November 21st, 2022:
The phrase “Script Type” is an oxymoron: letterforms are either script, ie written by hand, or they are type, ie. cast from a matrix. This disparity has not prevented people from trying to create typefaces that mimic the form, if not the function, of written scripts. Some of these types have succeeded at capturing the qualities of handwritten forms, others have failed miserably. With the advent of digital type design’s seemingly endless character sets, the temptations of script types have only increased, with similarly mixed results. Join the Newberry Library’s Jill Gage and I for an online discussion of the creation, use, and inherent perils of script types, past and present. Register here.