Introduction to Typography

Sub: Research a Typeface

Front: Garamond
Done By:
Israa Mohammed

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Garamond: The roman designs of Garamond which are his
Garamond is a group of many serif typefaces, most imitated were based on a font cut around
named for sixteenth-century Parisian 1495 for the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius
engraver Claude Garamond, generally by engraver Francesco Griffo. This was first
spelled as Garamont in his lifetime. Garamond- used in the book De Aetna, a short work
style typefaces are popular and particularly by poet and cleric Pietro Bembo which was
often used for book printing and body text. Manutius› first printing in the Latin alphabet.
Historian Beatrice Warde has assessed De
Garamond›s types followed the model of an Aetna as something of a pilot project, a
influential typeface cut for Venetian printer small book printed to a higher standard than
Aldus Manutius by his punchcutter Francesco Manutius› norm. Among other details, this font
Griffo in 1495, and are in what is now called popularised the idea that in printing the cross-
the old-style of serif letter design, letters stroke of the ‹e› should be level instead of
with a relatively organic structure resembling slanting upwards to the right like handwriting,
handwriting with a pen, but with a slightly something imitated in almost all type designs
more structured, upright design. since.French typefounders of the 16th century
assiduously examined Manutius›s work (and, it

A dobe is thought, De Aetna in particular) as a source

of inspiration: Garamond›s roman, italic and
greek typefaces were all influenced by types

G aramond used by Manutius.

Released in 1989, Adobe Garamond is

designed by Robert Slimbach for Adobe
Systems, based on a Roman type by Garamond
and an italic type by Robert Granjon.The
font family contains regular, semibold, and
bold weights and was developed following a
research visit to the Plantin-Moretus Museum.
Its quite even, mature design attracted attention
on release for its authenticity, in contrast to
the much more aggressive ITC Garamond
popular at the time. It is one of the most
popular versions of Garamond in books and
fine printing. Slimbach decided not to base
the design directly on Garamond types in the
15-9pt sizes normally used for book text, but
on Garamond›s larger «parangonne» type,
which he felt was Garamond›s «most attractive
work».

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What does it look like?
What is its classification?
Garamond is an old-style serif typeface,
Letters with relatively organic structure
resembling handwriting with a pen but slightly
more structured and upright
What are its connotations?
“e” — small eye, popularized idea that cross-
stroke should be level
“a” — sharp hook upwards at top left
Low x-height (height of lower-case letters),
making capitals look relatively large
Top serifs on ascenders of letter have a
downward slope and ride above the cap height
(Ex. d)