As the printing press spread across the world, standardized sets of cast metal letters appeared, bearing the names of their designers: Bodoni, Didot, Caslon, and others. Today there's a font for every occasion and mood. How do we interpret the meanings behind typefaces? In this episode, we explore how type can amplify a message.

Thanks to guests Clare Withers, Anais Grateau, and Jeanann Haas. Find out more about Pitt’s Archives and Special Collections.

Hosted by Shannon Fink. Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Many thanks also this season to our partners at the University Library System as well as Archives & Special Collections. The team includes Jasmine Green, Mike Campbell, Kit Ayars, Erik Schuckers, Chad Brown, and Shannon Fink. See our website for more information about the Text & conText Lab.

In this episode:

2:40 The Roman alphabet has not always had 26 characters
3:16 A special chapbook from Pitt's Children’s Literature collection
6:53 Even cheap books were printed on quality paper
9:12 The alphabet in 1790, inc. the archaic “long s"
12:15 Value of chapbooks then and now
16:23 Voicemails from Pittsburgh: what's your favorite font?
23:14 Neutraface, the “gentrification font"
24:07 Fonts around Pittsburgh
27:14 Whose voices are heard through typography?

External links:

The Nesbitt Collection of children’s literature and History of Books and Printing collection
Print your own copy of the chapbook we discussed
Many more chapbooks to discover in the Elizabeth Nesbitt collection
The article from Vice that inspired this episode
More typeface history and a chart that shows the evolution of the Roman/Latin alphabet
An investigation into Gutenberg’s first typeface
Two articles on Bi Sheng and the world’s first movable type. This one includes a video of the printing process.
A short video interview with type designer Ed Benguiat

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. Additional music by Chris Zabriskie (“Undercover Vampire Policeman” and “Land on the Golden Gate” licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license).

Processing... 304 | In Context: Typography

Processing...By University of Pittsburgh Center for Creativity Jan 17, 2023