Instead, do your best to understand each one as an individual at its core. Bottom line - don’t worry about their differences. Once you understand the aesthetic qualities of the four aforementioned styles, telling them apart them becomes easy. Think of a Blackletter script in the same way. Still, understanding the qualities this category of type is comprised of gives one the ability to distinguish whether or not a typeface is a serif typeface. On the contrary, there are countless variations that fall into this broad category. We all know that there is no one foundational serif. But there are definitive distinctions that can be made between each style.Ĭonsider a serif typeface. This makes establishing a holistic understanding of these styles and their nuances difficult and often unapproachable for novice scribes. With that said, there are no singular “textbook” forms when it comes to these styles of Blackletter. Over hundreds of years, their generational evolution was the result of regionality, education (or lack thereof), available materials of the time, religion, and politics. These styles developed between the 11th and 18th centuries. Other styles were hybridized developments from one or more of these core styles. What are the different styles of Blackletter calligraphy and how can they be distinguished from each other?īefore jumping in, let’s address one of the most commonly-asked questions about Fraktur (and subsequently, every other style of Blackletter calligraphy).īlackletter is comprised of four styles Textura, Rotunda, Bastarda, and Fraktur. Though these styles can be used interchangeably, we’ll refer to it exclusively as “Blackletter” hereafter in the interest of establishing a common vocabulary. And this architecture is important, as it was a major influence for inspiring blackletter calligraphy in the 11th century. However, the term “Gothic” was also used during medieval times in reference to the “Gothic” architecture, which was an architectural style found in many churches and cathedrals built during the Medieval era. The “Goths”, as you’ll read about shortly, were actually Germanic tribes. Centuries after Blackletter’s initial emergence, “Old English Text” was the name of a font by Monotype that mimicked 11th century Textura. “Old English” was actually the language of the Anglo-Saxons until the mid 1100s and they had nothing to do with Blackletter. Let’s take a quick moment to clear up any confusion. What about “Gothic” or “Old English”? Though they have become synonymous with Blackletter script, these terms are actually somewhat inaccurate at their core. We’ve established that “Blackletter” is the term we use to describe calligraphic type developed during Medieval times. However, I’m confident that the timeline is accurate and that the details within will be more than sufficient in understanding and appreciating how Blackletter calligraphy has come to be what it is today. Any dates mentioned herein are approximate and span across over 2.5 millenniums. This article is carefully pieced together from many different sources and referential material. With that said, this is a difficult topic to write about comprehensively. Yet, one cannot find a book detailing the history of the written language that built the foundation upon which we write.
![lucida calligraphy font history lucida calligraphy font history](https://cdn10.bigcommerce.com/s-xifhd/products/744/images/2617/636001e__44996.1629456597.1280.1280.jpg)
It is quite ironic how one can easily find a book spanning hundreds of pages that details just about any point in history.
![lucida calligraphy font history lucida calligraphy font history](https://freefontsfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Lucida-Grande-Font.jpg)
That’s almost 3,000 years ago! Suddenly, several centuries doesn’t actually seem like so long of a time, does it?ĭespite its long and rich history, exhaustive historic documentation of Blackletter calligraphy is fragmented and difficult to find.
![lucida calligraphy font history lucida calligraphy font history](https://media.fontsgeek.com/generated/l/u/lucida-calligraphy-italic-sample.png)
The history of Blackletter calligraphy is long and fascinating. After all, those fonts are based off of classic “Blackletter” scripts, which is the word we use to describe these styles of scripts developed during Medieval times. You’ve probably heard these terms at some point and perhaps mental images of newspaper headlines come to mind. “Blackletter”, “Gothic”, “Old English”, etc. So what led up to that? And what about “Blackletter”? Sure, that was over 400 years ago, but in the grand timeline of calligraphy, it wasn’t actually that long ago. Copperplate and Spencerian scripts, as we refer to them today, derived from the Roundhand style of calligraphy in the late 16th century. For most, it’s likely to be that elegant style of cursive we all know and love. When the average western layperson thinks of calligraphy, there is no doubt many visuals come to mind. This knowledge will be help inform your studies of flat-pen and/or Blackletter calligraphy and make your journey more purposeful.
#Lucida calligraphy font history how to
In this article, you’ll learn about the four core styles of Blackletter scripts, how to distinguish the nuanced differences between each of them, and how they came to be historically after centuries of typographical development.