Gill Sans is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Eric Gill in 1927-30. Gill was a well established sculptor, graphic artist and type designer, and the Gill Sans typeface takes inspiration from Edward Johnston’s Johnston typeface for London Underground, which Gill had worked on while apprenticed to Johnston. Eric Gill attempted to make the ultimate legible sans-serif text face. Gill Sans was designed to function equally well as a text face and for display. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For the origin and evolution of fonts, see History of western typography. ... For the origin and evolution of fonts, see History of western typography. ... In typography, serifs are the small features at the end of strokes within letters. ... A type designer is a person who designs typefaces. ... Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (February 22, 1882–November 17, 1940) was a British sculptor, typographer and engraver. ... A type foundry is a company that designs and/or distributes typefaces. ... Monotype Imaging, Inc is a typesetting and typeface design company (type foundry) responsible for many developments in printing technology — in particular the Monotype machine which was the first fully mechanical typesetter — and the design and production of typefaces in the 19th and 20th centuries. ... In typography, serifs are the small features at the end of strokes within letters. ... In typography, serifs are the small features at the end of strokes within letters. ... For the origin and evolution of fonts, see History of western typography. ... Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (February 22, 1882–November 17, 1940) was a British sculptor, typographer and engraver. ... Categories: People stubs | Calligraphers | Graphic designers | 1872 births | 1944 deaths ... Johnston printing blocks Johnston (or Johnston Sans) is the sans-serif typeface used throughout the 20th century for lettering on London Transport: London Underground and London Buses. ... The London Underground is a transit system that serves much of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ...

Characteristics

The uppercase of Gill Sans is modeled on the monumental Roman capitals like those found on the Column of Trajan, and the Caslon and Baskerville typefaces. Trajans Column is a monument in Rome raised by Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Senate. ... The typeface known as Caslon, (Englsih roman) designed by William Caslon I in 1734. ... Baskerville is a “transitional” typeface, designed by John Baskerville in England in the mid-18th century, revived in the early 20th century and widely used for books and other long texts. ...

The capital M from Gill Sans is based on the proportions of a square with the middle strokes meeting at the center of that square. The Gill Sans typeface family contains fourteen styles and has less of a mechanical feel than geometric sans-serifs like Futura, because its proportions stemmed from Roman tradition. Unlike realist sans-serif typefaces including Akzidenz Grotesk and Univers the lower case is modeled on the lowercase Carolingian script. The Carolingian influence is noticeable in the two-story lowercase a, and g. The lowercase t is similar to old-style serifs in its proportion and oblique terminus of the vertical stroke. Following the humanist model the lowercase italic a becomes single story. The italic e is highly calligraphic, and the lowercase p has a vestigial calligraphic tail reminiscent of the italics of Caslon and Baskerville. Gill Sans serves as a model for several later humanist sans-serif typefaces including Syntax and FF Scala Sans. Promotional poster which uses the first edition of typeface Futura-late 1927. ... Differences between Helvetica and Akzidenz. ... This article is about a typeface; for information about similarly spelled topics, see Universe (disambiguation). ... Example from 10th century manuscript Carolingian or Caroline minuscule is a script developed as a writing standard in Europe so that the Roman alphabet could be easily recognized by the small literate class from one region to another. ... The typeface known as Caslon, (Englsih roman) designed by William Caslon I in 1734. ... Baskerville is a “transitional” typeface, designed by John Baskerville in England in the mid-18th century, revived in the early 20th century and widely used for books and other long texts. ... Syntax is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by the Swiss typeface designer Hans Eduard Meier (born 1922) in 1968, and released by the Linotype foundry in 1969. ... FF Scala Sans is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Martin Majoor in 1992 for the Vredenburg Music Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands. ...

Usage

First unveiled in a single uppercase weight in 1928, Gill Sans achieved national prominence almost immediately, when it was chosen the following year to become the standard typeface for the LNER railway system, soon appearing on every facet of the company's identity, from locomotive nameplates and station signage to restaurant car menus, printed timetables and advertising posters — roles it took on nationwide for British Railways after nationalisation in 1948, until the comprehensive British Rail corporate rebranding in 1965. Other users were quick to follow, including Penguin Books' iconic paperback jacket designs from 1935, and Gill Sans became Monotype's fifth best selling typeface of the twentieth century. The London and North Eastern Railway or LNER was the second-largest of the Big Four railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. ... This article is about the defunct entity British Railways, which later traded as British Rail. The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ... Monotype Imaging, Inc is a typesetting and typeface design company (type foundry) responsible for many developments in printing technology — in particular the Monotype machine which was the first fully mechanical typesetter — and the design and production of typefaces in the 19th and 20th centuries. ...

The typeface continues to thrive to this day, often being held to bring an artistic or cultural sensibility to an organisation's corporate style. Prominent users include the BBC, which adopted the typeface as its corporate typeface in 1997. Until 2006, the corporation used the font in all of its media output; however, the unveiling of its new idents for BBC One and BBC Two has signalled a shift away from its universal use, as other fonts were used for their respective on-screen identities. Other organisations using Gill Sans include AMD, Bloc Party, Beltronics STi driver radar detector, Benetton Group, Carlton Television, Channel 4, More4 and Film4 for English subtitles on foreign-language films, Communist Party of Britain, Computer Concepts, Cunard Line for names on the sides of their ships, Firedog, the Fox News Channel for their chyrons, Her Majesty's Government, L.J. Hooker, Mango (charity), Monotype, Network Rail, Otis College of Art and Design, Philips, QVC, Royal Society of Arts, which awarded designer Eric Gill the accolade "Royal Designer for Industry", Saab Automobile, Santos Limited, Seven Network (Australia) in certain news and current affairs programming, Slovenian euro coins^[1], Germany-based Stiebel eltron, the University of Southampton, album art for The Eraser, by Thom Yorke, TNT (courier company), Transperth for railway station signs, bus stops, and timetables, Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Commons, and World Vision. The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “AMD” redirects here. ... Bloc Party is an English indie rock band. ... An early radar detector A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to determine if their speed is being monitored. ... 1992 ad, featuring AIDS patient David Kirby, dying. ... Carlton Television was the United Kingdom Channel 3 (ITV) licensee for London and the surrounding areas from 9:25am every Monday to 5. ... It has been suggested that Channel Four Television Corporation be merged into this article or section. ... More4 is a digital television channel, produced by United Kingdom broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. ... Film4 is a free British digital television channel, owned and operated by Channel 4, which screens high-quality films. ... The Communist Party of Britain, which claims to have around 900 members, is the largest Communist party in the United Kingdom. ... Xara is a UK-based software company founded in 1981, making it one of the oldest independent software developers. ... The Cunard Line, formerly Cunard White Star Line, is a British cruise line, operator of ocean liners RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) and RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2). ... The correct title of this article is . ... The Fox News Channel (FNC) is a United States-based cable and satellite news channel. ... Chyron can mean: The Chyron Corporation company, which makes character generator equipment for television broadcasters. ... Her Majestys Government, or when the Sovereign is male, His Majestys Government, abbreviated HMG or HM Government, is the formal title used by the Government of the United Kingdom. ... L.J. Hooker is an Australian real estate franchise. ... Monotype Imaging, Inc is a typesetting and typeface design company (type foundry) responsible for many developments in printing technology — in particular the Monotype machine which was the first fully mechanical typesetter — and the design and production of typefaces in the 19th and 20th centuries. ... Network Rail is a British not for dividend company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares. ... Otis College of Art and Design is a four year art and design college located in Los Angeles, California. ... Philips HQ in Amsterdam Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Royal Philips Electronics N.V.), usually known as Philips, (Euronext: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. ... Saab is a line of automobiles manufactured by Saab Automobile AB, and is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of the General Motors Corporation. ... Santos Ltd. ... The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. ... On January 1, 2007, Slovenia is expected to replace its national currency, the tolar, with the euro. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... The University of Southampton is a university situated in the city of Southampton, on the south coast of Great Britain. ... The Eraser is the first solo album by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, released on July 10, 2006 in the United Kingdom and on July 11 in the United States and Canada. ... Thomas Edward Yorke, born October 7, 1968 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the English rock band Radiohead. ... Royal TPG Post wall box TNT N.V. (Euronext: TNT, NYSE: TP) is a provider of global express delivery, logistics, and mail services. ... The new B Series trains delivered from 2004 service the popular Northern Suburbs Line and will run on the under construction Mandurah Line Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system in Perth, Western Australia. ... The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... It has been suggested that World Vision India, World Vision Australia be merged into this article or section. ...

Bibliography

• Carter, Sebastian. Twentieth Century Type Designers, W.W. Norton 1995. ISBN 0-393-70199-9.
• Johnson, Jaspert & Berry. Encyclopedia of Type Faces. Cassell & Co 2001, ISBN 1-84188-139-2.
• Ott, Nicolaus, Friedl Fredrich, and Stein Bernard. Typography and Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Throughout History. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. 1998, ISBN 1-57912-023-7.

External links

• Fonts.com: Gill Sans
• Gill Sans
• Gill Sans MT font information (Microsoft typography)