Study Task 2 - Type

Cultural context - although widely used in other parts of the world, blackletter typefaces such as Fraktur are still associated with with the regime of the nazi party in Germany, and are used by racist white nationalist groups. Because of this, I will not be using any blackletter style type in this project.

The podcast 99% invisible, which explores themes of design, has an episode about Fraktur. The host explains "If you have ever caught even one minute of the History Channel… or really any documentary about World War II, you have seen this type. You’ve seen it on Nazi posters, on Nazi office buildings, on Nazi roadwork signs. Today in Germany, blackletter typefaces are frequently used by Neo-Nazi groups and for many Germans, they bring to mind the dark times of the country’s fascist past."

Example:




Sketches of type ideas.