Chapter 8 discusses the typographical influences from the French. Roman capital letters were revised many times, and many new measurement grids were constructed. A new typeface, Romain du Roi, was designed for French king Louis XIV. This typeface was to be used strictly by the Imprimerie Royal; other uses constituted a capital offense. It's importance was great because it shifted from the Venetian old style roman, and created a category called transitional roman. A design period, rococo, emerged in the mid 1700's. This style was characterized by floral designs, plant forms, light and pastel colors, and ivory white and gold in color. During the 18th century, type measurement was all over the board until Fournier le Jeune attempted to set a standard measurement, the pouce. le Jeune was one of the most influencial designer of his era. Copper engraving flourished at this time because the free line was an ideal medium to express the floral curves of the rococo design. It was also a break from mechanical-looking typographic printing, which many people took in. The contributions of William Caslon, John Baskerville, the Bodoni's and the Didot's were also mentioned in this chapter. All of which have a significant part in design history. The origins of information graphics begin during this era, including the start of pie charts.
I think it's interesting that the Declaration of Independence is written in Caslon. I have never really thought about where the type design came until now. Thanks to printer Benjamin Franklin, he introduced Caslon to the American colonies where it was used excessively... despite jealous criticism.
Why did French law prevent typefounders from printing? (p. 118)
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