Renaissance Type Systematization and Digital Frameworks | Eugene Yukechev/Anna Damoli | ATypI 2020

As part of the Plantin Institute of Typography’s expert class type design course under the roof of the Museum Plantin-Moretus, a group of international students examined models by French Renaissance punchcutter Robert Granjon as the basis for a digital revival. The research questioned whether there is cross-standardization between the roman and italic models of Granjon. This would be consistent with the theories on the Renaissance type-production systematization of Dr. Frank E. Blokland, who supervised the research.

Artifacts from the unique collection of foundry type material from the Antwerp museum were used for the investigation. The findings were eventually extrapolated to contemporary digital frameworks for the production of new fonts. During their talk, Eugene Yukechev and Anna Damoli will take the audience by the hand and guide them through the unknown territory for many in the field of type and typography. After all, it is easy to take the historical frameworks for granted and reproduce them optically.

Although it may not be necessary for reproduction, research into Renaissance standardization and systematization can provide deeper insights into the intrinsic structure of the unconsciously reproduced frameworks. Information hidden at first sight may support a more authentic interpretation of the source models in question, and the distilled patterns can be used to further master the harmonic and rhythmic aspects of type in the digital font-production environment.

A study that to some extent contradicts the basis of traditional conditioning in type design is by definition controversial. Yukechev and Damoli will explain the research process step-by-step, displaying and explaining numerous images that reveal an intriguing patterning beneath the surface of Granjon’s type.

Presentation by Eugene Yukechev and Anna Damoli followed by Q&A with audience members.

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Eugene Yukechev is a typographer and type designer. Yukechev has studied philosophy and graphic design at numerous institutions like the British Higher School of Design in Moscow.
After obtaining a degree in philology and practicing editorial and graphic design for a decade, Yukechev moved to Moscow to study type design. Since 2013, Yukechev has been running a publishing house, Schrift Publishers, and an online journal, Type Journal.

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Anna Damoli is a brand designer, calligrapher, and type design student based in Milan. After graduating in Industrial Design in Bolzano, Damoli moved to Milan to continue her studies in visual design and typography. Damoli is a graduate of the Visual Design Master (2016–17), and of the Expert class in Type Design (2019–20) at the Plantin Institute for Typography.