12.2 / Fonts / Types & Type styles

Below are a series of lists of the types held in the case at the workshop. In collecting and using types for the past thirty years my taste certainly changed — but I have put together a selection of types that hopefully work well together across the various contexts in which they are used. It is not in any way comprehensive — but the types interchange as well as they need to . . .

I initially went through a very ‘pure’ period of typography — only using one typeface — ‘Univers’. This type ‘family’ has a wide variety of weights & thicknesses & I felt I was able to achieve my typographic goals with it. With maturity & in need of variety — I began to expand my library with other sans serifs. These ‘Grotesques’ became the bed rock of my collection & I expanded the serif & slab serif types to compliment the grots . . .

Curiously I found that my taste in type faces was predominantly ‘English’ — Caslon & Baskerville over Garamond — Consort,  Clarendon preferred to Bodoni & Walbaum — and of course Grotesque over Helvetica. The ‘English Collection’ was really confirmed when I bought a large array of Stephenson Blake founders type from Howard Bratter — who at that time was involved with the type museum & archive — (These types were made in England (Sheffield) in 1972 & were to be sent to Africa — they never left & when SB folded —Mr Bratter bought the lot.)

12.2 / Metal Types / The English Collection

what is metal type? what is it made from? how is it made? who makes it? how do you use it? why do you use it? what makes it special?

Sans Serif

Condensed sans serif 5 [SB]
Condensed sans serif 7 [SB]

Gill Sans medium
Gill Sans medium italic
Gill Sans bold
Gill Sans bold condensed
Grotesque 6 [SB]
Grotesque 9 [SB]
Grotesque 9 italic [SB]
Grotesque 10 [SB]
Grotesque (51)
Grotesque (215)
Grotesque italic (215i)
Grotesque bold (216)
Grotesque condensed (383)
Placard bold condensed (515)
Headline bold (595)
Headline bold italic (595i)

Univers light (685)
Univers medium (689)
Univers bold (693)
Univers extra bold (696)
Univers medium condensed (690)
Univers bold condensed (694)
Univers medium expanded (688)
Univers bold expanded (692)
Univers extra bold expanded (665)
Univers ultra bold expanded (697)

Roman / Old face

Baskerville Old Face (169)
Baskerville Old Face italic (169)
Bell (341)
Bulmer (469)
Caslon (128)
Caslon italic (128)
Lectura bold condensed [SB]
Old Style 2 roman [SB]
Old Style 2 italic [SB]
Old Style (Founders)
Times new roman [SB]

72pt Playbill [SB] / 36pt Antique

Modern / Slab serif / Egyptian

Antique
Bodoni Bold
Consort light [SB]
Consort [SB]
Consort bold [SB]
Clarendon (12)
Modern 17 roman [SB]
Modern 17 italic [SB]
Modern 20 italic [SB]
New Clarendon (617)
New Clarendon bold (618)
Playbill [SB]
Profile
Rockwell light (390)
Rockwell medium (371)
Rockwell bold (391)
Rockwell extra bold (424)
Thorowgood

Black letter / Decorative / Ornamented

Broadway
Engravers
Falstaff
Festival text [SB]
Fournier Le Jeune/Frys Ornamented
Old English Text
Madonna Ronde
Ornamented
Playbill [SB]
Saxon black [SB]
Scroll SH
Script / Diagonal Body
Union Pearl [SB]
Youthline Script [SB]

Ornament & Borders

12.2 / Technical Post Script

Stephenson Blake Founders Type

Stephenson Blake was an engineering company based in Sheffield, England. The company was active from the early 19th century as a type founder, remaining until the 1990s as the last active type foundry in Britain, since when it has diversified into specialist engineering.

The type foundry began operations in July 1818 by silversmith and mechanic William Garnett and toolmaker John Stephenson, financially supported by James Blake. That November, news came that the breakaway Caslon foundry (formed when William Caslon III left the original firm and acquired Joseph Jackson’s foundry in 1792 (Caslon foundry 1716; 1764; etc.) was put up for sale by William Caslon IV. In 1819 the deal was concluded and Blake, Garnett & Co. were suddenly in charge of one of England’s most prestigious type foundries. In 1829 Garnett left to become a farmer.

The company was renamed Blake & Stephenson in 1830, but Blake died soon after. It became Stephenson, Blake & Co. in 1841–1905. John Stephenson died in 1864, the year after he handed control to his son Henry. In 1905 the firm purchased Sir Charles Reed and Sons Ltd. It was then known as Stephenson, Blake & Co., and Sir Charles Reed and Sons between 1905–1914. In 1914, without any change in proprietorship, the business was converted into a private limited liability company. The early 1900s the foundry had ventured into steel making and tool production, which would prove to be the core business of the current firm Stephenson, Blake and Co., Ltd. from until 2004 when Tom Blake (5th Generation) retired.

12.2 / Wood Letter

At the workshop I carry a wide selection of Grotesques & Eygptians – from narrow to expanded, some Roman & Italics & a few ‘exotics’ ranging from 4 – 60 line. I have a preference for an ‘English Grotesque’ – san serif poster types from the 19th & early 20th Century.

They are functional, hard working types – simple, well-used, often narrow forms that allow flexibility when they are at work. They have been collected from a variety of sources over the last thirty years.

21 line Grotesque light condensed

24 line Grotesque condensed

36 line Grotesque bold condensed

12 line Grotesque condensed

12 line Grotesque bold (aksidenz)

Grotesques & Sans Serif

20 line Slab Serif bold

/

20 line Slab Serif condensed

/

Egyptian & Slab Serif

6 line Roman

16 line Roman

Roman

12.2 / Sigma

Sigma
The digital font (used on this website) — designed by Julian Morey — is based on Grotesque 6 by Stephenson Blake. Taken from an original specimen sheet kept at St Bride library.

Heading 1
14/17 — Sigma
PMS 419 / #212322

EXAMPLE
Smith’s Rules
12.2 — Notes /
Fonts / Types & Type styles

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZÆ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz æœ fifl
&1234567890 .,;:-–—!?'()[]/£$€*†‡§¶•#ªº°@®

Mr Smith is a craftsman, designer, typographer, printmaker, wordsmith & maker — he is of strong temperament & is chiefly concerned with good design, attention to detail, thorough practice & quality workmanship.

Heading 3
14/17 — Sigma
PMS 417 / #65665c

EXAMPLE
Smith’s Rules
12.2 — Notes /
Fonts / Types & Type styles

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZÆ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz æœ fifl
&1234567890 .,;:-–—!?'()[]/£$€*†‡§¶•#ªº°@®

Mr Smith is a craftsman, designer, typographer, printmaker, wordsmith & maker — he is of strong temperament & is chiefly concerned with good design, attention to detail, thorough practice & quality workmanship.

Heading 5
14/17 — Sigma
PMS 364 / #4A7729

EXAMPLE
Smith’s Rules
12.2 — Notes /
Fonts / Types & Type styles

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZÆ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz æœ fifl
&1234567890 .,;:-–—!?'()[]/£$€*†‡§¶•#ªº°@®

Mr Smith is a craftsman, designer, typographer, printmaker, wordsmith & maker — he is of strong temperament & is chiefly concerned with good design, attention to detail, thorough practice & quality workmanship.

Heading 2
14/17 — Sigma
PMS 418 / #51534a

EXAMPLE
Smith’s Rules
12.2 — Notes /
Fonts / Types & Type styles

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZÆ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz æœ fifl
&1234567890 .,;:-–—!?'()[]/£$€*†‡§¶•#ªº°@®

Mr Smith is a craftsman, designer, typographer, printmaker, wordsmith & maker — he is of strong temperament & is chiefly concerned with good design, attention to detail, thorough practice & quality workmanship.

Heading 4
14/17 — Sigma /
PMS grey/off-white / #efeeed

EXAMPLE
Smith’s Rules
12.2 — Notes /
Fonts / Types & Type styles

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZÆ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz æœ fifl
&1234567890 .,;:-–—!?'()[]/£$€*†‡§¶•#ªº°@®

Mr Smith is a craftsman, designer, typographer, printmaker, wordsmith & maker — he is of strong temperament & is chiefly concerned with good design, attention to detail, thorough practice & quality workmanship.

Heading 6
14/17 — Sigma
PMS 416 / #7E7F74

EXAMPLE
Smith’s Rules
12.2 — Notes /
Fonts / Types & Type styles

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZÆ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz æœ fifl
&1234567890 .,;:-–—!?'()[]/£$€*†‡§¶•#ªº°@®

Stephenson Blake’s Grotesque series. No. 6 was released in 1880–82 / and is credited to Elisha Pechey [Reichardt]

Paragraph
14/17 — Sigma
PMS Cool grey 9 / #75787b

Smith’s Rules
12.2 — Notes /
Fonts / Types & Type styles

Stephenson Blake’s Grotesque series. No. 6 was released in 1880–82 / and is credited to Elisha Pechey [Reichardt]