ds: type exploration

Typeface Research:

In creating a logo for Steamboat Arabia, it was crucial for me to understand the aesthetic of the 1850s and before, in order to accurately depict the time. While researching the history, I picked up on the look and feel of advertisements/fashion/design. 

Some things I thought were important to keep in mind:

• Egyptian typefaces/Slab Serifs were popularly used
• Woodtype Posters dominated between 1850 and 1860
• People used posters (back then called broadsheets) with woodtype
• these posters were usually center justified
• all caps
• mostly slab serifs
• a compilation of many typefaces in one poster
• variety of point sizes
• decorative letterforms
• condensed letterforms
• sans serif was also used (starting from the 1800s)
• back then called grotesques, gothics, doric
• The first Clarendon typeface was created in 1845
• Sources
• http://www.counterspace.us/typography/timeline/
• http://www.designatobu.com/s15/docs/history/8-Wood_Type_Poster.pdf
• http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa/Date/

I looked up some typefaces to capture the aesthetic:

Based on these findings, I experimented a bit with typefaces below:

Directly referencing woodtype posters

More modern-looking typefaces that are still rooted in history