1) In the 1940s, typefaces ranged from thick, heavily printed fonts to playful italics used to grab readers' attention. Publications often mixed font styles and colors. 2) One dominant typeface was Futura, a modern sans-serif designed in the 1920s. It was widely used in headlines, text, and propaganda during World War 2 for its simple, geometric forms popularized by the Bauhaus movement. 3) The document also discusses graphic designer Emil Ruder and the Linotype machine, a typesetting device that dramatically improved printing efficiency by casting type directly from keyboard input in the late 19th century.

1. Typefaces during the 1940s varied from the
heavily manufactured thick fonts such as
‘Glancy WF’ through to playful italics such
as ‘Wylie’. Often publications would use
a number of contrasting fonts along with
colourful visuals to pop out at the reader.
One particlarly strong typeface family of
the period was Futura - a modern, sans-
serif font designed by Paul Renner in the
1920s. (Prepressure 2015)Aversatile type,
Futura was used both in headlines and
section titles as well as body text, following
the geometric forms popularised by the
Bauhaus movement. (Prepressure 2015)
Examples of Futura can be found in
WW2 propaganda, book publications and
advertising of the time and variations can
be seen in weight and italics. Interestingly,
when focusing on the capitals in Futura,
we can see letters such as ‘O’ are perfectly
rounded while others such as ‘E’ take
up just half this width. This deliberate
difference in letter sizing makes for a
balanced, geometric and delicate look.
Futura
“Typographyhas
oneplainduty
beforeitand
thatistoconvey
informationin
writing.”
EmilRuder
A collaboration with graphic artist Armin
Hofmann set in motion the production of
a number of successful projects. (Famous
GraphicDesigners2016)Throughhiswork,
Ruder pushed aside the traditional rules
of typography and instead formed a new
philosophyregardingtheuseoftypeandit’s
composition.Hisfocuswasontheassembly
of legible printing with strong contrast
whilst still maintaining an understanding
of its aesthetic quality and tone.
ABCde
123
abcde
12345
common fonts of the period
Passionate about using type to
communicate ideas, Swiss Graphic and
Type Designer Emil Ruder became a
prominent figure in the world of graphic
arts and typeface design. Throughout
his studies during the 1930s in Paris
and Zuric, Ruder took an interest in the
area of typography and the principles of
the Bauhaus movement in particular. So
much so that in 1942 he was appointed
head of the typography for trade students
at the school, Allgemeine Gewerbeschule.
EMIL
RUDER!
as the other machines did, but to
combine the casting of type with the
composition of text in a single operation”
(Letterpress Commons, 2012). Simply
put, Mergenthaler saw an opportunity to
improvetheefficiencyofprintingprocesses.
The instrument is made up of a
magazine, a keyboard, casting and
distributing mechanisms. To create type,
The ‘linotype’ is a piece of typesetting
equipment once used extensively
throughout the printing industry and
gradually phased out during the 1960s/70s.
The machine, first patented in 1884,
(Encyclopedia Britannica 2011) was most
commonly used to produce large amounts
of text in straight, structured sets. The
machine’s inventor Ottmar Mergenthaler
aimed to “produce a machine that did
not merely set previously cast type,
Linotype
Emil Ruder - Graphic and Typography Designer
Linotype - typesetting machine
Common typeface of the period - ‘Futura’
1940-1950
Alex Fergusson
100919669
References
Text: Encyclopaedia Britannica 2011, ‘Linotype Machine’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 31 January, viewed 16 September 2016, < https://www.britannica.com/technology/Linotype>. Famous Graphic Designers 2016, ‘Emil Ruder’, Famous Graphic Designers, 2016, viewed 16 September 2016, < http://www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/emil-ruder>. Letterpress Commons 2012, ‘OTTMAR MERGANTHALER
AND THE LINOTYPE’, Letterpress Commons, 2012, viewed 15 September 2016, < https://letterpresscommons.com/merganthaler-linotype/>. Prepressure 2015, ‘Futura’, Prepressure.com, 10 November, viewed 18 September 2016, < https://www.prepressure.com/fonts/interesting/futura>. Sites.google 2013, ‘The Invention of the Linotype Machine’, From Tablet to Tablet: A History of the Book, 2013,
viewed 16 September 2016, < https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/from-tablet-to-tablet/final-projects/the-invention-of-the-linotype-machine-jienne-alhaideri-13>. The Atlantic 2011, ‘Celebrating Linotype’, 125 Years Since Its Debut’, The Atlantic, 20 May, viewed 15 September 2016, < http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/celebrating-linotype-125-years-since-its-debut/238968/>.
Images: ‘Emil Ruder’ [image], in Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg 2009, Weiß- und japanische Weisheiten, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, viewed 16 September 2016, < http://konzept-und-entwurf.muthesius-kunsthochschule.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2015/04/ruder_anika_mohr.pdf>. ‘Monotype’ [image], in Pinterest 2016, Typecasters, Pinterest, viewed 16 September
2016, < https://au.pinterest.com/stevehubbard/typecasters/>. ‘State Library Victoria’ [image] in Winter School - Historical Fiction 2016, viewed 25 September 2016, < https://writersvictoria.org.au/civicrm/event/info?id=65&reset=1>.
Eventually Ruder was to construct manuals
onthemethodsandprinciplesoftypography
which he had accumulated throughout
his extensive academic and working
life. (Famous Graphic Designers 2016)
Looking through Emil Ruder’s work, it is
clear to see his intentions are conveyed
through strong contrast, scale, use of grid
systems and modern sans-serif typefaces.
the user presses the keys allowing the
letters to be engraved in the correct order
in the matrices. Using the lines of type,
moltenhotleadispuredintothemolds.“The
‘slug’ is then ejected into the gallery tray.“
(The Invention of the Linotype Machine,
2013). The letters are mechanically
dropped back to their original positions
and the entire process begins again.