Well did you want Berkeley, which is just a rather pale ITC imitation of Fred Goudy’s University of California Oldstyle, or did you want the real thing?
As the Lanston site will tell you, this one was commissioned for a book by Goudy called Typologia. As I happen to own a copy, I can tell you that it appears very differently on paper than it does on the screen. Goudy set it large as a text face, about 14pt, with only an extra point of leading and a 27 pica column width.
Gosh but it’s beautiful. I’ve noticed it on a couple of jobs lately – perhaps it’s coming back into fashion?
I’d love to post you a comparison setting showing how much more muscular and full of old-world charm the original Berkeley was but...
a. I can’t figure out how to post images to this thread
b. The nuances between the two faces get really mangled by the filetype and size restrictions for submitted images
c. I think I might be breaching copyright if I scan from the book and shove it on here
d. If you already have a version of Berkeley and there’s a budget consideration that excludes buying another version, then why post the topic?
(I know, you’re looking for inspiration); FYI, it doesn’t look bad as a text face; Goudy set it justified with very tight word spacing and not a lot of extra lead, as I said earlier. When it’s up at display sizes of course it requires letterspacing in the capitals.
The whole thing about this is that the original quirkiness in the design – traits of Goudys intimacy with mediaevalism and blackletter influences – got ironed out when ITC recut it, and the ’feminine’ character you refer to is just anaemic by comparison.
Thanks for the Info, I’d love to see usage of both but if only one to choose then the imitated ITC version.
I already have it and convincing the client to go with the original $$$ might be hard pressed. Is the original as feminine as ITC’s?
Bringhurst’s Elements of Typographic Style compares ITC Berkeley and FB Californian at large sizes. If you follow this link, you can download a PDF and see how it prints for yourself. Lanston also has a version of Californian. I prefer Californian to Berkeley because it has more character and Berkeley has some real whaked out characters (that beautiful Goudy Q was just mangled!) If you want clean and crip, you may prefer Berkeley, but if you want warm and friendly I’d choose Californian.
And this is my comparison setting using ITC Berkeley
In addition to messing with the proportions, the overall blackness and some serif/terminal directions, the recut did away with the ligatures and turned the shape of the capital O to something a lot more circular than Goudy intended.
I can only hope he is looking down on the FB and Lanston attempts to rehabilitate his work after this unfortunate episode.
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8.Jul.2006 12.00pm
The right room is “Design”
8.Jul.2006 8.54pm
Hi Joseph
Well did you want Berkeley, which is just a rather pale ITC imitation of Fred Goudy’s University of California Oldstyle, or did you want the real thing?
As the Lanston site will tell you, this one was commissioned for a book by Goudy called Typologia. As I happen to own a copy, I can tell you that it appears very differently on paper than it does on the screen. Goudy set it large as a text face, about 14pt, with only an extra point of leading and a 27 pica column width.
Gosh but it’s beautiful. I’ve noticed it on a couple of jobs lately – perhaps it’s coming back into fashion?
10.Jul.2006 8.06am
Thanks for the Info, I’d love to see usage of both but if only one to choose then the imitated ITC version.
I already have it and convincing the client to go with the original $$$ might be hard pressed. Is the original as feminine as ITC’s?
13.Jul.2006 12.18am
Hi Joseph
I’d love to post you a comparison setting showing how much more muscular and full of old-world charm the original Berkeley was but...
a. I can’t figure out how to post images to this thread
b. The nuances between the two faces get really mangled by the filetype and size restrictions for submitted images
c. I think I might be breaching copyright if I scan from the book and shove it on here
d. If you already have a version of Berkeley and there’s a budget consideration that excludes buying another version, then why post the topic?
(I know, you’re looking for inspiration); FYI, it doesn’t look bad as a text face; Goudy set it justified with very tight word spacing and not a lot of extra lead, as I said earlier. When it’s up at display sizes of course it requires letterspacing in the capitals.
The whole thing about this is that the original quirkiness in the design – traits of Goudys intimacy with mediaevalism and blackletter influences – got ironed out when ITC recut it, and the ’feminine’ character you refer to is just anaemic by comparison.
13.Jul.2006 4.52pm
Thanks for the Info, I’d love to see usage of both but if only one to choose then the imitated ITC version.
I already have it and convincing the client to go with the original $$$ might be hard pressed. Is the original as feminine as ITC’s?
Bringhurst’s Elements of Typographic Style compares ITC Berkeley and FB Californian at large sizes. If you follow this link, you can download a PDF and see how it prints for yourself. Lanston also has a version of Californian. I prefer Californian to Berkeley because it has more character and Berkeley has some real whaked out characters (that beautiful Goudy Q was just mangled!) If you want clean and crip, you may prefer Berkeley, but if you want warm and friendly I’d choose Californian.
13.Jul.2006 6.11pm
Ok here you go
This is part of a page from the original
And this is my comparison setting using ITC Berkeley
In addition to messing with the proportions, the overall blackness and some serif/terminal directions, the recut did away with the ligatures and turned the shape of the capital O to something a lot more circular than Goudy intended.
I can only hope he is looking down on the FB and Lanston attempts to rehabilitate his work after this unfortunate episode.