60 TypeCast Licko 61

Mrs Eaves Zuzana Lickos Twist on a Classic

Zuzana Licko was born in 1961 in Bratislava in the former Czechoslovakia. Her family immi-grated to the United States in 1968. Lickos formal arts education included studying architecture at the University of California at Berkeley. However, she decided to change her major and gradu-ated with a degree in graphic communication in 1984. Her earliest typographical design was for her father, a biomathematician that needed a Greek alphabet for his personal computer.

migr EmergesWhile Licko was at Berkeley, she

met Rudy VanderLans, graduate stu-

dent studying photography. Licko

and VanderLans married in 1983.

VanderLans

established

migr maga-

zine in 1984.

migr featured the works of artists,

photographers, poets, and archi-

tects. The magazines first typeface

was resized typewriter text. The

Macintosh computer

was a new technology in

the 1980s and the fonts

were simple due to the

need for recreation with

the dot matrix printer.

Licko began to design

typefaces for migr using

the Macintosh. The first

typefaces created for migr

were Emporer, Oakland,

and migr. They made

their debut in migrs

second issue and were made

available for purchase after

several requests. Lickos

deigns, such as Matrix and Modula,

created just enough contrast to

balance VanderLans free-spirited

layouts. In addition to her work at

migr, Licko

edited screen

typefaces at

Adobe Systems,

Inc.

Acclaim & CritiqueIn 1985, migr Fonts was founded

to market Lickos and other design-

ers digital typefaces. Lickos work

embraced new design aesthetics

and possibilities. While her designs

were well-received by the migr

audience, critics were less enthusi-

astic. In fact, Massimo Vignelli, an

outspoken critic, described Lickos

and VanderLans work as garbage,

lacking depth, refinement, elegance

or a sense of history. Licko and

VanderLans responded to their

critics by contending people read

best what they read most. Lickos

and VanderLanss work was at

Mrs Eaves is a mix of just enough tradition with an updated twist.

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Matrix Script Book Character SetZuzana Licko

62 TypeCast Licko 63

the forefront of a new genera-

tion of designers that emerged in

the age of the Macintosh. As the

Machintoshs technical capabilities

has evolved, Lickos designs have

steadily progressed. In fact, Lickos

typefaces have become such a part

of mainstream design that her work

is recognized by the industry and

serves as an inspiration to other

designers.

Mrs Eaves & BaskervilleOne of Lickos most popular designs

is Mrs Eaves. Licko designed Mrs

Eaves in 1996 and released it

through migr Fonts. Mrs Eaves

is a serif transitional

revival of Baskerville.

The typefaces name

is derived from Sarah

Eaves, the woman

who served as John

Baskervilles maid and

later became his wife.

After Baskervilles

death, Eaves ensured

that Baskervilles

remaining works

were produced.

Additionally, Filosofia

is Lickos revival of

Bodoni. Lickos revivals

were spurred by the advances in the

capabilities of the computers ability

to create more complex designs and

the growing use of long passages of

text in migr. Licko discovered that

designing Mrs Eaves and Filosofia

gave her a new perspective on classic

designs noticing details that are

often overlooked. This new appre-

ciation allowed her to be influenced

by the classics but to produce

designs that were not as rigid and

had their own personalities. In an

interview with Rhonda Rubinstein,

Licko described Mrs Eaves as:

A mix of just enough tradi-tion with an updated twist. Its familiar enough to be friendly, yet different enough to be interesting. Due to its relatively wide proportions, as compared with the original Baskerville, its useful for giving presence to small amounts of text such as poetry, or for elegant head-lines and for use in print ads. It makes the reader slow down a bit and contemplate the message.

When Licko was in the process

of selecting a classic typeface as the

basis of a revival, she encountered

the criticisms that were leveled

against Baskervilles work and could

sympathize with the designer. The

Baskerville typeface was criticized

for being too even, too perfect, too

genteel,with a kind of fincial,

sterile refinement. Over time

Baskerville has be vindicated. His

typeface is considered the ultimate

transitional typeface, being pivotal

between old style typefaces, and the

modern typefaces that followed.

As Licko designed Mrs Eaves, she

sought to address the criticisms that

were made against Baskerville. Licko

lessens the sharp contrast, a highly

criticized feature of Baskerville, in

Mrs Eaves However, Mrs Eaves

does preserve some of Baskervilles

recognizable charac-

teristics specifically its

overall openness and

lightness. In order

to obtain the desired

openness and lightness

as well as to reduce

contrast, Mrs Eaves

lowercase characters

have a wider proportion

than the Baskerville typeface. The

x-height is reduced relative to the

cap-height to avoid increasing the

set-width. In comparison to other

typefaces lower case text sizes, Mrs

Eaves is a point size smaller. Lickos

Mrs Eaves is a revival of Baskerville

but is not meant to be a clone of the

classic. It is a typeface that is modern

with a classic feel.

Revisiting Old FriendsLickos work as resident type

designer at migr concluded with

the last issue that was printed in

2005. A total of 69 magazines were

published during its run. Although

Licko has not published a new font

since Fairplex in 2002, she is still

working with type. She is revisit-

ing past designs to refine them for

Open Type. Her redesigns include

the addition of special features

such as type in set in small caps

and alternatives, such as a narrow

Mrs Eaves. Licko has also expanded

her interest in other art forms by

exploring ceramics. In fact, ceramics

serve as a needed distraction from

the time-consuming highly-detailed

work type design requires. Licko

considers Mrs Eaves to be her most

popular and best-selling typeface.

It has appeared in various forms

including WordPress logo, the titles

and spines of books from Penguin

Classics, Bowdoin Colleges logo,

Radioheads Hail to the Thief, and

the title of NBCs For Love or Money.

Peopleread best what they read most.

QQMrs Eaves Uppercase Q

imposed upon a Baskerville Q.

Word Press logo is set in Mrs Eaves.

Mrs Eaves typeface has been utilized in a number of works, including the covers of CDs like Radioheads Hail to the Thief and books like Mrs. Nixon.