Typewriter typeface vs monospace typeface
María Ramos
Posts: 100
It just me or there is someone else who gets annoyed when 'monospace' and 'typewriter' are used interchangeably to name a type style? I was surprised to see that Monotype has used the term typewriter for one of the styles of the custom typeface family for Sony. A design inspired by Helvetica and Frutiger, typefaces that do not have any link with typewriters.
It is true that monospace typefaces were born with the typewriter, however as Jason Cranford mentions in his article for CB 'while typewriter fonts are often monospaced, that is not a requirement' and 'a monospace font could really come from any of the other categories, but is distinguished by spacing rather than by style.'
Not sure if the tendency towards the term 'typewriter' is a matter of fashion because nostalgia is something that sells well today.
It is true that monospace typefaces were born with the typewriter, however as Jason Cranford mentions in his article for CB 'while typewriter fonts are often monospaced, that is not a requirement' and 'a monospace font could really come from any of the other categories, but is distinguished by spacing rather than by style.'
Not sure if the tendency towards the term 'typewriter' is a matter of fashion because nostalgia is something that sells well today.
Tagged:
2
Comments
-
Assuming the "typewriter" style is intended for office use, perhaps they thought it would be easier to convey to non-designers what the style is meant for. Most non-designers are probably not aware that some fonts are monospaced and some are proportional or what the difference would mean in terms of use.
Are there other examples?2 -
Other fonts called “typewriter” that don’t technically have anything to do with a typewriter:
1 -
I am not surprised to see Monotype and Sony use the term “typewriter” for a new monospace face. I do not think this is bad, all things considered. In the late 1990s, when Linotype released its reworked, expanded Univers (Linotype Univers, which I guess in now Univers Next), there were a few Univers Typewriter fonts in the mix. I believe these are based on actual typewriter adaptations of Univers had Frutiger had first designed decades prior. Kobayashi, who worked closely with Frutiger for more than a decade, may have suggested these Sony Typewriter fonts in the spirit of that earlier project. This is just my guess, I cannot say it it based on truth or not. But, having had this guess, I have no reason to be upset about the naming of these new, not actually for typewriters, fonts.1
-
Mark Simonson said:Assuming the "typewriter" style is intended for office use, perhaps they thought it would be easier to convey to non-designers what the style is meant for.Mark Simonson said:Most non-designers are probably not aware that some fonts are monospaced and some are proportional or what the difference would mean in terms of use.
Moreover, I would say that when someone chose a typewriter typeface they use it as a way of expression and they are not thinking about its functionality.
Thank you Stephen for the examples above. It is not the first time I find the 'typewriter' term used wrongly in big typeface families, but I can not remember other example right now.0 -
Dan Reynolds said:In the late 1990s, when Linotype released its reworked, expanded Univers (Linotype Univers, which I guess in now Univers Next), there were a few Univers Typewriter fonts in the mix. I believe these are based on actual typewriter adaptations of Univers had Frutiger had first designed decades prior.
The classification of typefaces is not easy, what I am asking for is the use of proper terminology. I think type designers should use terminology properly so to avoid confusion and help to educate the user.0 -
The classification of typefaces is not easy, what I am asking for is the use of proper terminology.
In which case, we should probably take a moment to define what “typewriter” should mean, as a typeface classification/descriptor. I suspect there will be a lot of disagreement.
3 -
Kent Lew said:
The classification of typefaces is not easy, what I am asking for is the use of proper terminology.
In which case, we should probably take a moment to define what “typewriter” should mean, as a typeface classification/descriptor.
When I say the classification of typefaces in not easy, I mean that one could classify typefaces considering different factors, the link to historical models, the way of construction, the function, the ideas they express… Many typefaces can belong to different styles.
Monospaced refers to the way of construction, and typewriter is more link to historical models and what the typeface express.
Monospaced is a feature of "some" typewriter typefaces. And In all the examples mentioned above "typewriter" is used as a term equal to "monospace". In my opinion that is the mistake.2 -
I think is part of our job to educate de client and to use terminology properly.
Easier said than done. Also easier to take advantage of what people already know.Considering that American Typewriter, one of the most popular typewriter typefaces is proportional, I don't think the non-designers believe all typewriter typefaces are monospaced.
Well, that's not a great example. American Typewriter was never meant for use on actual typewriters. It is a typeface, designed for phototypesetting, not typewriters, that invokes some aspects of the look and feel of classic typewriter faces. The name does in fact confuse some people (even designers) about its intended use. American Typewriter is often used where an actual monospaced typewriter font is called for, for example in movies and books.1 -
Frode Bo Helland said:So, a typewriter face is a revival of a typewriter face?0
-
That is exactly the problem, the lack of knowledge, people think that a typewriter typeface has to be monospaced. If we (designers) use the term properly people may not be confused.easier to take advantage of what people already know.
The name does in fact confuse some people (even designers) about its intended use. American Typewriter is often used where an actual monospaced typewriter font is called for, for example in movies and books.
0 -
That is exactly the problem, the lack of knowledge, people think that a typewriter typeface has to be monospaced. If we (designers) use the term properly people may not be confused.
But you were offering American Typewriter as proof that not all typewriter faces are monospaced. American Typewriter is not a typewriter face, but the name misleads people to think that it is.
Typewriter faces were almost always monospaced. There were exceptions, such as the IBM Executive and the Varityper, and they were expensive. But even these were only slightly more proportional, having only a few possible widths.1 -
Frode Bo Helland said:You seem to be saying a typewriter face needs to look similar to the letterforms used in old physical typewriters,Frode Bo Helland said:I can just as easily imagine a different (contemporary) style adapted to the limitations of the typewriter.
0 -
Mark Simonson said:But you were offering American Typewriter as proof that not all typewriter faces are monospaced. American Typewriter is not a typewriter face, but the name misleads people to think that it is.Mark Simonson said:Typewriter faces were almost always monospaced. There were exceptions, such as the IBM Executive and the Varityper, and they were expensive. But even these were only slightly more proportional, having only a few possible widths.0
-
American Typewriter is a typewriter face in the way that "chop suey" fonts are Chinese typefaces. Not as potentially offensive, but similar idea.2
-
I guess this topic is more controversial than I thought. I don't particularly like American Typewriter, but the design is based on typewriter letterforms. It is funny to see how it includes those bubbled terminals that were used in the design of typewriter typefaces as a trick for creating sharper contours when the letters were printed.0
-
The bubbled terminals of American Typewriter imitate the way letters look when typed on a typewriter. If you look at the letters on the type bars of a typewriter, the designs are linear and not modulated like American Typewriter. The effect it tries to imitate comes from smashing the type bar onto an inked ribbon into paper on a rubber roller.1
-
Also, I wouldn't say controversial, just that the use of typewriter to imply monospace doesn't bother others as much as it seems to bother you. In the end, a lot of typeface naming has more to do with marketing than with taxonomical correctness, and this is not new.5
-
It is true that the spread of the ink caused distortions in the shapes of typewritten letters, but it is also true that it was difficult that the ink reached the corners of the outlines so some type designs for typewriters included distortions in the metal face for getting a better result. Maybe I am wrong saying that American Typewriter was inspired by the design and not the printed letters, it was my guess.
This is an image taken from a manual for the design of typewriter typefaces.
2 -
Mark Simonson said:American Typewriter is a typewriter face in the way that "chop suey" fonts are Chinese typefaces. Not as potentially offensive, but similar idea.0
-
María Ramos said:This is an image taken from a manual for the design of typewriter typefaces.
A bit off-topic (sorry) but I’d be curious to see more of this! Can you cite an exact source, and/or say if this is accessible somewhere?
2 -
Nina, this is an image of the Libro Cassinelli an internal document used in Olivetti as a reference for typewriter type design (1969). The original document is in the Archivio Storico Olivetti (Ivrea, Italy). For further information and other references in type design for typewriters, look at the dissertation available in academia.edu. I would be glad to see more research in this particular topic.6
-
I am curious about how are these "Chop-Suey fonts" are connect to "Chinese" or "Japanese"
They don't have much to do with actual Chinese or Japanese type. They are impressions of how certain foreign scripts look to westerners, readable by westerners. There are also fonts like this that mimic cyrillic, arabic, and so on.0 -
Being monospaced is only one of the qualities that may qualify a typeface as “typewriter”.
American Typewriter has shown that this is not even essential to the category.
With its serifed /I, /i, /j and /l glyphs informed by monospace font design, the otherwise sans serif Officina might be considered a “typewriter” typeface, but it too is proportional and alludes to its precedent, rather than subscribing literally to the genre.
4 -
María Ramos said:For further information and other references in type design for typewriters, look at the dissertation available in academia.edu. I would be glad to see more research in this particular topic.3
-
Strictly speaking, only those typefaces which were used by real typewriters may be considered “typewriter typefaces”. Anything else, especially proportional, is merely faux, pseudo- or allusive.
After all, would one call Mrs Eaves or ITC Garamond letterpress typefaces?
1 -
I don't know. ATF had a selection of "typewriter faces" designed to imitate the look of typewriters. They even recommended that they be "printed through silk or ribbon with ink made for the purpose" to get the best effect. Strictly speaking, these were never used on real typewriters, although they were copied from real typewriters.
If you're going to get that picky, should we even be calling what we make "typefaces" or "fonts"? "Digital alpha-numeric symbol collection" maybe?2 -
I remember specking metal typewriter fonts in the 1960s when I wanted something to look like a draft or manuscript.0
-
I used the terms, Type (as in typewriter) and Mono (as in monospaced) in Cinecav to differentiate sans monospaced and serif monospaced. The customers for this product are generally unfamiliar with typographic terminology.1
-
Strictly speaking, only those typefaces which were used by real typewriters may be considered “typewriter typefaces”. Anything else, especially proportional, is merely faux, pseudo- or allusive.
After all, would one call Mrs Eaves or ITC Garamond letterpress typefaces?
Typewriters were a new printing method that needed new solutions in type design. The low-quality printing and the limitations of the machine asked for new shapes. The monolinear strokes, the wide counter-shapes, and the constructive serifs were important features of the typefaces created for the typewriter. A new style, and new type conventions were created around the machine. I think those digital typefaces based on typewriter models have the right to be grouped by their origin.
1 -
Rob Keller said:María Ramos said:For further information and other references in type design for typewriters, look at the dissertation available in academia.edu. I would be glad to see more research in this particular topic.
7
Categories
- All Categories
- 40 Introductions
- 3.7K Typeface Design
- 796 Font Technology
- 1K Technique and Theory
- 615 Type Business
- 444 Type Design Critiques
- 539 Type Design Software
- 30 Punchcutting
- 136 Lettering and Calligraphy
- 83 Technique and Theory
- 53 Lettering Critiques
- 482 Typography
- 301 History of Typography
- 114 Education
- 67 Resources
- 495 Announcements
- 79 Events
- 105 Job Postings
- 148 Type Releases
- 162 Miscellaneous News
- 269 About TypeDrawers
- 53 TypeDrawers Announcements
- 116 Suggestions and Bug Reports