Typeface Specimen Booklet

Brief

The scope of this project was to create a type specimen book of at least eight pages using the type’s history to inspire the design. The purpose of the booklet is to sell the typeface as the post beautiful possible option available on the market. I chose to work with Franklin Gothic, originally designed by Morris Fuller Benton for the American Type Founders (ATF) in 1905. It was later redesigned by the International Typeface Corporation (ITC) in 1979 and again by Unternehmensberatung Rubow Weber (URW) in 1980.

Ideation & Exploration

I began by researching Franklin Gothic’s history and looking at modern applications of it. In my research, I learned that it was originally designed by Morris Fuller Benton in 1902 with the American Type Founders. Franklin Gothic is a unique typeface because, although it is a sans serif, it has a double story ‘a’ and ‘g’ – a quality typical of only serif typefaces. Franklin Gothic is also similar to serif typefaces in the variation of stroke width.

Franklin Gothic has undergone many redesigns. It was first redesigned by ITC, the International Typeface Corporation in the 1970s. This style is far more condensed than the original. The last resign was done in 1980 by URW, Unternehmensberatung Rubow Weber. The URW redesign uses a thicker stroke and is slightly less round than the original but not nearly as condensed as the ITC design.

After researching the typeface, I amassed visual research in a Pinterest board. It primarily contains examples of type specimen booklets and posters but also has some examples of uses of Franklin Gothic.

Design Process

After gathering my research, I designed compositions. Franklin Gothic was originally used as a display face because it came in a wide variety of weights which inspired me to use the more classic graphic colors of red, dark grey or black, and beige which are commonly associated with vintage newspapers.

I made a second composition that focused on blues which are more dynamic, aligning with the modernity of the sans serif. I chose to keep much of the design the same in this version because after sketching a wide variety of possibilities, these seemed the most effect and received the most positive feedback.

Next, I printed them for critique and received more helpful feedback. Most of which delt with increasing overall visual interest by adjusting the hierarchy and adding elements. Greater attention to detail dramatically increased the positive responses to the overall design.

One of the biggest challenges of this project was designing the cover. I began with the words Franklin Gothic in a plain block on the cover. This version was inspired by the typeface’s historic use as a display face but lacked visual interest. The next composition relies on subtlety and minimalism but still was not effective and did noy match the dynamics of the spreads. To overcome this, I drew inspiration from within the booklet which led to the final cover design. Ultimately, the cover reflects the second to last page, tying the booklet together.

Other details include the addition of texture to pages seven and eight to bring the newspaper feeling to life and the overlay of letters on the background of pages twelve and thirteen to increase visual interest through the use of pattern and subtly emphasize the benefits of effective typeface pairings.

After another critique session, I made minor adjustments to aspects like leading and tracking and was left with the final project.

Results

The final booklet came to 16 pages including the front and back covers and utilizes hierarchy and color to maintain a dynamic and visually interesting design.