The Baskerville typeface was designed in 1757 in Birmingham, England and is a transitional typeface in the Caslon type family. It was intended to be a new and improved type that stretched the limits of paper and ink. It has many thin lines and serifs that were almost impossible to create on many papers at the time. Each stroke is more geometric than its previous families, which makes it more legible. Baskerville did this by making the type simple and quaint instead of complex and loud. One of the most identifying characteristics of the Baskerville typeface this typeface was new in the 1700’s, it was disliked for its thin strokes and curves. Therefore it was a failure at the time. It was not seen again until 1920, when Bruce Rogers rediscovered its beauty. He used it to form many more modern fonts. Thin edge on vertical stress Thick edge on inclined stress Use of thin and thick lines to create an elegant form Delicate curve to terminate the tail Counter John Baskerville was born in Worcestershire, England on January 28, 1706. He grew up in Birmingham, England as a printer. His expertise at the time was japanning and papier-mâché. As he grew older, he printed many works for the University of Cambridge, including the folio Bible. His folio Bible was said printed in English. Other printers, such as Benjamin Franklin, admired his works so much that he brought them to the United States. Baskerville was known for his experimentation with type. The standard typeface of the 1700’s was Caslon, but Baskerville wanted to break the traditional methods to try and create a new era of typography. He created his own inks, paper, and typefaces. However, he was criticized greatly for trying to create a new method. Many said his new Baskerville font “hurt the eye” and would be “responsible for blinding the nation.” DESIGNER TYPEFACE