Dead History is a typeface which explores combining structural elements of both geometric sans-serif and
Didone serif typefaces.
History
The Dead history typeface was designed in 1990 by
P. Scott Makela
Paul Scott Makela (February 6, 1960, Saint Paul, Minnesota – May 7, 1999, Pontiac, Michigan) was a graphic designer, multimedia designer and type designer.
Among other work, he was especially noted for the design of Dead History, a postmodern typ ...
and is licensed by
Emigre. While Makela studied in the design program at Cranbook, he used a digital process to create Dead History as opposed to
Phototypesetting
Phototypesetting is a method of setting type. It uses photography to make columns of type on a scroll of photographic paper.
It has been made obsolete by the popularity of the personal computer and desktop publishing ( digital typesetting).
T ...
. With his computer, he combined elements of both the
VAG Rounded and
Bell Centennial to create Dead History. The typeface went through a few more edits before being licensed by Emigre in 1994. In 2011, The Museum of Modern Art in New York added Dead History to its architecture and design collection.
Characteristics
Dead History’s strokes transition from unbracketed serifs and contrasting stroke width on the left side of characters to a mono-weighted sans-serif with soft, rounded terminals on the right. This typeface is most often associated with postmodern ideals from the time.
References
*Friedl, Frederich, Nicholas Ott and Bernard Stein. ''Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Through History.'' Black Dog & Leventhal: 1998. .
*Macmillan, Neil. ''An A–Z of Type Designers.'' Yale University Press: 2006. {{ISBN, 0-300-11151-7.
External links
Emigre's web page for Dead HistoryFontFont web page for FF Fudoni
Emigre typefaces
Semi-serif typefaces
Typefaces and fonts introduced in 1990
Display typefaces