
baskerville
}
type specimen book
//typography I
content
04 08
//designer //font family
06 10
//type size //leadings
2
05
07 //the history
//alphabets
11
09 //designs
//type style
12
//poster
3
designer John Baskerville (1706-1775)
4
the history Baskerville
Baskerville is a transitional serif typeface designed in 1757 by
John Baskerville (1706-1775) in Birmingham, England. Basker-
ville is classified as a transitional typeface, positioned between
the old style typefaces of William Caslon, and the modern styles
of Giambattista Bodoni and Firmin Didot.
The Baskerville typeface is the result of John Baskerville’s in-
tent to improve upon the types of William Caslon. He increased
the contrast between thick and thin strokes, making the serifs
sharper and more tapered, and shifted the axis of rounded letters
to a more vertical position. The curved strokes are more circular
in shape, and the characters became more regular. These
changes created a greater consistency in size and form.
Baskerville’s typeface was the culmination of a larger series
of experiments to improve legibility which also included paper
making and ink manufacturing. The result was a typeface that
reflected Baskerville’s ideals of perfection, where he chose sim-
plicity and quiet refinement. His background as a writing master
is evident in the distinctive swash tail on the uppercase Q and in
the cursive serifs in the Baskerville Italic. The refined feeling of
the typeface makes it an excellent choice to convey dignity and
tradition.
In 1757, Baskerville published his first work, a collection of
Virgil, which was followed by some fifty other classics. In 1758,
he was appointed printer to the Cambridge University Press.
It was there in 1763 he published his master work, a folio Bible,
which was printed using his own typeface, ink, and paper.
The perfection of his work seems to have unsettled his contem-
poraries, and some claimed the stark contrasts in his printing
damaged the eyes. Abroad, however, he was much admired,
notably by Fournier, Bodoni (who intended at one point to come
to England to work under him), and Benjamin Franklin.
After falling out of use with the onset of the modern typefaces
such as Bodoni, Baskerville was revived in 1917 by Bruce Rogers,
for the Harvard University Press. In 1923, the typeface was also
revived in England by Stanley Morison for the British Mono-
type Company as part of its program of revivals. Most recently,
the Baskerville typeface was used as the basis for the Mrs Eaves
typeface in 1996, designed by Zuzana Licko.
A modified version of Baskerville is prominently used in the
Canadian government’s corporate identity program – namely, in
the ‘Canada’ wordmark.
5
type size Size: 48 pt | Leading: 48 pt
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvw
xyzABCDEFGHIJKLM-
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ$
1234567890(.,”’-;:!)?&
6
alphabets Size: 72 pt | Leading: 72 pt
abcdefghijklmno
pqrstuvwxyzAB-
CDEFGHIJKL
MNOPQRSTU-
VWXYZ$12345
67890(.,”’-;:!)?&
7
font family Size: 66 pt | Leading: 79.2 pt
baskerville regular
baskerville italic
baskerville semibold
baskerville bold
8
type styles
[
In traditional typography, text is composed to create a readable, co-
]
herent, and visually satisfying whole that works invisibly, without the
awareness of the reader. Even distribution with a minimum of distrac-
font size: 8pt | leading: 12pt
tions and anomalies are aimed at producing clarity and transparency.
In traditional typography, text is composed to create a readable, co-
Choice of font(s) is perhaps the primary aspect of text typograph prose
fiction, non-fiction, editorial, educational, religious, scientific, spiri- herent, and visually satisfying whole that works invisibly, without the
tual and commercial writing all have differing characteristics and awareness of the reader. Even distribution with a minimum of distrac-
font size: 8pt | leading: 10pt tions and anomalies are aimed at producing clarity and transparency.
[
Choice of font(s) is perhaps the primary aspect of text typograph prose
fiction, non-fiction, editorial, educational, religious, scientific, spiri-
In traditional typography, text is composed to create a readable,
]
coherent, and visually satisfying whole that works invisibly,
without the awareness of the reader. Even distribution with a | leading: 12pt
font size: 9pt
minimum of distractions and anomalies are aimed at produc-
ing clarity and transparency. Choice of font(s) is perhaps the In traditional typography, text is composed to create a readable,
primary aspect of text typograph prose fiction, non-fiction, coherent, and visually satisfying whole that works invisibly,
editorial, educational, religious, scientific, spiritual and com- without the awareness of the reader. Even distribution with a
| leading: 10pt
font size: 9pt
minimum of distractions and anomalies are aimed at produc-
[
ing clarity and transparency. Choice of font(s) is perhaps the
primary aspect of text typograph prose fiction, non-fiction,
In traditional typography, text is composed to create
]
a readable, coherent, and visually satisfying whole that
works invisibly, without the awareness of the reader. font size: 10pt | leading: 12pt
Even distribution with a minimum of distractions and
anomalies are aimed at producing clarity and transpar- In traditional typography, text is composed to create
ency. Choice of font(s) is perhaps the primary aspect of a readable, coherent, and visually satisfying whole that
text typograph prose fiction, non-fiction, editorial, edu- works invisibly, without the awareness of the reader.
font size: 10pt | leading: 10pt
Even distribution with a minimum of distractions and
anomalies are aimed at producing clarity and transpar-
[
ency. Choice of font(s) is perhaps the primary aspect of
In traditional typography, text is composed to
]
create a readable, coherent, and visually satisfying
whole that works invisibly, without the aware- font size: 12pt | leading: 12pt
ness of the reader. Even distribution with a min-
imum of distractions and anomalies are aimed In traditional typography, text is composed to
at producing clarity and transparency. Choice create a readable, cohere nt, and visually sat-
of font(s) is perhaps the primary aspect of text isfying whole that works invisibly, without the
| leading: 10pt
font size: 12pt
awareness of the reader. Even distribution with
a minimum of distractions and anomalies are
aimed at producing clarity and transparency.
9
leading Typographics Anatomy
MagxyQipz
ascender
cap x-height
height
descender
kx Gg 11
//poster
BASKERVILLE
//Che Geuvara