Azimuth Print Ltd Blog Font Friday - No. 9

On every Friday we are going to introduce you one of the 100 best typefaces of all time. An international jury assembled the list of the fonts based on sales numbers, historical relevance and aesthetic qualities.No. 9Name: Gill SansDesigned by: Eric Gill 1930Gill Sans is a sans-serif typeface designed by Eric Gill and released by the British branch of Monotype from 1928 onwards. Gill Sans takes inspiration from Edward Johnston's 1916 Johnston alphabet for London Underground, which Gill, by the 1920s a well-established sculptor and lettering artist, had worked on in its early development stages. Marketed by Monotype as a design of 'classic simplicity and real beauty', it was intended as a display typeface that could be used for posters and advertisements, as well as for the text of documents that need to be clearly legible at small sizes or from a distance, such as book blurbs, timetables and price lists.Our designers' opinion: "The light font has a heavily hooded f and a tall t, and is open and elegant in appearance. The regular is compact and muscular, with a flat-bottomed b, flat-topped p and q, and triangular-topped t. The bold Gill Sans reflects the open style of the light, while the extra bold and ultra bold have a flamboyant character of their own. Thus, the Gill Sans family reflects its creator's understanding of craftsmanship."