Dynamic grotesque
In the dynamic serif is a group of serif fonts (or sans serif , sans-serif fonts). Like all sans serifs , they have an (almost) even line width and, in contrast to classic antiqua, lack serifs . Among the sans serif fonts, however, the “dynamic” ones still have traces of a broad-nib characteristic, i.e. still a certain line thickness contrast . Hans Peter Willberg juxtaposes them with the static and the geometric grotesque.
A dynamic grotesque is often referred to as a humanistic or classical grotesque (stylistic, not historical), as various representatives of this group (Gill, Thesis) borrow from the humanistic writings of the 14th and 15th centuries ( Venetian and French Renaissance Antiqua , e.g. from type cutters such as Nicolas Jenson , Aldus Manutius , Claude Garamond , Francesco Griffo ) and convert them into a sans serif font.
Characteristic
The axes of the curves are offset diagonally like a dynamic antiqua, there is an emphasis on the horizontal. The letters are clearly shaped differently, which can be clearly seen, for example, in the so-called two-story g . The open shape of various letters (e.g. c, e, a) also indicates a dynamic style.
In the word image, there is a uniform, common image, since the letters are close to one another. Due to the high legibility that results, a dynamic sans serif can be used for many tasks without problems.
Examples of the dynamic grotesque
- Gill Sans ( Eric Gill , 1926)
- FF Meta ( Erik Spiekermann , 1991)
- Scala Sans ( Martin Majoor , 1993)
- Thesis ( Lucas de Groot , 1994)
- Syntax ( Hans Eduard Meier , 1968)
- Frutiger ( Adrian Frutiger , 1975)
literature
- Hans Peter Willberg: Wegweiser Schrift , Verlag Herman Schmidt Mainz, 2001.
- Albert Kapr: Font Saur KG Verlag GmbH, 1983.
- Max Caflisch: Font analyzes . Studies on the history of typographic fonts, anthology, Typotron, 2003.
Individual evidence
- ^ Hans Peter Willberg: Wegweiser Schrift , Verlag Herman Schmidt Mainz, 2001, pp. 60f.