The font Clarendon IT as we know it today is the result of a redesign and reissue of a historical typeface so influential that its name came to be used for all bracketed slab serifs of its time. Back in 1840’s London, the commercial applications of printing were increasing radically as the Industrial Revolution entered its second stage of expansion. In order to benefit from this growing market, Robert Besley, who was a typographer for the Fann Street Foundry, set about finding a solution for one specific commercial printing problem that had come about. The problem was how to pull out, or highlight, certain elements in editorial text and signage. Before then, italics had been used to focus a reader’s attention on certain words or phrases. But,
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The beefy letterforms of Clarendon could be found on just about every billboard, pamphlet, and poster of the day. Up until this era type had been designed to serve one purpose only. That purpose was to be used for long stretches of texts, for books. However, with the invention of mechanical technology and major innovations in printing technology (e.g. the Steam Press, 1814), advertisers in particular were looking for a type that stood out from crowd. They wanted a type that yelled, look at me! Thus was born the display face—type for use at large sizes, for short bursts of copy. Those posters were a riot of big type, often a half-dozen different styles on a single page. If the Didones were a graceful Audrey Hepburn, then the Slab Serifs were the James Cagney of type. In essence the early Slab Serifs weren’t discreet, but were designed to be noticed. For example, Clarendon was often used as a wood type in the Old West in what is now iconic poster art. These were Wanted posters, Reward signs, and the …show more content…
Clarendon went on to do nothing less than set the tone for commercial and editorial printing for the remainder of the century. It also created the related bold standard that still exists today for emphasizing text in design. After a brief lapse in popularity, Clarendon typeface made a comeback in 1935 when Monotype Imaging released their version. After that, Hermann Eidenbenz adapted the typeface for modern usage in 1953.
In the 20th century, the U.S. National Park Service for its traffic and mileage signs used Clarendon. Since then, it has been replaced by a specially commissioned typeface, the NPS Rawlinson Roadway™ font family. So what was it about the slab serifs that made them so popular? Traditionally an “authentic” slab serif has unbracketed serifs. (This is an abrupt serif that meets the stem at a 90° angle). Although there are an abundant amount of examples that come with bracketed serifs. Then, of course, come the Geometric Slab Serifs that look like the early Sans Serif types with the serifs broken
The beefy letterforms of Clarendon could be found on just about every billboard, pamphlet, and poster of the day. Up until this era type had been designed to serve one purpose only. That purpose was to be used for long stretches of texts, for books. However, with the invention of mechanical technology and major innovations in printing technology (e.g. the Steam Press, 1814), advertisers in particular were looking for a type that stood out from crowd. They wanted a type that yelled, look at me! Thus was born the display face—type for use at large sizes, for short bursts of copy. Those posters were a riot of big type, often a half-dozen different styles on a single page. If the Didones were a graceful Audrey Hepburn, then the Slab Serifs were the James Cagney of type. In essence the early Slab Serifs weren’t discreet, but were designed to be noticed. For example, Clarendon was often used as a wood type in the Old West in what is now iconic poster art. These were Wanted posters, Reward signs, and the …show more content…
Clarendon went on to do nothing less than set the tone for commercial and editorial printing for the remainder of the century. It also created the related bold standard that still exists today for emphasizing text in design. After a brief lapse in popularity, Clarendon typeface made a comeback in 1935 when Monotype Imaging released their version. After that, Hermann Eidenbenz adapted the typeface for modern usage in 1953.
In the 20th century, the U.S. National Park Service for its traffic and mileage signs used Clarendon. Since then, it has been replaced by a specially commissioned typeface, the NPS Rawlinson Roadway™ font family. So what was it about the slab serifs that made them so popular? Traditionally an “authentic” slab serif has unbracketed serifs. (This is an abrupt serif that meets the stem at a 90° angle). Although there are an abundant amount of examples that come with bracketed serifs. Then, of course, come the Geometric Slab Serifs that look like the early Sans Serif types with the serifs broken