Clarendon Typography Booklet

Clarendon

AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz

“The most useful fonts that a printer can have in his office are the Clarendons: they make a striking word or line either in a hand bill or title page, and do not overwhelm the other lines. They have been made with great care, so that while they are distinct and striking, they possess a very graceful outline, avoiding on one hand the clumsy inelegance of the Antique or Egyptian character, hitherto in use among printers, and on the other, the appearance of

an ordinary Roman letter thickened by long use under the machine.”rr

rQr gg

g1. Introduction to Clarendon

2. A significant change

3. About the typographer

4. Type family

5. Type anatomy

6. Comparisons with other typefaces

7. Branding/ usage

CONTENT

g

CONTENT

Clarendon is an English slab-serif typeface that was created

in England by Robert Besley for the Fann Street Foundry in 1845.

Besley went as far as trying to patent the typeface, and Clarendon

is now known as the first registered typeface. However, the

patents at the time lasted only three years; as soon as the typeface

became popular, it was copied by other foundries. The original

matrices and punches remained at Stephenson Blake and later

resided at the Type Museum, London. They were marketed by

Stephenson Blake as Consort, though some additional weights

(a bold and italics) were cut in the 1950s.

It was named after the Clarendon Press in Oxford. Designs

for wood type were made from the mid 1840s on. The typeface

was reworked by the Monotype foundry in 1935.

Here are some notable explorations of Clarendon.

Hermann Eidenbenz and Edouard Hoffmann cut a version

based on Besley's original design in 1953. Freeman Craw

drew the Craw Clarendon family, a once popular American

version released by American Type Founders in 1955, with

light, bold and condensed variants. Aldo Novarese drew

the Egizio family for the Nebiolo foundry, now Nebiolo

Printech, in Turin, Italy in 1958. He was one of the first to

introduce 'Clarendon-ian' italics. David Berlow, of the Font

Bureau, expanded that same family and released it as

Belizio in 1998. Sentinel, another typeface family based on

Clarendon and designed by Hoefler & Frere-Jones in 2009,

has been featured heavily in Barack Obama's most recent

2012 presidential campaign website advertisements.

INTRODUCTION TO CLARENDON TYPEFACE

Clarendon is considered the first to design a ‘related bold’ for emphasizing text. Many variations of the typeface, including the popular French Clarendon, appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century. “The reason it was so widely copied is simple: it was extremely useful. It provided the attention-getting boldness to highlight a word or phrase, yet at the same time was compact and easier to read than the fat faces and antiques of the period,” says HiH Retrofonts.Becoming a popular wood type, Clarendon is also notable as a common choice on ‘WANTED’ signs of the old west.

Clarendon today The typeface was released by Monotype in 1935, and reworked into its modern incarnation in 1953 by Hermann Eidenbenz. It was also marketed by the Stephenson Blake foundry as Consort in the 1950s. Remaining a popular choice for over a century, many of today’s most recognized logotypes are based on the Clarendon style.

A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE

ABOUT THE TYPOGRAPHER

Robert Besley (1794–1876) was an English typographer, creator of Clarendon (typeface) in 1845 and the Lord Mayor of London in 1869.Besley joined the Fann Street Foundry in 1838. The Fann Street Foundry was also home of typographer William Thorowgood, creator of Grotesque.

When Robert Besley created Clarendon he had it patented, as England just passed a bill allowing that. The typeface became so popular, though, that the copyright was soon broken by people creating knock-offs. Still known as the first Registered typeface.

SE

rrABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*().,:;’”><|?/~

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*().,:;’”><|?/~


Clarendon Condensed

Clarendon LT Light

Clarendon LT Regular

rr ggABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*().,:;’”><|?/~



Clarendon LT Roman

Clarendon LT Bold

Clarendon Extended Bold

TYPE FAMILY

ggur

A x

S

bpd H

Acenders are equal in height of cap height

Bracketed serif

Thick and long serifs

Variable strokesEqual half of the spines

tall x-height

dT

TYPE ANATOMY

Gb

RQ Hooked leg and tails

Hooked and round tip descenders of J,j,y

G and b with spur

Small and compressed counter

Vertical stress

Very round ball terminal

Long and thick beaks

Oo

Jjy

frcg

ET

ag

tOrdinary Slab Serif

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Monoline- all strokes have same thickness

Unbracketed serifs

Rounder counter

No spur

No ball terminal

AH

Gr

q

Rockwell

t

Here are some notable explorations of Clarendon.

Hermann Eidenbenz and Edouard Hoffmann cut a version

based on Besley's original design in 1953. Freeman Craw

drew the Craw Clarendon family, a once popular American

version released by American Type Founders in 1955, with

light, bold and condensed variants. Aldo Novarese drew

the Egizio family for the Nebiolo foundry, now Nebiolo

Printech, in Turin, Italy in 1958. He was one of the first to

introduce 'Clarendon-ian' italics. David Berlow, of the Font

Bureau, expanded that same family and released it as

Belizio in 1998. Sentinel, another typeface family based on

Clarendon and designed by Hoefler & Frere-Jones in 2009,

has been featured heavily in Barack Obama's most recent

2012 presidential campaign website advertisements.

tCOMPARISON WITH SLAB SERIF CLASS OF TYPEFACE



Bracketed serif

Oval counter

With spur

With ball terminal

More variable and contrast

Gr

HA

qt

SECOMPARISON WITH SLAB SERIF CLASS OF TYPEFACE

Typewriter Fonts


Monoline- all strokes have same thickness

Shorter cap heightUnbracketed serifs

Rounder counter

No spur

No ball terminal

AH

Gr

q

COURIER NEW

Taller cap height



Bracketed serif

Oval counter

With spur

With ball terminal

More variable and contrast

Gr

HA

q

BRANDING/ USAGE

Clarendon bold extended, 1953

tt1845

1845 Designed byChan Li Liing

MMD46

Clarendon Typography Booklet

Documents

Transcript of Clarendon Typography Booklet