Trajan (typeface)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Typeface | Trajan |
|---|---|
| Category | Serif |
| Classifications | Inscriptional |
| Designer(s) | Carol Twombly |
| Foundry | Adobe Type |
| Variations | Goudy Trajan, Trajanus |
Trajan is a serif typeface designed in 1989 by Carol Twombly for Adobe. The design is based on the letterforms of capitalis monumentalis or Roman square capitals, as used for the inscription at the base of Trajan's Column from which the typeface takes its name. Since lower case forms were not in use in Roman times, Trajan is an all-capitals typeface. Instead, small caps are commonly used, and a more complete set of glyphs contained in Trajan Pro includes a lower case of small caps.
The capitals of many old style classification typefaces take inspiration from the monumental capitals found on the base of the Column of Trajan. Specific academic revivals of the typeface have been produced at least three times. Designers include David Lance Goines, Frederick Goudy, Bruce Rogers, and more recently this version by Carol Twombly. The typeface Trajanus, designed for hot metal typesetting, is closest in structure.
In recent years, Trajan has become popular due to its nearly constant presense on American movie posters and television shows. For instance, Trajan Pro Bold is used in the titles and captions for the The West Wing.
[edit] External links
- Typowiki: Trajan
- Trajan's Column, including detail of the capitalis monumentalis inscription.
- Etched in Stone, a humorous animation regarding the use (or overuse) of Trajan in film titles.
