Spartan (typeface)

Spartan

Category	Sans-serif
Classification	Geometric sans-serif
Designer(s)	John L. Renshaw
Foundry	Linotype American Type Founders
Date released	1939
Design based on	Futura
Trademark	Linotype

Spartan is a geometric sans-serif typeface created for Mergenthaler Linotype Company as a direct competitor to Bauer's Futura. The face was made for machine composition by Linotype, while identical foundry type was issued by American Type Founders (ATF).[1] Although some have credited John L. Renshaw[2] with the design of Spartan, he worked at ATF, not Linotype, and only worked on the designs of some additional weights of Spartan for ATF which Linotype did not offer. Testing by Bausch & Lomb, after the creation of Spartan in 1951, determined it to be the "most readable" typeface of the time.[3]

ATF Spartan used in the front panels of early 1960s Tektronix oscilloscopes.

The League of Movable Type has published a FOSS version with variable width under the name League Spartan.[4]

Similar fonts

• Drogowskaz

References

1. MacGrew, Mac, American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century, Oak Knoll Books, New Castle Delaware, 1993, ISBN 0-938768-34-4, p. 287
2. "Spartan in use". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
3. "Our New Spartan Face is Here". The Deseret News. South Salt Lake City, Utah. 27 November 1961. pp. 8A.
4. league-spartan on GitHub