History
Type specimen books are typically released by their foundries/printers to advertise the range a typeface can offer to designers. These books have been an integral part of typeface design since the invention of moveable type. Specimen books, in their most ideal form, help inform the designer of the various ways a typeface can be used. They show all letterforms (upper and lower case), numbers and in many cases special characters (e.g. Ligatures). In more recent years the web has replaced many specimen books due to its flexibility and lower cost. However the art form that is the type specimen book still is relevant in printed form today.
Introduction
You will be designing a 24 x 36” vertical (black and white only) type specimen poster that showcases two typeface pairs. These typefaces will be assigned to you as a pair. The poster will contain the following components:
- The two typefaces that showcase uppercase, lowercase and figures (numbers).
- A ~100 word paragraph abstract about each typeface
- A brief snapshot in history where your typefaces live (timeline). You should show the date yourtypefaces were designed on the “timeline” and close by historic events (anywhere from 8-10).
- The designer/foundry
You will be choosing what point size your typefaces appear on the poster and how the page is divided.