Hey guys. Well, I took a picture of some dollar bills here. I did some research on the font used all over the bill and it's pretty interesting. The font is not actually issued to the public due to copyright policies, but it is almost identical to Engravers MT, which is an all caps font that originated from copperplate and steelplate presses from the 19th century. It soon became a staple font around the turn of the 20th century, and today it is on our bills. I suppose the bills are printed with this font because it is very elegant and strong but also appears authentic.
posted by schwasted @ 11:54 PM
6 Comments:
i agree with the authentic part, it wouldn't feel right if mr. washington was on a bill with helvetica or american typewriter. america is all about tradition and our historical past, therfore the traditional historical typeface, even though other countries have better looking money than we do.
This is the kind of object that's so obvious, but no one really stops to think about. Good call posting the dollar bills. This is a great example...the typeface demonstrates a certain authority that I guess only the U.S. owns because of the copyright.
Definitely authentic, and definitely an old typeface. What's interesting is that it's such a recognizeable image and typeface that if you wrote something else people would still associate it with the dollar bill.
At first glance I thought...thats not a contemporary example...but then I started thinking about it. Over the years they have constantly continued to make little changes to the dollar bill. One change they have not made...is to the typeface. They continue to stick with this old typeface which holds true to the traditions and history of our country.
money money money. it is cool to know we hold such a unique part of history in our wallet every day. the type on the bills adds a sense of elligance and history to our currency. money just wouldn't be money if it was printed with helvetica or something simple like that.
I agree with enchilada, the fact that the dollar bill is such a recognizable image and typeface that if it was written differently it would still be associated with the dollar bill. it is very appropriate to use this type instead of century schoolbook or bodoni, it gives it that historical feel, and i guess the image of george doesn't hurt either.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home