Ben there, done that for April 6, 2022
Behind the times
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I love fonts - not the reservoir of an oil lamp, rather the distinctive letterforms we implement to represent written words. Being someone with a background in graphic design, this is not a surprising revelation. Various styles of type are common in our daily lives. I like to think of fonts as the visual equivalent of a spoken accent. By choosing a variety of fonts, the same word can be perceived and interpreted very differently. Some fonts evoke an air of elegance or pretension, others look sleek and modern, still, others are playful or childish. In truth, what a typeface or font can convey is limitless. However, while certain accents are quite distinct, others are quite plain. In the world of type, Times New Roman is about as plain as a font can get. Where did it come from? Why is this font so ubiquitous that everyone knows its name? As we explore the answers, I’ll be using “fonts” and “typefaces” interchangeably for simplicity.
Times New Roman was the brainchild of Stanley Morison, an esteemed type designer in the 20s and 30s. Being extremely passionate and vocal about his profession, he commenced to write a blistering op-ed in a London newspaper, “The Times,” criticizing their use of type and saying he could do better. In response, the newspaper challenged Morison by accepting his offer. During this time, type was set with thousands of little metal blocks each containing a letter or two. Needless to say, changing fonts was a costly choice, unlike today’s choosing from a drop-down menu. Thus, The Times’ decision was a risky one.
Morison started with an existing typeface called “Plantin.” A number of alterations made this type more suited to the uses of a newspaper. He decreased the size difference between the tall and short letters, increased the overall thickness of the lines, and reduced the space between the letters. Morison’s changes allowed The Times to fit more words on a page while being easier - a typographical wonder!
After much careful testing, on October 3, 1932, the new font was unveiled with much fanfare. This marked the first time in history that a newspaper had ever commissioned its own type. For the first year, The Times held exclusive rights to the font. Once the window of exclusivity was over, other publications were initially very slow to adopt the type, particularly in America. Because of the increased amount of ink and higher quality paper required for printing, the font was deemed too costly. However, magazines, with those qualities as the norm, would showcase the new font.
Fascinating, you say, but how did the font from a London newspaper materialize on my desktop word processor? When the original type was designed, two companies (called “type foundries”) constructed the “punches” to mold the lead type blocks. The two, monotype and linotype, jointly created the punches for Times New Roman. Both foundries then sold the font to customers with slightly different names. Monotype called the font “Times New Roman” and Linotype called it simply “Times Roman.” When Microsoft and Apple were looking to license typefaces for their new computer operating systems, Microsoft chose Monotype and Apple chose Linotype, but they both ended up getting the same font. To this day, the same font bears the slight difference in name between the two!
Times New Roman became the default on nearly every computer. Thus, when organizations such as universities, governments, and publishers were seeking for a standard font, Times New Roman featured as the go-to. Today the newer fonts like Arial and Calibri are the biggest competitors to “Times,” but the soon-to-be 90-year-old font is still going strong. In light of all this, I have to sit back and chuckle that all of this kicked off with a scathing article written by a passionate type designer. You never know what your words could trigger - no matter what font you are using.
