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BEAUTY IS IN the eye of the beholder. This often quoted line, sometimes attributed to Margaret Wolfe Hungerford in the 1878 novel Molly Brown, suggests that beauty is a subjective quality with differing opinions as to what is beautiful. What is often termed “ugly” is beautiful to someone else. Philosophically, many have grappled with whether beauty is subjective or objective. In the field of typography from a Christian point of view, differing typographic periods both reveal and test what is considered beautiful. 

We believe beauty in this world comes from the presence of God in creation and life. We are made by our Creator to be “sensory-rich,” and our typographic history unfolds this in stunning and diverse ways. As one writer has so eloquently said

“Holy Scripture calls us to inhabit an ordered world of creation and providence that is sensory rich, but we suffer what we may regard as spiritual sensory deprivation. And the more we discover the depth, scope and lush richness of the divinely ordered real world, the more we discover the impoverishment of the modern condition.” (Mark Garcia, Westminster Theological Seminary)

Typographical Beauty Through The Ages

Available at Lulu.com at their Bookstore

GO TO http://bit.ly/462rzBs


THE MOST PRINTED book in the world is the Bible.  Even before the press work of Gutenberg in the 1400s, handwritten manuscripts by dedicated religious monks brought the Word of God to written light. Centuries earlier than these dedicated transcribers of Scripture, ancient Hebrew and Greek writings began the journey of Bible typography.

William Skeen in his 1872 Early Typography celebrated what he called “The Art Sublime” referring to typography and its use for divine illumination —

“That all aright the men may know

To whom Typography we owe;

The men whose names immortal ring,

Whose gifts transcendent blessings bring,

Whose monuments in every land

By wisdom rear’d, heart-honor’d stand,

Inscribed in tongues of every clime —

“Inventors of the Art Sublime!”

This little book investigates the history of Bible typography, the “art sublime,” from ancient roots to modern examples. An Appendix of older typographic fonts, many of them hand written and digitized for modern use, is also offered.


Available from Lulu Press at

Lulu.com at their Bookstore

Go To http://bit.ly/462s1Qa


TYPOGRAPHY FOR TYPISTS. I admire and value what professional typists do, whether they be document processors, or administrative assistants or data crunchers. Theirs is an often underrated and overlooked job when talking about the actual type they use and how they use it.


As also a pastor and theologian, I have worked with a number of church secretaries and administrative assistants who produce regular newsletters along with massive amounts of correspondence. What I have noticed as a typographer is the lack of knowledge of basic typographic principles used in such materials. This has led to this little book on typography for typists.


My hope and desire is that this book is an encouragement to all those typists seeking to produce accurate and good-looking documents in today’s world.



This book can be purchased directly from Lulu.com at

http://bit.ly/4fAR9A9




CARE Typography Fonts

CARE Typography has crafted with the help of public domain materials and Lewis F. Day's Alphabets Old and New (London, 1910) a number of specialty fonts for sale to the public. Many of these fonts are uncials, or capital letters, suitable for invitations or chapter openings in books and other manuals.

Your first three choices are FREE to you. Ordering more than three selections are on a sliding scale of cost. An order form is attached. Payment via PayPal upfront. Enjoy!



Order Fonts

Font Revivals

CARE Typography in its desire to revive old typefaces offers several additional old fashioned fonts to its growing collection. The playful swirly fonts in Willowby, Penelope Care, Recherche Caps, Gutenberg 700, Harper 446 and Ornament 91 are examples of fancy lettering that can be used in various ads, display work or book introductions. Most of these fonts have full lettering, though you will see a few missing letters from some of these recreations. They are available from CARE Typography at www.caretypography.com for a nominal fee.

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About Me

Hi, I'm Carl Shank.

I'm a layout, font designer and consultant specializing in church and ministry work under the umbrella of Carl Shank Consulting, a church health and leadership mentoring service.

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Do you have a project or layout challenge that needs help?

Perhaps it is a special  logo or letterhead design or typeface that needs a facelift. Perhaps it is a wider ministry issue.


Whatever the design or consulting needs, we can help your ministry or business process.

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Blog

Art Nouveau Typography

By Carl Shank • September 6, 2025
Art Nouveau fonts grew out of the late 19th-century Art Nouveau movement (c. 1890–1910), which sought to break away from academic, historicist styles and create a new art for the modern age. The style flourished across Europe and America in architecture, furniture, illustration, and typography. In lettering, Art Nouveau embraced organic forms, flowing curves, floral motifs, and asymmetry, reflecting the movement’s fascination with natural growth and hand-drawn ornament. Art Nouveau took its name from the Maison de l'Art Nouveau, a Parisian gallery that exhibited the works of artists and designers who were associated with the movement. The style was characterized by flowing, curvilinear forms inspired by natural shapes and motifs such as flowers, vines, and insects. It also incorporated elements from other artistic traditions, such as Japanese art and the Arts and Crafts movement. Art Nouveau was particularly popular in Europe, where it influenced a wide range of artistic disciplines, including architecture, interior design, furniture, jewelry, and graphic design. Some of the most notable Art Nouveau architects included Hector Guimard, Antoni Gaudí, and Victor Horta, while artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley, and Gustav Klimt were celebrated for their decorative and ornamental works. Art Nouveau declined in popularity after World War I, as artists and designers began to embrace new, more modernist styles. However, its influence can still be seen in many aspects of contemporary design, and it remains an important and influential movement in the history of art and design. 

Ornamental Gothics

By Carl Shank • August 30, 2025
Gothics History. Gothic typefaces are a broad group of styles rooted in medieval calligraphy and evolved into distinct print types during and after the invention of movable type via Gutenberg in the 15th century. They are sometimes confusingly named. In Europe “Gothic” usually refers to blackletter (medieval scripts), while in the U.S. “Gothic” often refers to sans-serif typefaces since the 1830s. Gothic script is a broad term for the entire family of medieval European scripts that developed from Carolingian minuscule around the twelfth century. “Minuscules” are lower case letters as distinct from capital letters, or uncials. Type developed in the sixth through tenth centuries with modern lettering evolving from Carolingian scripts. The Emperor Charlemagne used these letters as an educational standard. These densely packed scripts featured tall, narrow letterforms, strong vertical emphasis, sharp, angular connections, a dramatic thick/thin contrast and minimal spacing between letters. Gothic-inspired fonts create immediate medieval impact and work beautifully for titles, logos, and short display text. They are used today in Fantasy Gaming, Historical Projects, Themed Entertainment (like the Renaissance Fair), Book Design, Certificates, Breweries and Distilleries. Jack Nolan, a professional graphics designer, has provided a fetching display of such faces in his "33 Medieval Fonts Perfect for ‘Ye Olde’ Designs in 2025."(1)

More Fournier

By Carl Shank • August 20, 2025
(UPDATE FROM POST DECEMBER 23, 2024) Pierre-Simon Fournier — In our history of typography series, Pierre-Simon Fournier (1712–1768) was a French typographer and type designer, renowned for his contributions to the field of typography in the 18th century. He is best known for his work in creating typefaces that reflected the elegance and sophistication of the time. Fournier's work in type design focused on creating typefaces that were both visually appealing and functional. His types were characterized by their clarity, beauty, and legibility. The typeface Fournier is an aristocratic roman typeface. It is transitional, almost modern, in character, with a distinct French flavor, but with more grace and style than traditional French oldstyle designs. This modern character influenced the later work of Bodoni.(See Sample) One of Fournier's significant contributions to typography was his establishment of a typographic point system. He invented a system that standardized measurements for type, which provided consistency and made it easier for printers to produce high-quality texts. This innovation helped printers achieve consistency in their work. Fournier published a seminal work in the history of typography titled Manuel de la Typographie ( Manual of Typography , two volumes published in 1764 and 1766), which included detailed descriptions of his typefaces along with examples. This work served as a reference for printers and typographers. The Introduction gives an overview of the principles of typography. In his Classification of typefaces, Fournier emphasizes the distinction between different styles, such as Roman, Italic, and Gothic types. The manual includes practical tips for setting type, including spacing, alignment, and layout, aimed at improving the quality of printed materials. Fournier includes numerous type specimens, showcasing his designs and providing examples of how different types can be used effectively in printing. Throughout the text, Fournier discusses the historical development of typography and its evolution, reflecting on the influence of various cultures and periods on the art of type. Other contemporaries elsewhere, such as J.M. Fleischman and J. Enschedé, started imitating Fournier's style. In the 1750s, his career was at its peak. He advised royalty in Sweden and Sradinia on types, and set up a printing shop for Madame de Pompadour. He developed musical types in cooperation with J.G.I. Breitkopf in 1756. Fournier's designs influenced future generations of typographers and established a foundation for modern type design. His methods and styles contributed to the evolution of typography, leading to the development of various typefaces we see today. The ORNAMENTS display is a careful digitized reproduction by CARE Typography of Fournier's original ad as seen in the "Fournier Specimen Book" by Lanston Monotype, 1927, in London.