Futura: The Typeface

You have to be a font nut, obviously, but this is a beautiful thing to hold and behold.

As toddlers, the most elementary shapes we first learn are the triangle, the square and the circle. These same basic shapes were instrumental in the formation of popular sans serif typeface, Futura. Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2017, two key publications were released in the Fall. Where the highly enjoyable and digestive “Never Use Futura” reviewed key themes and milestones of Futura's use towards present day, “Futura. The Typeface” takes us back to the very beginning in Germany, with much investigative historical detail of its creation by designer Paul Renner, carrying forwards through its rise in Europe and adoring acceptance in New York for the rest of the world to embrace.Numerous experimental variations illustrate the genesis of “the typeface of our time,” in a period before metal type, phototypesetting, computers or the explosion of international typeface and font foundries. Almost every written quote, document or influential player (including names like Josef Albers, Jan Tschichold & Laszlo Moholy-Nagy), involved in some part of the Futura story is included here with equal exhaustive and fascinating depth.The focus of Futura’s formation began from roman capital type structures, modernist precepts that steered away from standard handwriting cues, and sensitivities towards nuances of the German language (including relationships between sound and spelling combinations like “ch’). In many ways, it serves as a fascinating lesson for designing the structure of a typeface family from ground up, with a deeper look at optical balance and cohesion. Comprehensive examples of process drawings, paste-up boards, printed specimens, articles, advertising and architectural photography enable the reader to spend time looking at every letterform singularly and as a whole within context.Definitely not a book for light reading, and definitely for typography enthusiasts who want the complete picture of Futura’s start throughout Germany and its spread to Vienna, Prague, France, and then finally crossing the waters into New York.From a North American perspective, the arrival of Futura made a huge impact to how "the typeface for our time” was truly progressive and influential. It was introduced as a modern typeface family originating from Europe and aggressively adopted into the advertising and print world due to design legends like Alvin Lustig, Paul Rand, Bradbury Thompson & Ladislav Sutnar. (Prior to that in Europe, it was Herbert Bayer, A. M. Cassandre, Maximilien Vox, and Jean Carlu.) Magazines of modern design and class like Vogue & Vanity Fair also innovated their page designs with Futura in a major way until the Bodoni & Helveticas of the world came in with fleshed out typographic families. Rounding out with how Futura even made a visual impact on The Moon itself, it is clear the international spread of this sans serif typeface is not stopping anytime soon.Without a doubt, this intensive study of the history of Futura demonstrates how truly unique and innovative the design was for its time, with its contemporaries of fans and critics alike, and how it continues to hold up so well over the last century.