Out of thousands of typefaces, what makes some more significant than others? Fonts can be powerful, persuasive, enticing and influential. This blog looks at some fonts that have had a colossal impact over the years.
Roman
This has to be number one on the list as one of the three main historical fonts. Roman has heavily influenced many other fonts, including Baskerville, Jenson, Times New Roman and Bembo. This means that many typefaces used today were inspired by Roman and was created by an ancient emperor.
Baskerville
Baskerville is the original ideal typesetting font. Most 17th and 18th-century fonts were created for book typesetting, and Baskerville reads beautifully. It was designed by John Baskerville, an English businessman heavily influenced by calligraphy after learning it as a child. Baskerville is still, to this day, one of the most used typefaces for book design and continues to be re-designed and adapted into other fonts.
Comic Sans
Comic Sans was designed in 1994 by Vincent Connare, a Microsoft employee, to pair with the company’s new software package at the time, Microsoft Bob. It is loosely inspired by the font used in comic books in the 1950s and fast became every Microsoft user’s favourite font. Still today, Comic Sans is hugely popular in many aspects of design and marketing.
Gill Sans
Gill Sans defines Britishness. It was created by Eric Gill, known for his sculptures, engravings and typography work, as well as his controversial personal life. He designed Gill Sans for signs directing tourists in Wales in the 1920s, and it fast became one of the most commonly used British typefaces, used by the Church of England, British Railways and the BBC. It also quickly became a true favourite among publishers and academics in the 30s and 40s and was even used for the first Penguin books.
Frutiger
Frutiger will consistently rank at the top for more designers. The font was created by Adrain Frutiger, a Swiss designer, in the 1960s,yet it didn’t reach the public until the late 70s. At first glance, this typeset may not seem exciting, but its qualities are subtle, and Frutiger is highly legible, readable, and clear. It’s a favourite for designers, particularly for signage use, and is common uses for airport and transport signage. The Royal Navy, the British Army, DHL and O2 are examples of those who use this font for their signage, labels and logos.
Gotham
Created in the year 2000 by Tobias Frere-Jones, initially for GQ Magazine, Goth can boast the ability to help win an election. Its perfect blend of familiarity and newness impressed with its solid and authoritative style. In 2008, Obama’s team adopted Gotham as the font of his campaign after Gill Sans narrowly missed out. Gotham lent versatility with 40 different styles and weights. It was used throughout his campaign and presidency.
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