Abstract/Summary

This article discusses issues of tradition, modernity, innovation, and revivalism raised by three seminal typefaces for continuous reading developed a er 1998 with input from new research into Greek typography. The article places the typefaces in the context of the genre established by the types cut by Firmin Didot. It traces the genre across technologies, and identifies its function as a reference point for original digital typefaces, starting with Adobe Systems’ Minion Pro (1998). The article discusses the research required to support Adobe’s programme of developing large typographic families with Greek complements, which explicitly pushed the design envelope with each iteration. It examines the approaches taken for the implementation of pioneering features, and their impact on wider practice. This article identifies this work as pioneering explorations of the relationship between Latin and Greek styles by non-Greek designers.