Poster Details: Jane and Mr. Rochester

Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester

Caledonia + Univers

[ New Caledonia LT Std Semibold & Univers LT Std 59 Ultra Condensed + Adobe Woodtype ornaments ]

Jane and Edward: a match made, well, kind of in heaven by going through hell. Mr. Rochester initially is a domineering figure over the diminutive Jane. But after his house burns down, killing his wife, and Jane inherits a fortune, the relationship blossoms into marriage. The design on the poster is meant to mirror that flowering end, not the trip through hell.

W.A. Dwiggins not only coined the term “Graphic Designer,” but was also a wonderful type designer. Caledonia is arguably one of his most successful typefaces, taking inspiration from Scotch roman type and Englishman William Martin’s Bulmer typeface from the late 1790s. Swiss-born Adrian Frutiger designed typefaces in France, initially for the Deberny & Peignot foundry. Univers is mathematically precise, with a touch of humanism in the letterforms. The condensed face set in caps forms a rigid and imposing set of letterforms and becomes a great foil for New Caledonia (Linotype’s digitized version of Caledonia with additional weights and styles).

And just in case it ever comes up in a game of  Trivial Pursuit, Caledonia is the name the Romans gave to Scotland.

Where can I buy these typefaces?
New Caledonia, Univers

Typefaces similar to Caledonia:
Monotype Scotch Roman, Bulmer Std

Other typefaces from Dwiggins:
Electra, El Dorado, and a beautiful san serif, Metro

Typefaces similar to Univers (look for the condensed or compressed styles):
Helvetica Neue, Trade Gothic, Benton Sans, Franklin Gothic, Avenir Next

Other typefaces from Frutiger:
the san serifs: Frutiger, Avenir, Glypha
the serifs: Apollo, Iridium, Linotype Centennial
the slabs: Glypha, Serifa, Egyptienne (part slab, part serif really)

Sources:

Adobe.com (http://store1.adobe.com/cfusion/store/html/index.cfm?store=OLS-US&event=displayFontPackage&code=1370)
Twentieth Century Type Designers by Sebastian Carter, New Edition (1995), published by W.W. Norton & Company, New York and London.
Meggs’ History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs and Alston W. Purvis, 4th edition, published by J Wiley & Sons.

Information on Jane Eyre: my wife and http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/janeeyre/characters.html (sorry purists, I haven’t read the book).

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