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Type decision for 'The Metamorphosis'
Q: What face would you use to set an edition of Kafka's The Metamorphosis?
It's an interesting challenge, not just because of the usual considerations, but because the shortness of the text – on the order of 50 pages – probably expands the possibilities, making possible faces that would be too quirky or tiresome in a longer text, or perhaps a sans or slab serif. In the same vein, I'm willing to bump up the size to 12 points or so, if a face would benefit from it, because with a text this short, a few extra pages won't break the bank.
My current rumination is LTC Powell, which to my eyes looks like Kelmscott Press meets Edward Gorey, which would suit the fairy-tale-of-horror tone of the story. I feel it's a little over the top though.
I'm also trying to figure out what the original edition was set in...
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21 Sep 2010 — 12:05am
Why not FF Beowolf?
http://www.fontshop.com/fontlist/super_families/ff_beowolf_beosans/
21 Sep 2010 — 1:16am
Thanks Frank -- that font has an interesting concept...
Someone helpfully ID'd the font in the original as Tiemann-Mediaeval, available here, along with Genzsch-Antiqua, which I think might be the ticket -- except I can't figure out how you order from that site...
Those both look like great faces, I'm surprised they aren't anywhere on FontShop or MyFonts.
21 Sep 2010 — 3:01am
Closer to Genzsch-Antiqua, you could have a look at LTC Pabst :
http://www.p22.com/lanston/pabst.html
21 Sep 2010 — 3:10am
Check out FF Nexus and Rotis!
21 Sep 2010 — 7:57am
FF Oneleigh OT
21 Sep 2010 — 8:53am
FF Avance.
It has an incredible uneasy energy, while remaining very readable.
In any case I wouldn't use anything literally "horrory".
BTW, the Genzsch has a fascinating Italic - a bit like Avance actually!
hhp
21 Sep 2010 — 9:26am
You might consider something more conventional and unobtrusive for the text, and make the the chapter or section titles or first words expressive. They could even undergo a metamorphosis, as the story progresses. You could even draw eg changing drop caps.
21 Sep 2010 — 9:28am
I was also thinking something along those lines - hence my suggestions.
21 Sep 2010 — 1:40pm
Thanks for the suggestions, all.
And Hrant, I think you may have read my mind. Before I started in my current direction (dark, rough-looking turn-of-the-century serifs like Powell and Genzsch), I originally wanted some kind of contemporary slab-serif-ish face, but after a solid day looking, nothing had passed muster. And Avance is almost exactly what I had in mind for that look. Now if I could only get the FontShop "beta" PDF specimen to work...
Bill, I like your idea of saving the expressive stuff for those kinds of elements.
21 Sep 2010 — 1:56pm
Oh, and it's perfect how the sample text in the FontShop PDFs is none other than... The Metamorphosis.
21 Sep 2010 — 2:45pm
Mister K!
21 Sep 2010 — 4:18pm
Hrant, Thanks! Why have I not seen Avance before? That is knock-down gorgeous!