The three characteristics of the humanist typefaces I listed are all due to one influence: the way the calligrapherвЂ™s flat-edged pen forms letters. But itвЂ™s true.Дespite the smoothness that Bembo shows on the page, a look at the enlarged version above tells us a great deal about its origins. Or that the pages of todayвЂ™s bestseller might contain traces of the scholars of the Renaissance, the same scholars who rediscovered and reissued the books of antiquity 500 years ago. It may seem odd that our modern digital type fonts derive from models that are ancient. The earliest type creators and printers of the fifteenth century used as models the books that were handwritten by scribes practicing a craft that was-even then-hundreds of years old. These oldstyle typefaces were modeled on humanistic calligraphy. The difference between the thin strokes and the thick strokes is not that great.An axis drawn through the thinnest part of the round letters will lean to the left.The serifs are bracketed: thereвЂ™s a curved connection between the serif and the stem of the letter.That means that: (see the illustrations that correspond to each number) ItвЂ™s easy on the eyes even for extended reading, and it seems plain and without any eccentricities.Д«embo is an oldstyle typeface. One of the reasons I prize Bembo for book typography is the way it smoothly flows on the page. But when you find a font you love, itвЂ™s a relationship that can last a lifetime.ДЇor many years my favorite typeface for book design was Bembo. Some designers like Palatino, it does nothing for me.

While youвЂ™re sitting at a restaurant trying to decide what to order, the book designer at the next table is examining the type fonts used on the menu and how the kerning looks. When it comes to fonts, designers have strong feelings.

The font could be chosen by a designer, or it might be a default set up by the engineers who create digital reading devices. To display text, you need to use a type font. Text must be displayed for a reader, either on the pages of a book, or on a screen. Content may be king, but content is almost always text. Book designers are typographers by necessity, if not by nature.

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