centaur

a Humanist serif typeface created by Bruce Rogers

b ruce rog e rs
Called B.R. by friends, he was born in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1870. Rogers created the typefaces Montaigne and Centaur. He designed some of the finest books ever made, such as the Oxford Lectern Bible, The Centaur, T.E. Lawrences famous translation of The Odyssey of Homer, and Fra Luca de Pacioli. From 1896 through 1900, Rogers worked as a book designer at Houghton Mifflin in Boston. There he developed his hallmark style, which, according to his biographer, was characterized by a direct and forthright approach, a subtle lightness in the seemingly easy placement of words on a page, and above all, a sense of order. Rogers believed that books were meant to be read; his were rarely precious or flamboyant; never objects dart to be preserved behind glass.

one of the greatest artificers of the book who ever lived

i ns p i rat ion
Rogerss first attempt at type design, around 1903, resulted in the Montaigne face. Rogers was inspired by Nicolas Jensons 15th century types. At an exhibition of books at the Boston Public Library, I saw for the first time a copy of Nicolas Jensons Eusebius of 1470, he later recalled.

deve lopm ent

Rogers was ultimately dissatsified with the Montaigne typeface. However, it paved the way for his next typeface design, produced between 1912 and 1914 and named Centaur after the first book it was used to print, Maurice de Guerins The Centaur. Rogers thought the design of Centaur to be of historic importance because it exemplified an original design of cultivation and grace. Because of its classical elegance and its aristocratic Renaissance ancestry, the type calls for special handling. On the other hand, among devotees of fine printing, it has been accepted as one of the great type designs, and once the cutting was completed for the Monotype machine, it was welcomed by sensitive designers and printers for many of the best books and ephemera. In creating Centaur, Rogers again turned to the work of Jenson for inspiration. Initially Centaur was used exclusively for the signage and titling work produced at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and Rogerss personal projects. It wasnt until 1929 that a commercial version of Centaur was made available to machine composition by the English Monotype Company.

I was at once impressed by the loveliness of its page, indifferently printed though as they were. The early judgment was confirmed for me many years later (though by then it needed no confirmation) when Berkeley Updike wrote of them: to look at the work of Jenson is to think but of its beauty, and almost to forget that it was made with hands.

I was at once impressed by the loveliness of its page

centaur
Centaur has a variety of unique charecteristics. Its curved letters, like c, e and o, are on an angled axis. The counters, while large and open, are elliptical rather than perfectly round. Strokes widen near the serifs. In many lowercase letters, the top of the serif is angled downwards, and ascenders come just above the cap height. A and P have a different crossbar height than other capitals.

c haract eristic s

The crossbars of A and P are lower than those of other capitals like E and F.

In rounded letters like C and O, both the capital and lowercase forms are on an angled axis.

ABCDEFGHIJK LMNOPQRST UVWXYZ abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz

The x-height is slightly larger than the level of the capital crossbars, and the ascender height is slightly above the cap-height.

P and D are on angled axis, like O and C, but the counter is asymetrical. Note the downward angle on the serifs of d, n and p.

AEFP c Oo Cc C GRhk p p n Dd
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one of the best roman fonts yet designed in America

human ist
This paragraph was set in Centaur MT(11.5/13).

This paragraph was set in Bodoni MT(11.5/13).

A A MM C C o o e letter e too definitely an Italian Renaissance

Jenson and Centaur are Humanist serif typefaces. Humanist typefaces are closely connected to calligraphy and the movement of the hand. Rooted in the Renaissance, they are more organic and readable than Modern typefaces. Charecteristics of Humanist typefaces are an angled axis in the curved forms, a small x-height in lowercase letters, and pearshaped terminals. These charecteristics can be seen in Jenson and Centaur. Compare to a Modern typeface like Bodoni. Jenson and Centaur are Humanist serif typefaces. Humanist typefaces are closely connected to calligraphy and the movement of the hand. Rooted in the Renaissance, they are more organic and readable than Modern typefaces. Charecteristics of Humanist typefaces are an angled axis in the curved forms, a small x-height in lowercase letters, and pearshaped terminals. These charecteristics can be seen in Jenson and Centaur. Compare to a Modern typeface like Bodoni.
Bodoni has a much more extreme contrast between thicks and thins and is more geometrically constructed than the Humanist typefaces. Bodonis serifs are unbracketed and the line of the stroke is straight, rather than curved as in Centaurs strokes. Bodonis narrower capitals, combined with the heavy contrast between thicks and thins results in a more condensed typeface. The curved letters of Humanist typefaces are on an angled axis, while those of Modern typefaces are upright. The angled stroke on the lowercase e is charecterisic of Humanist typefaces, as is the slightly smaller x-height.

modern

centaur and jenson

The Centaur is based closely on the Jenson letter in the Eusebius of 1470, but with considerable freedom in the redrawing. While both typefaces have similar x-heights, Jenson has a slightly larger and wider letter forms.

com parison
In creating Centaur Rogers emphasised the contrast between thick and thin strokes. He created larger, rounder counters resulting in wide, open letters. Centaur is generally more articulated and open than Jenson.

The solid forms are Jenson, and the ghosted forms are Centaur.

B j o h a little too elegant and thin for our modern papers

While Centaur and Jenson have similar shapes, Centaur has sharper corners, and a gentler curve into the serifs, as well as narrower letters. Centaurs descenders are slightly longer. The strokes are narrower, but widen near the serifs; Jenson has a straighter stroke. The curved letters of Centaur and Jenson share an angled axis, but Centaur has rounder counters. Centaur has a greater contrast between thicks and thins, and a slightly shorter ascender.

seri fs
Centaur and Jenson both have bracketed serifs; brackets are the supportive curves joining serif and stem. The serifs are similarly shaped, but Centaurs are longer and thinner, with a sharper transition between thick and thin.
This is a Helvetica stem. Helvectica is a sans serif typeface, meaning it lacks serifs, the projections extending off the main strokes of characters.

re f lection
My opinion, then, is whatever its intrinsic merits may be, it is too definitely an Italian Renaissance letter, which I have tried to suggest by the classic column in my initial drawing. It is a little too elegant and thin for our modern papers and methods of printing, and seen at its best when printed on dampened hand-made or other antique papers, with more impressions than you can ordinarily get a pressman to put on it. I rather think that, in printing, Bodoni inaugurated this fashion, and thus [was] as modern as his types. He, and most of us, want printing as well as many of our other outlines in life to be as sharp and hard and definite as possible. The three qualities named sharp, hard, and definite, are no doubt admirable ones in their place; but Centaur does not take them too readily and naturally, and profits most when somewhat carelessly printed on paper that wouldnt be passed as perfect in any modern paper mill. It looks surprisingly well on news stock, but we cant make books of that. It is what might be called a cool type unless humored in the composition and press-work.

This is a Bodoni serif. Bodoni has unbracketed serifs, meaning the joining of the stroke and the serif is sharp and angular. This is a Centaur serif. The serif is narrow. The bottom of the serif is almost straight, but the transition into the stroke is significantly angled.

This is a Jenson serif. The serif is large and blocky. While the bottom of the serif is more curved, the stroke is straight.

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an original design of cultivation and grace

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conclus ion
Mr. Rogers describes the letter [Centaur] as a refinement on his Montaigne type, and thoughas is his wonthe sees ways in which this font could be bettered, it appears to me one of the best roman fonts yet designed in Americaand, of its kind, the best anywhere. Centaur is a beautiful type, delicate and subtle, which was made available on Monotype composition. It has never been widely popular in the trade, but has been used with elegant effect by sensitive typographic designers.

bi b liography
Joseph Blumenthal, Art of the Printed Book 1455-1955 (New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, 1973), 48. Joseph Blumenthal, Bruce Rogers: A life in Letters, 18701957 (Austin: W.T. Taylor, 1989), Bruce Rogers, The Centaur Type (Chicago: October House, 1949), 13. Sheilah M. Barrett, Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces (New York: RC Publications), 72-79. Harvard Magazine. Bruce Rogers and His Centaur. http://harvardmagazine.com/extras/bruce-rogers-centaur. I Love Typography. History of Typography: Humanist. http://ilovetypography.com/2007/11/06/typeterminology-humanist-2/

colophon
This book was designed and printed by Stephanie Trimboli in fall 2010 for Typography I at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. This book was set in Centaur MT, Bodoni MT, and Adobe Jenson Pro.

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Centaur is a beautiful type, delicate and subtle