Grotesque Sans

グロテスク・サンセリフ / 1816– / Style / Type Classification

The unornamented letter that dropped its serifs was first called 'grotesque' — its quirky evenness became the new voice of notices and headlines.

No serifs / Tight apertures / Quirky uneven widths / Headline blackness

Grotesque Sans — 最初のサンセリフ活字見本 1816頃Grotesque Sans — アクツィデンツ・グロテスク見本Grotesque Sans — アクツィデンツ・グロテスクの金属活字見本（CC BY 2.0）
最初のサンセリフ活字見本 1816頃 ／ アクツィデンツ・グロテスク見本 ／ アクツィデンツ・グロテスクの金属活字見本（CC BY 2.0）

Dictionary entry

Best used for
Comparing primary sources and canonical works · Extracting principles that transfer to other media
Type
Observe the letters, signs and scale of reference works
Composition
Extract the one structure that governs gaze and information
Material
Verify the materials and behaviors specific to era, region and process
Caution
Don't reduce it to surface signs. Verify the context of era, region, technology and makers.
Further study
William Caslon IV, Egyptian (1816) / Akzidenz-Grotesk / the 19th-century foundry race

Related entries

Source: ABYME — The First Sanserif Type

Back to index position