Type Specimen

Exploration of Caslon

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Typography, Poster Design, Booklet Design

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This type specimen poster and corresponding booklet is for Caslon, a typeface created by English type-founder William Caslon I. It first was introduced in the middle of the 18th century. William Caslon took inspiration from Dutch Baroque and designed the typeface to have a hand molded look, as opposed to the sharp geometries of other serif typefaces. The old-style typeface was one of the first to come from England. 

 

 

The poster shows large scale Caslon letters, to show off the contours of different letterforms. The six font family weights are displayed. I included a quote featuring Caslon by James Mosely that reinforces the dependability of the typeface. I wrote a short essay about the history of Caslon and its later on revival. The printed 15"x20" poster can be folded and is accompanied by a cover booklet, which wraps around the folded poster. The cover has the inverse color scheme of the poster and features the same design elements. The inside of the booklet shows a timeline of serif typeface classifications.