work.” Of course, the results were primitive and decidedly of the moment.
Yet,atthe moment, few could predict whether or not Mac-generated bitmap
type would slowly wear thin. Eventually, a new standard emerged.
Within what then seemed like the blink of an eye, the
introduction of high-resolution PostScript outline technology enabled
Licko to develop several high-resolution designs based upon her earlier
bitmaps, including faces called Matrix, Citizen, and Lunatix. Although
these were based fundamentally on classical forms, given the computer’s
limited memory, Licko had to compensate by limiting the characteristics of
each face to the bare essentials. Thus even the most traditional-looking
face, such as Matrix, retained sharp edges that gave it the appearance of a
stone inscription on the one hand and a novelty form on the other.
For Licko, overall appearance was less important than how a face
functioned within technological constraints. Her mission at the time was to
work within limitations, which meant that her faces took on certain
characteristics endemic to the computer, which, in turn, caused an alternate
appearance in layouts that used the faces. Incidentally, in 1999 , she revisited
and successfully reworked some of her early bitmap ideas through new
fonts called Base 9 and Base 12, which offer compatible screen and printer
fonts to solve the current dual need of low-resolution screen display and
high-resolution printing with an integrated typeface design.
Licko’s inspiration usually comes from the particular medium that
she’s involved with at any given time (and the needs posed by that
medium). “I search out a problem that needs to be addressed or a unique
result that a production method can yield, such as my early experiments
with bitmaps, and later purely geometric forms.” The results were faces that
have become emblematic of the digital epoch. “My latest interest in
creating somewhat more traditional text faces,” she continues, “is a result of
Emigremagazine’s increased publishing of in-depth articles, which require
fonts appropriate for lengthy text setting.”
Having one’s own magazine to design typefaces for offers untold
advantages. Most type designers create faces on commission for a
publication or an institution, with little opportunity to make certain that
they are truly seaworthy; some produce speculative faces for others to
sample, thus ceding control of the typography. But with the opportunity to
actually flow new type into a vessel such as Emigrefor testing in layouts by a
sympathetic designer (in this case, VanderLans), Licko has been allowed to
check the tolerance of her work under the stress of real-world conditions. In
turn,Emigrehas been the ultimate proving ground and specimen sheet.
For the first decade, when Emigrewas a hothouse, Licko (and
other designers) showcased often quirky work. But when the size of Emigre
tuis.
(Tuis.)
#1