‹y› with a clear baseline

Sander Pedersen

When the rightward stroke of the ‹y› visibly lands on the baseline it can create the appearance of a notch. This is often present in Erik Spiekermann’s typefaces and in some of Nebiolo’s typefaces, like Ritmo (1955. The capital Y has the same structure), Recta and Eurostile. I’m curious if anyone knows of any earlier appearances of this feature, especially in text faces?

Maxim Zhukov

          

          
          

John Hudson

In Old Church Slavonic, this construction also nicely relates the design of the у and the ѱ (Cyrillic form of the Greek psi).

Craig Eliason

Interesting question. Zapf's Aldus (text version of Palatino) and Melior have it (both from early 50s). 

Ray Larabie

I think Schadow was the first one (1931) but I've noticed it in early 20th Century fat Bodonis like Normandia (Novarese) and Falstaff.

Sander Pedersen

It makes sense for a high contrast fat face and something like Eurostile, which has deep crotches in several letters, but it’s interesting to see it in text faces, too.

Sander Pedersen

I noticed that in Aldus’ italic, compared to something like Janson Text (or quite exaggerated; DTL Fleischmann), the calligraphic construction of the ‹y› is almost opposite in terms of left/right stress. If I were to think of a rationale besides reducing the blackness in the crotch with the flat vertex, the shape does seem to harmonize between the roman and italic.

Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian

I prefer this structure* and would also be curious to know its origins. BTW, J. M. Fleischmann's characteristic "y" is completely different, and to me highly effective.

* From Patria:

Nick Shinn

On the other hand…