FIRST SANS SPECIMEN

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THE LESSER KNOWN ORIGIN OF SANS SERIF FONTS

HERE IS THE ORIGINAL SPECIMEN FIRST SANS IS BASED ON [CIRCA 1816]:

Nowadays, we are used to seeing sans serif fonts like this everywhere. That said, when this style of lettering was introduced, it was not instantly beloved. A diary entry in 1805 referred to sans-serif lettering as "Egyptian characters which to my eye had a disagreeable effect scarcely at a little distance appearing to be writing." (Joseph Farington)So where did sans serifs come from? And why was it called Egyptian?It turns out that following Napoleon's military campaign in Egypt in the 19th century, European scientists and scholars documented much of Ancient Egypt for the first time. When they brought this imagery back to the West, there was a great deal of cultural interest in a period now known as Egyptomania.

Above is the first building in England constructed in the Egyptian style in 1921. This architectural style is far blockier and less ornate compared to the architectural style of the west in this period.According to historians, this architectural style appears to have inspired what we now refer to as slab-serif and sans serifs fonts mirroring the blocky nature of ancient Egyptian architecture.

The Louxor cinema in Paris was also constructed in 1921. It's a great example of this Egyptian-inspired architectural style featuring sans serif typography. The visual connection between this architectural style and sans serif fonts is evident. We can see how a sans serif typeface could pair more naturally with this blocky architectural style compared to a serif typeface of the time.And so, from this pretty peculiar cultural movement in the 19th century, the most popular typeface style of our time emerged.What was the inspiration for the creation of sans serif typography?
Ancient Egypt. First Sans was created to stay as true to the form of Caslon Egyptian as possible only with small updates to improve readability.