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Alternate Gothic

By Linotype

Morris Fuller Benton
Linotype
Alternate Gothic was designed by Morris Fuller Benton for the American Typefounders Company (ATF) in 1903. A version for the Intertype machine was released in 1958. The style of Alternate Gothic is in the 19th Century manner. All three weights of Alternate Gothic are bold and narrow. In fact, this face is essentially a condensed version of Benton's other well-known sans serif types, like Franklin Gothic or News Gothic. In the early twentieth century, the modern concept of type families" had not yet been formed. Although Benton designed his sans serifs to harmonize with each other, they were given different names. Robust, dark, and coolly competent, Alternate Gothic is a good choice when strong typographic statements must fit into tight spaces."

With an industrial, turn of the century feel, this family is holds it own at a myriad of sizes — from captions to full page headlines. All three weights of Alternate Gothic — numbered 1 through 3 — are bold and narrow, adding to the authority and urgency the family conveys. 

The Alternate Gothic collection could be considered a predecessor to the condensed styles of Benton's other well-known sans serif types, such as the Franklin Gothic or News Gothic families.

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Grotesque Sans
Sans Serif