Futura (typeface)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Futura is a geometric sans serif typeface designed by Paul Renner (1878–1956) (type designer, painter, author, teacher) in 1927. The creator of the typeface was influenced by the Bauhaus design philosophy and the Universal typeface drawn by Herbert Bayer. Although Renner was not a member of the Bauhaus, he shared its ideals and believed that a modern typeface should express modern models, rather than be a revival of a previous design. Renner's intial design included several geometrically constructed alternative characters and ranging (old style) figures which can be found in the typeface Renner Architype. Futura was commissioned by the Bauer type foundry. The success of Futura initiated the creation of many competing geometric sans serif faces including Kabel, Metro, Vogue, Erbar and Spartan among others.

Futura has an appearance of efficiency and forwardness. It is bold and confident. The typeface is derived from simple geometric forms (perfect circles, triangles and squares) and is based on strokes of even weight, which are low in contrast. (This is most visible in the almost perfectly round stroke of the o, but the shape is actually slightly imperfect.) Although Futura does not have a direct association with the Bauhaus, it was a manifestation of a new design attitude, which gave importance to form and function and did away with decorative, non-essential elements. The lowercase has tall ascenders, which rise above the cap line. The uppercase characters present proportions similar to those of classical roman capitals.

Futura was one of the most popular fonts used in the twentieth century, especially in the 1950s and 1960s and is in use in the corporate design of the Volkswagen and Union Pacific to this day. The former Swiss airline Swissair also used Futura from the 1950s to 1990s. Futura remains an important typeface family and is used on a daily basis for print and digital purposes as both a headline and body font.

Futura was director Stanley Kubrick's favorite font, specifically in its Extra Bold form, and used it for the promotional campaign of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Eyes Wide Shut, as well as the Kubrick Collection DVD boxset. Director Wes Anderson incorporated Futura as a motif in his film The Royal Tenenbaums [1], and used an outlined form for the title logo of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

[edit] References

• Jaspert, Berry and Johnson. "Encyclopaedia of Type Faces." Cassell Paperback, London; 2001. ISBN 1-84188-139-2
• Meggs, Philip. B and McKelvey, Roy. "Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces." RC Publications; 2002. ISBN 1-883915-08-2
• Haley, Allen. "Type: Hot Designers Make Cool Fonts." Rockport Publishers Inc, Gloucester; 1998. ISBN 1-56496-317-9