Another drawback was that it prevented “set solid” line-to-line lockups, which cram as much type as possible inside of the composition. This type of descender was avoided in wood type designs because it required the block to be taller than the other letters without a descender (you can see the problematic overlap in the example above), and made locking the type up significantly more difficult. The biggest change is the tail of the “Q”, which juts to the side in Gothic and hangs below on Champion. The “S” is slightly less of an inconsistent slither than the original (I have to think the original typecutter got to designing the “S” and just gave up). The counters stay comically small for the most part, though the “A”, “P” and Q” have slightly taller counters in their bowls to prevent them from feeling swallowed up. Champion Gothic gives characters like the “W” and “Y” deeper incisions so they have more negative space and don’t “fill in” so much, helping them feel less bulky and stay legible at smaller sizes. I can’t look at Gothic and not smile, and Champion carries over most of the best aspects of it and smooths over a few of the quirks. Champion has more width consistency in its letterforms and a more controlled curve on the bottom of the “S”. N✠6 Overlaying the Elvis condensed grotesque (left) with Champion Featherweight (right). Champion uses fighting weight classes to denote the weights, with Flyweight being the narrowest and Heavyweight the widest. I could spend this entire review sharing specimens of wood typefaces that inspired Champion Gothic, but I will try to restrain myself and only show either end of the width spectrum, starting with the narrowest width. N✠5 - A complex type lockup that demonstrates the value in having different widths of type available to fit strings of different lengths. You wanted to have some variety in the styles of typefaces used (slab serifs, gothics, tuscans, etc) as well as a range of widths, which you’d mingle to create hierarchy in the design, and to ensure you could fit long strings in one line, or stretch a shorter word to fill another. Because most letterpress broadsides were type driven, the typefaces chosen had to drive the visual interest of the poster. Wood type was locked up in a “chase” and then printed. I have to stop to remind myself that not everyone has spent as much time nerding out over the history of wood type printing as I have, so here’s a one-paragraph primer. It’s just a bit awkward and mismatched in a way that suits the fast-paced, slap-dash nature of the job printing typefaces it emulates. There are no “forced” or awkward weights in Champion because none of them are particularly obliged to obey the rules set by each other. While the more interpolation-heavy design of its successor, Knockout, begets more weights, widths and overall consistency, each weight of Champion feels like its own person, optimized only for itself and no one else. There are several details that carry through regardless of the weight: the incised spur on the “G”, the curved leg on the “R” and the luxurious curve on the flag of the “5.” These shared details lend the family just enough consistency while letting each weight stand confidently as its own design. Many of Champion’s weights are close translations of classic wood typefaces, lending the family a slightly mismatched, eclectic quality. There are a lot of digital revivals of wood typefaces available, but I don’t think any of them combine the warmth of the original designs with the craft Hoefler brings to Champion. Wood type in the US was pioneered by mad scientists who strained good taste and legibility in an attempt to cover the broadest range of ornament, width and weight, and Champion carries that heart and passion through in its design. Champion Gothic is a love letter to wood type, and the early attempts type cutters made at interpolating a single style into a variety of widths.
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