Berthold Block

Block
Category Sans-serif
Designer(s) Hermann Hoffman
Foundry H. Berthold
Date created 1908

Berthold Block is a sans-serif typeface released by H. Berthold and intended for display use.[1] Block has a chunky design suitable for headings, with short descenders allowing tight linespacing and rounded corners.[2][3][4] Several re-releases and digitisations exist, some "distressed" in style matching the effect of worn type and rapid printing. It is sometimes simply called "Block".

History

Berthold Block in a 1928 Swiss political flyer

The Block design has been credited to Hermann Hoffman, who managed type design for Berthold in this period.[5][6] It was released in 1908; Berthold later added additional weights and styles, also releasing phototypesetting versions.[7][8] It was often used by Praktiker and by the Whitechapel Art Gallery for branding in the 1970s and 80s.[9][10]

Digitisations

A variety of digitisations of Block exist, including by Berthold and successor companies and by Bitstream (the condensed weight only).[11][12][13] Paratype of Moscow released an expansion with Cyrillic characters in 1997.[2] Matthew Butterick's Hermes, released by Font Bureau, is a loose adaptation also inspired by other German grotesque typefaces of the period, adding lighter weights and unicase features.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Block - Fonts in Use". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 Safayev, Tagir. "Paratype Bloc". Paratype. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "Block Berthold". Typewolf. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  4. ↑ Coles, Stephen. "In Pieces website". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 12 June 2016. Block is a soft but substantial display face with compact dimensions and an organic appearance…[it] isn’t meant for body copy.
  5. ↑ "H. Berthold AG" (PDF). Klingspor Museum. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Devroye, Luc. "Hermann Hoffmann". Type Design Information. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Schriftdesigner Hermann Hoffmann" (PDF). Klingspor Museum. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Berthold BQ". Berthold Types. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Hardwig, Florian. "Praktiker". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Block Berthold BE". MyFonts. H. Berthold. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Ruecha, Stawix. "Amsi Pro (Block digitisation)". MyFonts. Stawix. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Condensed Gothic 821". MyFonts. Bitstream. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  13. ↑ Butterick, Matthew. "Hermes FB". Font Bureau. Retrieved 12 June 2016.

    External links

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.