Script Type Category

Video Transcription

Hello again, and welcome back everyone to our short talks on The Classifications of Typography here at Noble Desktop.

The type category we are looking at in this video is Script.

Historically, most script text on signage, in logos, on displays, etc. was

Hand produced with brushes or quill pens, thus script font styles as we know them today, have been derived from the fluid movement of handwritten and calligraphic lettering styles.

With the advent of lead-type, script-style alphabets were carved, then punch-cut into “fonts” for the industrial revolution’s mechanized printing industry. These fonts were often referred to as “Engravers” scripts because of their likeness to engraving.

Script typefaces evolved rapidly in the second half of the 20th century due to developments in technology and the end of widespread use of metal type.

Formal scripts like Tangier and Zapfino are more traditional and elegant. They’re often used for invitations and announcements. Casual scripts like Fertigo have a more informal and friendly feel and are often used on a variety of media and as part of modern brandidentities.

They can still be elegant, or even playful, or comical.

This sign-up screen from the My Fonts Web Site demonstrates a combination of connected and semi-connected script styles.

Storyteller, on the left side, is connected and has a more calligraphic feel while the Kaleido font on the right side has a more sign painterly feel.

The Miami Marlins Logo—uses a variation on the Benda bold font. There is a double stroke of blue and red on the text which coordinates with the illustration of the Marlin fish and a swooping baseball stitching element that also acts as a flourish accentuating the movement of the fish and the text at the same time. The curvy controlled letter forms are sporty, friendly, and strong all at once.

In this example from the 1942 film Palm Beach story we see a mixture of elements, the focus is on the signature-like script font being used for the name of the associate producer. While it could be argued that it falls into the handwritten category, I have placed it here in the script category because of its elegant movement and controlled appearance. It has an originality that makes it traverse the boundaries of style categories but is clearly still script.

Next up in our line-up of the classifications of typography we’ll be looking at the monospace category.