Blackletter

ブラックレター / 12th century– / Style / Type Classification

The manuscript hand compressed into dense black verticals, filling the page with an even darkness like woven cloth. It was also the first typeface of printing.

Blackletter — Gutenberg 42-line Bible, Genesis c. 1455 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Gutenberg 42-line Bible, Genesis c. 1455 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Blackletter — Jena Song Manuscript, 14th century — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Jena Song Manuscript, 14th century — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Blackletter — Faust set in Fraktur — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Faust set in Fraktur — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

Dense vertical strokes
Curves replaced by breaks
Heavy blackness
Ornamental capitals

Best used for

Short strings that signal tradition, such as diplomas, deeds and newspaper mastheads
Labels for breweries or leather goods that must read as an old workshop

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Dictionary entry

Type: Reserve it for a few display words, tightly spaced to even out the black
Composition: Two narrow columns, close leading, thin margins, the page woven solid with text
Material: Black ink on heavy paper with one accent of red rubric or gold initial
Caution: In long text the letters stop being distinguishable. It is not just an old and tough looking sign, so pick the branch deliberately and know the religious, national and political history it carries.
Further study: The Gutenberg 42-line Bible / Textura, Fraktur and Rotunda / the 20th-century German Fraktur dispute

Related entries

Gothic (ゴシック)Shared effects: Luxury / Rebellion.Compare Blackletter and Gothic
Letterpress (活版印刷)Shared effects: Luxury / Nostalgia.Compare Blackletter and Letterpress

Cite this entry

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Link: https://indexstyle.org/styles/blackletter
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