Designer: Zuzana
LickoThe design of Journal was an enjoyable expedition into the unknown. In 1990, the selection of fonts for the desktop computer was still slim. So I set out to create a serif typeface for Emigre publication to expand our choice of text deals with, which at the time were my Triplex, Matrix, and coarse resolution bitmap fonts. I wished to attempt my hand at an old design tension design, but found the curves difficult to draw with the fairly primitive font tools of the day. The geometric arc curves used in Triplex, Matrix, and other designs that I had developed formerly were easier to create with these early tools due to the fact that arc curves are more predictable from a construction perspective and for that reason simpler to visualize. In fact, it was not so much the drawing tools that were the problem, however the sneak peek screen. The screen display screen was not extremely devoted to the mathematical digital illustration, nor the laser hard copy, due to the primitive screen rasterizer, and the coarse resolution screen on the screen. Remember, this was prior to anti-aliased screens and stochastic ink jet printing came to personal computing. Taking a magnifying glass to the 300 dpi printouts, I studied how the curves were represented by a series of stair stepped lines on the black and white (non-aliased) grid of the laser printed page. This inspired me to construct my brand-new typeface with straight line sections rather of curves; estimating each curve by a series of tangent polylines. This not only solved the screen display preview problem, however gave Journal a rustic appearance, which well enhanced the old design stress. The subtle unfamiliarity is reminiscent of the abnormalities that appear in letterpress printed specimens, and stimulates informal qualities, making Journal ideal for correspondence.
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