- Architype Schwitters
Infobox font
name = Architype Schwitters
style =Sans-serif
classifications = Geometric Sans-serif
creationdate = 1927
releasedate = 1997
creator = Freda Sack
David Quay
Kurt Schwitters
foundry = The FoundryArchitype Schwitters is a geometric sans-serif typeface based upon a 1927 phonetic alphabet designed by
Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948). The digital revival, shown at right, was produced by Freda Sack and David Quay of The Foundry.Like many new experimental types to arise from the early twentieth century avant garde in Europe, Schwitters' type is an attempt to remake the Western writing system through reduction, and the abandonment of idiosynchronies. Schwitters proposed a monocase system, adopting a rectilinear interpretation of roman capitals, and contrasting these with six vowel alternate characters,A, e, I, O, Ü, and y scaled to the same height but based upon Carolingian lowercase. The vowel alternates, though primarily used for the short sound, are used somewhat indiscriminately in his print work. Unlike his contemporaries,
Herbert Bayer ,Theo Van Doesburg , andJan Tschichold all who produced experimental "universal" alphabets that rejected uppercase, Schwitters retained the form of roman capitals.References
*Friedl, Frederich, Nicholas Ott and Bernard Stein. "Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Through History." Black Dog & Leventhal: 1998. ISBN 1-57912-023-7.
*Haley, Allen. "Type: Hot Designers Make Cool Fonts." Rockport Publishers Inc, Gloucester; 1998. ISBN 1-56496-317-9
*Lupton, Ellen. "Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students," Princeton Architectural Press: 2004. ISBN 1-5689-8448-0.
*Macmillan, Neil. "An A–Z of Type Designers." Yale University Press: 2006. ISBN 0-300-11151-7.External links
* [http://www.foundrytypes.co.uk/foundry_architype_2/archi_2.html Architype 2 types]
* [http://www.foundrytypes.co.uk/foundry_sans/sans_extra.html Website for The Foundry]
* [http://www.emodigi.de/emodigi_site/foundry/foundry.html# Website of Emotional Digital describing work by The Foundry]
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