Semplicità Explained

Style:Sans-serif
Classifications:Geometric
Creationdate:c. 1928
Foundry:Nebiolo

Semplicità is a sans-serif typeface of the geometric style. It was published by the Nebiolo type foundry of Turin, Italy from around 1928.[1]

Semplicità, named for the Italian for "simplicity", is an example of the new wave of "geometric" sans-serifs such as Erbar and Futura appearing in the late 1920s and early 1930s.[2] [3] [4] These designs were based on the proportions of the circle and the square and the influence of Roman square capitals, breaking from traditional "grotesque" designs of the nineteenth century. Semplicità, however, has a number of unusual features, including a 'U' with an angle, following the classical model, and an 'f' which descends below the baseline. It is also a "spurless" design, similar to the contemporary Bernhard Gothic and more recently FF Dax, in which most strokes end without terminals. These features give Semplicità an appearance similar to some of the flamboyant, modernist Art Deco lettering of the period.[5] [6]

The design of Semplicità has sometimes been credited to type designer Alessandro Butti,[7] but Colizzi and Olocco do not credit it to a single designer, although Butti may have been the final draughtsman.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Digitisations are available in commercial releases from Durotype and Canada Type, and an open-source version (shown) from Studio Di Lena, who require attribution as a condition of its use.[13] [14] A proprietary digitisation has also been used by the French clothing company Céline.[15]

Styles

Semplicità was sold in a wide range of weights. Leonardo Di Lena lists the following styles in a Nebiolo catalogue:[16]

In addition, some swash capitals were offered and a shadowed capital face, Ombra, not to be confused with the similar Umbra font offered by Ludlow.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Semplicità. Geometria semplice e razionale. Tipoteca. 18 April 2017.
  2. Web site: Kupferschmid. Indra. On Erbar and Early Geometric Sans Serifs. CJ Type. 20 October 2016.
  3. Web site: Ulrich. Ferdinand. A short intro to the geometric sans. FontShop. 17 December 2016.
  4. Web site: Ulrich. Ferdinand. Why we need a new Kabel. FontShop. 19 December 2016.
  5. Shaw. Paul. Fascism on the Facade. Print. 2004. 78–81. 20 April 2017.
  6. Web site: Shaw. Paul. Paul Shaw (design historian). Overlooked Typefaces. Print magazine. 2 July 2015.
  7. Web site: Kupferschmid. Indra. The story of Nebiolo. TypeNetwork. 18 April 2017.
  8. Book: Victor Margolin. World History of Design. 2015. Bloomsbury Publishing. 978-1-4725-6928-8. 331.
  9. Book: Neil Macmillan. An A-Z of Type Designers. 2006. Yale University Press. 0-300-11151-7. 59.
  10. Web site: Società Nebiolo. Klingspor Museum. 18 April 2017.
  11. Web site: Alessandro Butti. Gio Fuga Type. 18 April 2017.
  12. Web site: Colizzi. Alessandro. Olocco. Riccardo. Novarese and Butti, a story to be (re)written. CAST. 18 April 2017.
  13. Web site: Semplicita Pro. MyFonts. Canada Type. 18 April 2017.
  14. Web site: Simplo. MyFonts. Durotype. 18 April 2017.
  15. Web site: Famira. Hannes. Céline Sans. Hannes Famira. 18 April 2017.
  16. Web site: Di Lena. Leonardo. Semplicità. Studio Di Lena. 18 April 2017.

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