Claypool - Perpetua

History and Bio

Perpetua is classified as a Roman typeface developed for machine composition by Monotype Corporation. It's timeless design allows the Roman typeface to live up to its name - eternal. Developed by Eric Gill, the typeface was completed as a book face for the limited edition publication of the “The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity” in the year 1928 and the book was printed in 1929.

In 1923, Stanley Morison was appointed Typographic Advisor to Monotype Corporation. Morison's plan was to redesign historical typefaces with a modern interpretation. Morison approached Eric Gill to design a new typeface in 1925. As a result, Perpetua was designed. Though it is now recognized as one of the most-used typeface families for fine book typography, Perpetua was not instantaneously accepted by Monotype management when initially developed. The first punched letters of the typeface were rejected by Monotype due to many factors including the corporation was not yet adjusted to Morison's new ideals in steering the company in a new direction from it's conservative roots. Afterwards, Eric Gill was soon commissioned to develop a sans serif typeface consequently, the finalization of Perpetua was put on hold until an italic counterpart could be completed. In 1931, Gill finished the Perpetua family by designing an italic type with roman serifs while still maintaining fluidity. In regards to Perpetua, Stanley Morrison said the following quote, “The design... may be judged in the small sizes to have achieved the object of providing a distinguished form for a distinguished text; and, in the large sizes, a noble, monumental, appearance.”

Gill designed Perpetua with the intent of making it a modern classic. He did so by basing it's design on engravings in the classic Roman lettering of the Trajan column. The formal impression and classic notion tied with Perpetua is due to it's small diagonal serifs and it's medial numbers. Perpetua has withstood the test of time and remained one of the most used typefaces for fine book typography.

Not only was Eric Gill a typographer but he was also a sculptor and woodcutter and illustrator. Gill was born in Brighton, Sussex in 1882. He attended college in Chichester. After college he studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London under Edward Johnston. Eric Gill designed book layouts and typeface designs. He also produced a number of book illustrations, woodcuts, watercolors and graphic that are mainly evangelical content. Unfortunately, Gill eventually died of lung cancer in Uxbridge Middlesex in 1940.

Concept

Because Perpetua was originally designed for the publication of "The Passion Perpetua and Felicity," My concept will be a chapter book in a style similarly to a fine book.