A new Serif in town
You might not think it, but the IAF—or International Association of Fonts, is a very political organization. Inner-fontal conflicts, large and small, are the norm. It’s always been that way, from the time when manuscripts were hand-copied by monks, and gaudy, ornate drop caps lorded over the rest of the page like neighborhood bullies. Then came Gutenberg and his famous printing press. For the first several runs of his sumo version of the good book, Johannes chose a font called “Textura,” also known as Blackletter or Gothic. As a font, Textura is described as having strong vertical strokes and a boxy appearance.
It's a little-known fact that Gutenberg, the OG of printing, took inspiration for Textura from Ursula, his favorite local tavern keeper. Ursula had 17 kids. If you do the math, that’s 153 months of pregnancy, or the better part of 13 years. You should also know that Ursula had three husbands. The first two died while trying. The third developed a permanent hitch in his get-along and rarely spoke above a whisper. Be that as it may, all the months of expectancy never slowed Ursula down on the job. She could pour a stein of ale and swaddle a babe without batting an eye. Johannes G loved that about her.
The IAF came into being shortly after Gutenberg’s marvelous invention. Various fonts—and there weren’t many at the time—realized there was a need for an organization as new fonts were developed and went into widespread use. It must also be said that tribal elders like Textura wanted to make sure that any brash new kids on the block had a clue as to the history of the printed word, especially concerning serif fonts like him that could trace their lineage directly back to the upper-case letters of ancient Rome.
But it was inevitable. In time, the IAF split into two factions, the Serifs and the Sans Serifs. Textura and Times New Roman were behind the fracture in response to the actions by a small band of Sans Serif upstarts including Arial, Calibri, and Century Gothic. Though only a fraction in size compared to the Serifs (who outnumbered them by the dozens), the Sans Serifs were a loud, demanding bunch who refused to kowtow to the organization’s rules.
Credit must be given to Boldoni, who tried repeatedly in vain to renegotiate parts of the charter with the outliers. Most of the meetings erupted in chaos. One time Palatino had to be carried off on a stretcher and Boldoni himself ended up with a black eye. It was scandalous.
For many years things stayed the same with neither side refusing to budge. Then things changed dramatically in the 50s and 60s with the sudden appearance of bold and brash new fonts like Goudy Stout, RAVIE, and Magneto. It was as if an alien print spaceship had landed and vomited a bunch of mutant fonts on the front lawn.
In short order an emergency executive session was called between the two major factions. At first the atmosphere was icy as many members hadn’t spoken to each other in decades. But then Times New Roman rose and gave an impassioned speech imploring those in the Sans camp to put aside their differences and unite against the horde of new mutant fonts. Though reluctant at first, elders in the Sans camp eventually agreed that something had to be done while also admitting grave concern over the latest developments.
The old charter was quickly brought out. In what now seems miraculous, the two sides rewrote large parts of the document and ratified the final version within a week. Special note must be made that the new charter included a pathway for new fonts to become members. Arial was behind the initiative reminding the entire assembly that at some time in the past, everyone in the room had been a new font and considered a renegade, outcast, and even dangerous by the rest of the font community.
The new charter was unveiled to the entire membership at the next annual conference. In keeping with the Arial clause, Goudy Stout, RAVIE, and Magneto were all invited to attend. They quickly signed the charter and were given assignments on the board’s ad hoc development committee.
The organization’s growth in the years following the new charter has been dramatic. Dozens of new fonts have been added to the roster and applications for more keep coming in. Each year new fonts are officially granted membership on the first day of the annual conference. Last year’s gathering was in Orlando so members could enjoy Disney World, Universal Studios, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Like any trade organization conference, the IAF annual conference is a hotbed, so to speak, of extracurricular activity. That is to say, even though technically self-pollinating, fonts do like to cross-mojonate from time to time. It’s rumored that several recent fonts such as Curlz MT, Informal Roman, and Modern Love are the results of such conference trysts.
Lately, the IAF has settled into a mature phase with just the right organizational balance of wisdom and temperance from the tribal elders peppered with new ideas and enthusiasm from more recent members. The charter is reviewed and amended every year at the annual conference. New fonts continue to be welcomed into the fold on an ongoing basis. Because those now guiding the organization know that there will always be a new Serif in town.
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