Century Schoolbook
Century Schoolbook’s initial appearance was in a 1920 supplement to American Type Founders’ large type catalog published several years earlier. This was followed by a much more elaborate showing in the company’s famous 1923 typeface catalog. The promotional copy that accompanied the font showing in the 1923 typeface specimen book says it all. “Century Schoolbook was designed to meet the requirements of colleges and boards of education, at the same time taking into consideration the conclusion arrived at by other authorities… While this series is designed primarily for schoolbooks, storybooks for children, periodicals, and general school printing, it also makes a splendid letter for job work and advertising typography because of its very desirable characteristics.” True in 1923, true today.
Columbus
Patricia Saunders drew Columbus under the design direction of Robin Nicholas in Monotype Imaging’s UK design office. Based on historical sources, Saunders drew a fresh and lively typeface perfectly suited to contemporary tastes and needs. She retained a few pleasingly archaic letters, such as ‘h’, but avoided other quirky forms that might jar present-day readers.
Instead of making a facsimile of a typically irregular fifteenth-century or sixteenth-century font, Saunders softened the attributes of these earlier designs and melded this with traits that support current publishing requirements. The result was the creation of a beautiful and versatile new typeface.