Bernhard Gothic

Bernhard Gothic

Category	Sans-serif
Classification	Geometric
Designer(s)	Lucian Bernhard
Foundry	American Type Founders
Date released	1929 - 30
Re-issuing foundries	Intertype
Design based on	Futura, Kabel
Also known as	Greeting Gothic
Sample

Bernhard Gothic is a family of geometric sans serif typeface designed by Lucian Bernhard in 1929 for the American Type Founders (ATF). Five variations by Bernhard were introduced over two years:

• Bernhard Gothic Medium (1929)
• Bernhard Gothic Light (1930)
• Bernhard Gothic Light Italic (1930)
• Bernhard Gothic Medium Italic (1930)
• Bernhard Gothic Heavy (1930)
• Bernhard Gothic Extra Heavy (1931)

A final member of the family, Bernhard Gothic Medium Condensed, was introduced by ATF in 1936, but it is unclear as to who the designer was.[1]

Bernhard Gothic is more organic and less regular than other geometric sans-serif typefaces, including Futura, Kabel, and Twentieth Century, showing influence of Bernhard's earlier more expressionistic faces. It is a "spurless" design, similar to the contemporary Semplicità and Universal Grotesk and more recently FF Dax, in which strokes end without terminals.[2][3] This gives an effect of modernism, detached from handwriting conventions.[2]

Hot metal copies

Intertype's 1936 copy was called Greeting Gothic.[4]

Digital copies

Digital copies are available from Elsner+Flake, Font Company, URW++, Berthold, Spiece Graphics, Monotype Imaging and FontHaus.

References

1. MacGrew, Mac, "American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century," Oak Knoll Books, New Castle Delaware, 1993, ISBN 0-938768-34-4, pp. 32 - 33.
2. Shaw, Paul. "Overlooked Typefaces". Print magazine. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
3. Biľak, Peter. "Universal Grotesk". i love typography. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
4. MacGrew, "American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century," p. 33.

External links

• Fonts in Use