TASK:

We have been asked to produce a graphic outcome that displays the type classifications of my selected typeface, our group where given the sans serif category and asked to select a typeface, my selection was my favourite of the sans serif typeface Garamond just because of the high readability and legibility:

The task is to generate research into the type design to gain a greater understanding of what characteristics make this typeface individual and distinctive.

I began by looking into some background information on the typeface and the designer:

Designer – CLAUDE GARAMOND

Claude Garamond

Claude Garamond – born c. 1480 in Paris, France, died 1561 in Paris, France – type founder, publisher, punch cutter, type designer.

1510: trains as a punch cutter with Simon de Colines in Paris. 1520: trains with Geoffroy Tory. 1530: Garamond’s first type is used in an edition of the book "Paraphrasis in Elegantiarum Libros Laurentii Vallae" by Erasmus. It is based on Aldus Manutius’ type De Aetna, cut in 1455. 1540: King Francis I commissions Garamond to cut a Greek type. Garamond’s ensuing Grec du Roi is used by Robert Estienne in three sizes exclusively for the printing of Greek books. From 1545 onwards: Garamond also works as a publisher, first with Pierre Gaultier and later with Jean Barbe. The first book he published is "Pia et Religiosa Meditatio" by David Chambellan. The books are set using typefaces designed by Garamond. After Garamond’s death, Christoph Plantin from Antwerp, the Le Bé type foundry and the Frankfurt foundry Egenolff-Bermer acquire a large proportion of Garamond’s original punches and matrices. The typefaces Garamond produced between 1530 and 1545 are considered the typographical highlight of the 16th century. His fonts have been widely copied and are still produced and in use today.

http://www.linotype.com/414/claudegaramond.html

After looking at some background information on the typeface i felt it was time to start looking at the design itself, to see what aspects make the design distinctive. I began by looking at the type design as a whole as shown below:

Garamond - Upper and lowercase:

From here i then decided to generate what characteristics make the typeface distinctive:

Characteristics:

- Oblique axis
- Bracketed serifs
- ascender extends past cap height
- small eye of the lowercase e
- Small blow of lowercase a
- Rounded terminals

- serif on the leg of Capital R
- dramatic contrasts of thick and thin
- larger, slanted serifs on T
- De sender of the j

I have then gone on to create a graphic response that visualises my findings, the out comes i have began to produce are shown below:

- Oblique axis