A square-serif type is called a slab serif or Egyptian, but when the serif is bracketed (the curved linking stroke between the stem and the square serif), the type is sometimes referred to as a Clarendon. Originated in England by the Fann St. Foundry in 1845, these types are named for the Clarendon Press in Oxford. Clarendon was originally designed as a heavier complement to ordinary serif designs, and is used frequently in dictionaries and headline applications.
Designed by Paul Renner in 1927, Futura is the classic example of a geometric sans serif type. Its original concept was based on the Bauhaus design philosophy that “form follows function.” Futura uses basic geometric proportions with no weight stresses, serifs, or frills, with long ascenders and descenders that give it more elegance than most sans serif typefaces. The wide range of weights plus condensed faces provide a variety of ways to set short text blocks and display copy with a strong, no-nonsense appearance.
Orator is a monospaced typeface made up of capitals and small capitals only; it can be used for tabular material or technical documentation. The name Orator comes from the notion that capitals and small capitals are clearer than upper and lowercase letters, thus making it useful for speech notes. It was designed for IBM typewriters by John Scheppler.
As a student in Zurich, Adrian Frutiger began work on Univers, which would eventually be released in 1957 by the Deberny & Peignot foundry in Paris. The design is a neo-grotesque, similar to its contemporary, Helvetica. With the release of Univers, Frutiger began using numbers rather than names to designate variations of weight, width, and slope. The full Univers family consists of twenty-one typefaces, and Frutiger has used this numerical system on other designs, including Serifa and Frutiger. Linotype also has adopted this numerical system for many other faces. All twenty-one Univers faces were designed to work together, so they can be mixed in a variety of ways. Their legibility lends itself to a large variety of applications, from text and headlines to packaging and signage.
