Venus (typeface)

Last updated
Venus Bold on an American metal type specimen sheet. Shown are the recut 'E' and 'F' with vertical rather than diagonal terminals on the horizontal strokes. Venus Bold Type Specimen (9142443945) (cropped).jpg
Venus Bold on an American metal type specimen sheet. Shown are the recut 'E' and 'F' with vertical rather than diagonal terminals on the horizontal strokes.

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] [lower-alpha 1] 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]

Contents

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]

Notes

  1. Some sources say 1906. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sans-serif</span> Typeface classification for letterforms without serifs

In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, sans serif, gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif typefaces tend to have less stroke width variation than serif typefaces. They are often used to convey simplicity and modernity or minimalism. For the purposes of type classification, sans-serif designs are usually divided into these major groups: § Grotesque and § Neo-grotesque, § Geometric, § Humanist and § Other or mixed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helvetica</span> Neo-grotesque sans-serif typeface

Helvetica, also known by its original name Neue Haas Grotesk, is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arial</span> Neo-grotesque sans-serif typeface

Arial is a sans-serif typeface and set of computer fonts in the neo-grotesque style. Fonts from the Arial family are included with all versions of Microsoft Windows after Windows 3.1, as well as in other Microsoft programs, Apple's macOS, and many PostScript 3 printers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Futura (typeface)</span> Geometric sans-serif typeface

Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed by Paul Renner and released in 1927. It was designed as a contribution on the New Frankfurt-project. It is based on geometric shapes, especially the circle, similar in spirit to the Bauhaus design style of the period. It was developed as a typeface by the Bauer Type Foundry, in competition with Ludwig & Mayer's seminal Erbar typeface of 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Univers</span> Sans-serif typeface family

Univers is a large sans-serif typeface family designed by Adrian Frutiger and released by his employer Deberny & Peignot in 1957. Classified as a neo-grotesque sans-serif, one based on the model of nineteenth-century German typefaces such as Akzidenz-Grotesk, it was notable for its availability from the moment of its launch in a comprehensive range of weights and widths. The original marketing for Univers deliberately referenced the periodic table to emphasise its scope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Gothic</span> Family of sans-serif fonts

Franklin Gothic and its related faces are a large family of sans-serif typefaces in the industrial or grotesque style developed in the early years of the 20th century by the type foundry American Type Founders (ATF) and credited to its head designer Morris Fuller Benton. "Gothic" was a contemporary term meaning sans-serif.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slab serif</span> Type of serif typeface

In typography, a slab serif typeface is a type of serif typeface characterized by thick, block-like serifs. Serif terminals may be either blunt and angular (Rockwell), or rounded (Courier). Slab serifs were introduced in the early nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Font</span> Particular size, weight and style of a typeface

In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece for each glyph. A typeface consists of various fonts that share an overall design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highway Gothic</span> Font used in the US for highway signs

Highway Gothic is a sans-serif typeface developed by the United States Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and used for road signage in the Americas, including the U.S., Canada, Latin America and some Caribbean countries, as well as in Asian countries influenced by American signage practices, including the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact (typeface)</span> Sans-serif typeface

Impact is a sans-serif typeface in the industrial or grotesk style designed by Geoffrey Lee in 1965 and released by the Stephenson Blake foundry of Sheffield. It is well known for having been included in the core fonts for the Web package and distributed with Microsoft Windows since Windows 98. In the 2010s, it gained popularity for its use in image macros and other internet memes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akzidenz-Grotesk</span> Sans-serif typeface family by the Berthold Type Foundry of Berlin

Akzidenz-Grotesk is a sans-serif typeface family originally released by the Berthold Type Foundry of Berlin. "Akzidenz" indicates its intended use as a typeface for commercial print runs such as publicity, tickets and forms, as opposed to fine printing, and "grotesque" was a standard name for sans-serif typefaces at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarendon (typeface)</span> Slab serif typeface

Clarendon is the name of a slab serif typeface that was released in 1845 by Thorowgood and Co. of London, a letter foundry often known as the Fann Street Foundry. The original Clarendon design is credited to Robert Besley, a partner in the foundry, and was originally engraved by punchcutter Benjamin Fox, who may also have contributed to its design. Many copies, adaptations and revivals have been released, becoming almost an entire genre of type design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DIN 1451</span> Sans-serif font, used on German traffic signs

DIN 1451 is a sans-serif typeface that is widely used for traffic, administrative and technical applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate (typeface)</span> Sans-serif typeface

Interstate is a digital typeface designed by Tobias Frere-Jones in the period 1993–1999, and licensed by Font Bureau. The typeface is based on Style Type E of the FHWA series of fonts, a signage alphabet drawn for the United States Federal Highway Administration by Dr. Theodore W. Forbes in 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monotype Grotesque</span> Grotesque sans-serif typeface

Monotype Grotesque is a family of sans-serif typefaces released by the Monotype Corporation for its hot metal typesetting system. It belongs to the grotesque or industrial genre of early sans-serif designs. Like many early sans-serifs, it forms a sprawling family designed at different times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erbar</span> Sans-serif typeface

In typography, Erbar or Erbar-Grotesk is a sans-serif typeface in the geometric style, one of the first designs of this kind released as type. Designer Jakob Erbar's aim was to design a printing type which would be free of all individual characteristics, possess thoroughly legible letter forms, and be a purely typographic creation. His conclusion was that this could only work if the type form was developed from a fundamental element, the circle. Erbar-Grotesk was developed in stages; Erbar wrote that he had originally sketched out the design in 1914 but had been prevented from working on it due to the war. The original version of Erbar was released in 1926, following Erbar's "Phosphor" titling capitals of 1922 which are very similar in design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Display typeface</span> Font that is used at large sizes for headings

A display typeface is a typeface that is intended for use in display type at large sizes for titles, headings, pull quotes, and other eye-catching elements, rather than for extended passages of body text.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Normal-Grotesk</span> Sans-serif typeface

Normal-Grotesk is a sans-serif typeface that was sold by the Haas Type Foundry of Basel and Münchenstein, Switzerland, and popular in Swiss graphic design towards the end of the metal type period in the mid-twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semplicità</span> Sans-serif typeface

Semplicità is a sans-serif typeface of the geometric style. It was published by the Nebiolo type foundry of Turin, Italy from around 1928.

References

  1. Alexander S. Lawson (January 1990). Anatomy of a Typeface. David R. Godine Publisher. pp.  298–305. ISBN   978-0-87923-333-4.
  2. Leonard, Charles C. Paul Renner and Futura: The Effects of Culture, Technology, and Social Continuity on the Design of Type for Printing. Scholarworks (Thesis). Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  3. Barnes, Paul; Schwartz, Christian. "Christian Schwartz and Paul Barnes deep in the archives: Venus 1907-27". Eye magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  4. Jeremy Aynsley (Wolfsonian-Florida International University) (2000). Graphic Design in Germany: 1890-1945. University of California Press. pp.  103─108. ISBN   978-0-520-22796-5.
  5. Kupferschmid, Indra (6 January 2012). "The True Typefaces of the Bauhaus". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  6. Philip B. Meggs; Rob Carter (15 December 1993). Typographic Specimens: The Great Typefaces. John Wiley & Sons. pp.  10─11. ISBN   978-0-471-28429-1.
  7. Budrick, Callie (19 October 2015). "Vintage Fonts: 35 Adverts From the Past". Print. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  8. McGrew, Mac (1993). American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century (Second, revised ed.). Oak Knoll. p. 352. ISBN   0-938768-39-5.
  9. Heidrun Osterer; Philipp Stamm (8 May 2014). Adrian Frutiger – Typefaces: The Complete Works. Birkhäuser. p.  96. ISBN   978-3-03821-260-7.
  10. 1 2 Walter Tracy (January 2003). Letters of Credit: A View of Type Design. D.R. Godine. pp.  96, 97. ISBN   978-1-56792-240-0.
  11. Hardwig, Florian (7 November 2018). "Sexual Politics – Kate Millett". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 20 April 2019. Bauer recut the E, F and L in all sizes and styles of Venus, straightening the diagonally sheared terminals
  12. Majoor, Martin (Spring 2007). "Inclined to be dull". Eye. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  13. Coles, Stephen. "Bauhausvorhangstoffe ad from C. E. Baumgärtel & Sohn". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  14. Angela Kottke (4 January 2002). Die Auswirkungen des Bauhauses auf die Buchgestaltung der zwanziger Jahre. Diplom.de. p.  86, 87. ISBN   978-3-8324-4869-1.
  15. "Sainsbury's packages, 1962–1977". 5 April 2013.
  16. "Venus". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  17. "Venus". MyFonts . URW++. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  18. Mosley, James. "The Nymph and the Grot, an update". Type Foundry (blog). Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  19. Shaw, Paul. "Arial Addendum no. 3". Blue Pencil. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  20. Shaw; Nicholas. "Arial addendum no. 4". Blue Pencil. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  21. "Vonness typeface". Fonts In Use. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  22. "Coordinates typeface". Process Type Foundry. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  23. "PF Grand Gothik Variable on Behance". behance.net. May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  24. "PF Grand Gothik Variable". Parachute Fonts. Retrieved 28 April 2023.