 | |
| Category | Sans-serif |
|---|---|
| Classification | Grotesque |
| Designer(s) | Bauer Type Foundry |
| Foundry | Bauersche Gießerei |
| Date created | 1907 |
| Re-issuing foundries | URW Type Foundry, Mergenthaler Linotype |
| Design based on | Akzidenz-Grotesk |
Venus or Venus-Grotesk is a sans-serif typeface family released by the Bauer Type Foundry of Frankfurt am Main, Germany from 1907 onwards. [1] [a] Released in a large range of styles, including condensed and extended weights, it was very popular in the early-to-mid twentieth century. [3] [4] [5] [6] It was exported to other countries, notably the United States, where it was distributed by Bauer Alphabets Inc, the U.S. branch of the firm. [7] [8]
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Like other "grotesque" typefaces of the period such as Akzidenz-Grotesk of the Berthold Type Foundry, Venus has a minimal, 'neutral' design, with a monoline structure and an absence of flourishes. However, compared to many later sans-serifs, such as Helvetica and Univers, it has a more irregular design, with stroke terminals at a variety of angles rather than generally exactly horizontal or vertical. [9] A notable feature is the distinctive motif of unusually high-waisted capitals, visible in the 'R', 'G' and 'E'. Walter Tracy describes this as similar to some of the much more adorned Art Nouveau and Secessionist lettering of the period. [10] Original versions had sheared horizontal stroke terminals on 'E' and 'F', but in the later metal-type period it was sold with alternate capitals without these. [11] The 'g' is single-storey and the sloped form is an oblique, rather than a true italic. [12] A double-storey 'g' was also available as an alternate character. [13]
A prominent use of it was Jan Tschichold's second book, Eine Stunde Druckgestaltung (1930), which used it for body text. [10] It was also used in other avant-garde printing of the period. [14] Sainsbury's, a major United Kingdom supermarket chain, used Venus in its logo for many years. [15]
A number of digitisations have been released based on some styles of the family. [16] [17] Monotype's 1920s Grotesque 215 and 216 series, created for their hot metal typesetting system, were also reportedly loosely based on it; [18] the standard Windows typeface Arial is influenced by them. [19] [20]
In 2007, David Berlow published the "Vonness" typeface, closely based on the Venus typeface. [21]
Eric Olson designed the Coordinates typeface, a monospaced sans-serif typeface based on the Venus typeface. [22]
Parachute Type Foundry designed the PF Grand Gothik Variable typeface, a blend of Venus and Interstate, with OpenType features. [23] [24]
