EXTRA! EXTRA!
FRANKLIN GOTHIC
The Franklin Gothic
FRANKLIN GOTHIC CREATES HEADLINES!
Established 1902
Designer claims:
Used in Advertising Too!
Arguably the most widely used
font ever produced, Franklin
Gothic was designed by Morris
Fuller Benton between 1903
and 1912 for American Type
Founders Company. Because
of its stead popularity, the
typeface was updated in 1979
for ITC by Vic Caruso. This
new version included more
weights and became the
standard choice for newspa-
pers and advertising.
Franklin comes in one weight
only, though there are style
variants in the one weight.
For newspapers and where available space is limited space!
No. 2 Roman
14pt.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Condensed
14pt.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Extra Condensed
14pt.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
HOW IT’S USED
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
The Franklin Gothic
DESIGNER DADDY: BENTON FATHERS 180!
Established 1902
The Prolific Work of
Morris Fuller Benton:
While his date of birth reads
November 20, 1872, Morris
Fuller Benton was born into
the type business. The son
of Linn Boyd Benton, inventor
of the pantographic engraving
machine, Morris cut his teeth
at an early age helping his fa-
ther work on these machines.
After graduating from Cornell,
Benton joined the American
Type Founders (ATF) as a type
designer. He would server as
chief designer at ATF from
1900-1937.
bank gothic
cheltenham
clearface gothic
engravers old english
garamond no. 3
hobo
news gothic
eagle souvenir
Benton’s Other Faces:
Over his career, Benton is credited with the creation of over 180 typefaces.
Academy Agency FB Agency FB Condensed Agency FB Wide Alternate Gothic Alternate Gothic No 1
EF Alternate Gothic No. One EF Alternate Gothic No. Three EF Alternate Gothic No. Two American Text
American Text (Bitstream) ATF Bodoni Bank Gothic Bank Gothic (ParaType) Bodoni Bodoni No. 2
EF Bodoni No. 2 EF Broadway Broadway Broadway (BT) Broadway (URW) EF Broadway Engraved
Monotype Bulmer Bulmer Bulmer (BT) Canterbury Old Style Century BQ EF Century Expanded
Century Expanded Century Expanded (BT) EF Century Old Style Century Old Style Century Old Style
Century Oldstyle Century Schoolbook EF Century Schoolbook Monotype Century Schoolbook
Century Schoolbook (BT) Century Schoolbook (URW) Century Schoolbook Monospaced Cheltenham
Clearface Gothic Clearface Gothic (URW) Cloister Cloister Black (BT) Cloister Open Face Commercial Script
Commercial Script (ITC) Eagle Bold Empire Empire (BT) Empire (FB) Engravers’ Old English (BT)
Eva Paramount SG Ultra Garamond #3 Garamont Amsterdam BQ Linotype Goudy
Catalogue Goudy Catalogue (URW) Linotype Goudy Handtooled Goudy Handtooled (BT) Goudy Handtooled
(URW) EF Hobo Hobo Hobo (BT) Hobo (URW) Linotype Lightline Gothic EF Lightline Gothic Linoscript
Linotext Linotype Mariage Modernique Neo Franklin New Century Schoolbook EF News Gothic
News Gothic News Gothic (BT) News Gothic (URW) Odette Parisian Parisian (BT) Parisian (ICG)
Phenix American Piranesi ITC Souvenir ITC Souvenir (EF) Linotype Stymie EF Stymie Stymie (URW)
EXAMPLES
THE DESIGNER
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
The Franklin Gothic
CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING A NAME!
Established 1902
1902
1905 1906
1913
1914
DESIGNED
ISSUED CONDENSED
ITALICS
CONDENSED
SHADED
FRANKLIN SAYS:
Controversy still surrounds how
the typeface earned its name.
Dividing the typeface into its
two words, “Franklin” and
“Gothic,” reveals two diverg-
ing histories. Some sources
believe that “Franklin” Gothic
was named after the diplomat
Benjamin Franklin.
GOTHIC SAYS:
“Gothic,” on the other hand,
follows another misnomer. At
the time, the corporate body of
the Boston Type and Sterotype
Foundry had introduced a se-
ries of typefaces without serifs
under the name Gothic. As an
extra-bold typeface, Gothic be-
came its surname.
TIMELINE OF A TYPE
WITNESS CLAIMS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WAS INVOLVED!
HISTORY
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
The Franklin Gothic
SHOCK: GOTHIC “WARM AND FRIENDLY”
Established 1902
The Characteristics of
Franklin Gothic:
The heaviness and boldness
of Franklin Gothic gives off
the impression of being seri-
ous and important. However,
unlike most bold typefaces,
Franklin Gothic has “finesse,
lightness, and something
warm and friendly about it.”
When carefully examining the
letter forms you see that mst
have broad, heavy strokes that
are attached by a lighter, thin-
ner stroke.
y
The upper case letters in Franklin Gothic
manage to maintain the elegance, heavi-
ness and lightness seen in the lower case
letters.
A a
There is not much to say about lower
case i, since one downward stroke is al-
most all that is need to create this letter.
Almost being the key word. The dot of the
lower case i is placed half the distance
above the downward stroke of its depth,
giving the feeling of freedom yet still be-
ing connected.
i
CHARACTERISTICS
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
The Franklin Gothic
SHOWDOWN AT THE PRINTERS!!!
Established 1902
FRANKLIN GOTHIC TAKES ON NEWS GOTHIC
Necessity is the
Mother of Invention:
Franklin Gothic serves to
contrast News Gothic which
is relatively thinner and also
designed by Benton. Most
desginers, however, favor
Franklin Gothic over News
Gothic in their work.
“As a relatively boldtypeface, Franklin Gothic served to contrast regular
News Gothic which did not have a complete family.”
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
No. 2 Roman
14pt.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
News Gothic
14pt.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
AA
COMPARISIONS
The Franklin Gothic
Established 1902
Meet lower case g.
Her thick and thin ovals
keep the overall heaviness
of the letter, but the lighter,
thinner storkes also give
a feeling of daintiness.
Even with numerous
curves, thicks and thins
she is able to keep a
perfect balance. The circle
in the top portion of the
“g” creates a counter
space, which allows her to
maintain great elegance
and composure. She is also
very proud to be consid-
ered more of a traditional
double story g.
Meet lower case i.
There is not much to say
about lower case i, since
one downward stroke is
almost all that is need to
create this letter. Almost
being the key word. The
dot of the lower case i is
placed half the distance
above the downward
stroke of its depth, giving
the feeling of freedom yet
still being connected.
Meet up case Q.
His tail is very distinctive
and is one way mayny
people seem to recognize
the typeface Franklin
Gothic. In the lighter
weights the tail curls
down from the bottom
center, where as in the
heavier weighs the tails
shifts slights to the right.
Meet lower case t
.
He is slightly askew, giving
him added character but
is still able to maintain fi-
nesse. Instead of his left,
top side being completely
straight it drifts ever so
slightly to the right. His
tail just barely narrows at
the end, which is similar
to the top of the lower
case f and tail of the
lower case j
t g i Q
LETTER FORMS
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
The Franklin Gothic
Established 1902
a B d F o y
Cap Height
X - Height
Baseline
Bowl
Crossbar
Stem
Counter
Ascender
Descender
Ascender:
the part of a character that extends above the
meanline is known as an ascender. Note hat this is the same
as extending above the x-height.
Baseline:
the baseline is the invisible line on which charac-
ters sit. While the baseline may
differ from typeface to typeface, it is consistent within a type-
face. Rounded letters such as “e” may extend slightly below
the baseline.
Bowl:
the round or oval forms in a letter ( C, G, O - caps: g, b,
c, e, o, p ) lower case.
Cap Height:
height of character from baseline to top of
capital letter - usually less than the height of ascenders on
lower case letters ( B l )
Counter:
white space inside a letterform both as o or d and
as m or u
Crossbar:
the (usually) horizontal stroke across the middle of
uppercase A and H
is a crossbar. The varying positioning, thickness, and slope of
the bar is an identifying feature of many type designs.
Descender:
the part of a character that extends below the
baseline is known as a descender, such as the bottom stroke
of a “y.”
Stem:
the vertical line of a “B” and the primary diagonal line
of a “V” are known as the stem. The stem is often the main
“body” of a letter.
X-Height:
height f character from baseline to the top of
lowercase letter - this relationship of x-height to cap height,
and to ascender and descender is important to the character
of the font.
GLOSSARY
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
The Franklin Gothic
Established 1902
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tus. Quisque elementum tellus ultrices
franklin gothic | 10 / 10
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adipiscing elit. Aliquam ultrices orci non lec-
tus. Quisque elementum tellus ultrices
franklin gothic | 10 / 18
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tus. Quisque elementum tellus ultrices
franklin gothic |10 / 13
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orci non lectus. Quisque elementum tellus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellen-
tesque mattis orci. Sed semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 6 / 7.2
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orci non lectus. Quisque elementum tellus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellen-
tesque mattis orci. Sed semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 6 / 18
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orci non lectus. Quisque elementum tellus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellen-
tesque mattis orci. Sed semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 6 / 10
READABILITY
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
Solid (setting):
no leading 10 / 10 (versus 10 / 13)
Leading:
vertical distance from one baseline to the next
(2 points lead generally minimum, 3 points recommended)
The Franklin Gothic
Established 1902
COLUMN MEASURE
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
Measure:
standard length of a line of type or the width of a
column (66-80 characters per line)
Tracking:
overall distance between characters
Kearning:
modification of space between any given
combination of letters
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Integer tincidunt leo dictum felis. Ut lobortis nisl non tellus.
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iaculis enim sed mauris. Aenean nec arcu a sem venenatis
bibendum. Duis sed dolor feugiat felis auctor facilisis. Nulla
pretium iaculis augue. Nulla facilisi. Curabitur neque nisi,
rutrum ac, sagittis nec, varius sit amet, orci. Phasellus odio
urna, ornare nec, pellentesque et, condimentum vel, ante.
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ces posuere cubilia Curae; In suscipit accumsan eros.
Nam a nisl. Vestibulum nulla magna, lobortis eget, congue
gravida, pulvinar vel, nisi. Curabitur pharetra sapien a tortor.
Phasellus arcu mauris, varius in, aliquet sit amet, interdum
id, ante. Quisque mi mauris, imperdiet non, rutrum sit amet,
adipiscing ut, nibh. Praesent rhoncus, ipsum sed pretium
molestie, erat nunc vulputate eros, vel scelerisque felis felis
ac nunc. Donec eu ipsum. Curabitur vel massa sed sapien
venenatis ullamcorper. Phasellus ultrices vehicula arcu. Mau-
ris ac tortor sed dolor mollis aliquam. Mauris quis dui.
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amet, consectetuer
adipiscing elit. Integer tin-
cidunt leo dictum felis. Ut
lobortis nisl non tellus.
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feugiat elit. Vivamus ut
orci. Fusce iaculis enim
sed mauris. Aenean nec
arcu a sem venenatis
bibendum. Duis sed
dolor feugiat felis auctor
facilisis. Nulla pretium
iaculis augue. Nulla
facilisi. Curabitur neque
nisi, rutrum ac, sagittis
nec, varius sit amet, orci.
Phasellus odio urna,
ornare nec, pellentesque
et, condimentum vel
The Franklin Gothic
Established 1902
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elit. Aliquam ultrices orci non lectus. Quisque elemen-
tum tellus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellentesque mattis orci.
Sed semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 8 pt. | flush left
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Aliquam ultrices orci non lectus. Quisque elementum
tellus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellentesque mattis orci. Sed
semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 8 pt. | flush right
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Aliquam ultrices orci non lectus. Quisque elementum
tellus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellentesque mattis orci. Sed
semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 8 pt. | align center
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lus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellentesque mattis orci. Sed
semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 8 pt. | justified left
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lus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellentesque mattis orci. Sed
semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 8 pt. | justified aligned center
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elit. Aliquam ultrices orci non lectus. Quisque elemen-
tum tellus ultrices nisl. Mauris pellentesque mattis orci.
Sed semper urna id nisi. Proin luctus volutpat ante.
franklin gothic | 8 pt. | justified all lines
ALIGNMENT
“While some types come and go, Franklin Gothic goes on forever.”
Flush Left [fl] [fl/rr]:
text ligned up - or flush - on left
Flush Right [fr] [fr/rl]:
text ligned up - or flush - on right
Justified Text:
text that flushes on both the left and right
edge - word-spacing must be adjusted constantly and
consistently to avoid rivers.
