Module: Type History

Learn the backstory on the Latin alphabet, take a look at great typography of the last centuries and find out how type was set before it was bits and bytes.

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  Early Evolution of Roman Letters 1

  Roman capital letters are monumental in two senses. They were frequently inscribed on monuments. And, they are large and formal, bestowing importance on words and dates cut into the stone. Roman capitals are elegant, commanding attention and respect. This “typographic attitude” was suitable for graphic communication intended to last for millennia; it was less appropriate for everyday communication that included business records, technical documentation, literature, social correspondence, and even shopping lists. All of these documents were as much a part of ancient Roman culture as they are of ours.

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  First Alphabets

  People have always felt the need – and found a way – to record the details of their lives. The process of developing alphabets began quite simply, though the first messages weren’t actually “writing” as we know it.