Roman Letter Forms
and how we got Polaroid set into News Gothic type
Appropriate typography is necessary to create decent branding. It has to be compatible with the product and product line, for commerce and/or publishing, and with the graphics to which it is an integral part. I hope to show those who are interested how the following typefaces came to life in the languages and the time in which they were created.
Roman emperor Julius Caesar, 100BC- 44BC
from a bust in the Naples National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Italy
These are characters of the Roman, or Latin, alphabet, which date back from the days of the Caesars and from which most of our typography has been based. From a promotional book by James Hayes for R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company on the occasion of the exhibition The Roman Letter, Chicago, Illinois, 1951-52
The Pantheon, Rome, Italy circa 200 AD. Photo by Andrew Giambarba, 2006
Roman letters photographed with a Polaroid Colorpack II in the Roman Forum, Paul Giambarba, 1959
Roman capitals drawn by Albrecht Dürer, Nuremberg, Germany, 1535
Next: 1531, Garamond
