Barnes and Ripper masterfully revived this grotesque by maintaining its warmth. Lowercase characters would come later - an addition that was followed by a number of further developments, as explained in the compelling story accompanying the typeface. The typeface’s namesake foundry, Caslon, comprised four generations of the Caslon family, who, through their foundry and work, made great contributions to type design - particularly the sans serif, which is commonly attributed to William Caslon IV.Ĭaslon Doric was initially created only as a set of bold capital letters. Although the designs of this epoch are sometimes criticized for lacking a clear conceptual direction, this period was nevertheless one of the most prolific and innovative periods in the history of type, bringing us new genres and styles, including sans serifs, slab serifs, bold weights, and a multitude of decorative typefaces.ĭesigned by Paul Barnes and Tim Ripper, Caslon Doric is one of the most remarkable outcomes of this project. The project serves as a catalog of typefaces that investigate and bring back to life some of the most notable milestones of English design during the Industrial Revolution / Victorian era. The Greek version was consulted by Irene Vlachou.Commercial Classics, the much-anticipated brainchild of Commercial Type, launched in 2019. Cyrillic and Greek version of William were published in 2018. In 2011, William was one of the winners of AtypI’s Letter 2 competition, a collection of the best typefaces of the decade. Maria Doreuli started drawing William in 2008, however the William Type Family family was published in 2016. It also, however, includes Old-style figures, Tabular numerals (both lining and OsF), Small Caps figures, superior, inferior, circled and circled inverted numerals (selectable via OpenType features). Proportional Lining figures come as default figures in William. NumeralsĪll weights of William include nine different kinds of numerals. The optical sizes differ not only in the contrast between the thick and thin strokes the vertical and horizontal proportions of letters have also been adjusted to better fit the specific size ranges, and the spacing of the text has been optimised as well. William is available in three optical sizes, a Text version with a large x-height for smaller text from 7 to 12pt, a Subhead version for use at 14 to 30 points, and Display version for text larger than 36 points. They can be used at larger sizes as initials, or to give text extra decorative touch. William contains a set of capital swash characters, typographical flourishes for the Italics. Maria Doreuli reviewed them, giving William over 200 tasteful ornaments that can be recombined to create borders, patterns, and typographic decorations. The original Caslon Foundry produced over 2,600 ornaments and decorative elements, important for the book publishing of the time. Read more about development of William▸ Ornaments Just as Caslon cut many non-Latin types and ornaments, William focuses on his international typography, and Cyrillic and Greek versions will follow the current release. William builds on his foundation and makes his type relevant for a new generation of designers. Caslon typefaces set the aesthetic standard for book design, and by the 20th century, the name Caslon referred not only to a specific set of typefaces, but an entire brand.Ĭaslon’s work has a permanent place in the history of typography. Caslon achieved success both at home and abroad, and the American Declaration of Independence was printed in 1776 using Caslon type. William Caslon (1692–1766) established the cornerstone of British type founding, ending reliance on the Dutch types which were commonly used in England up to that point (and which inspired his designs).