Mrs. Eaves - Typeface Critique - Jaye Valery

 

Mrs. Eaves— Poster & Typeface Specimen Book

The transitional serif typeface, “Mrs. Eaves”, designed by Zuzana Licko in 1996, was designed to revive the traditional types created by English printer, John Baskerville. Upon encountering a great visual difference between letterpress and photographic type, Zuzana explored the idea of reviving an “old favorite” typeface that “challenged the common, pre conceived method of interpreting the classics” (Linko, 1996) Her decision to revive “Baskerville” derived from sympathy toward the heavily criticized typeface for being to sterile, stark and difficult to read. Zuzana aimed to create a modern adaption that eliminated the harsh edges while maintaining the same “openness and lightness” of the original typeface.

With a near vertical stress, “Mrs. Eaves’” lower case characters are of wider proportion than “Baskerville” to maintain a light and open feel; a feature, Linko claims, also reduces contrast. Linko has softened “Baskervilles” hard edges, consequentiality giving the typeface a more feminine feel. The “X” height has been reduced, to become relevant to the “Cap” height in an attempt to avoid increasing the set width, which would result in a more “clunky” aesthetic. A critique in Eye magazine believes “Mrs. Eaves” is a “Mix of tradition with an updated twist, familiar to be friendly, but different enough to be interesting.” I believe this is a really interesting way to look at it. 

Certain aspects of “Mrs. Eaves” completely contrast John Baskerville’s design intentions. In Simon Loxley’s book Type, the Secret History of Letters he states  “Baskerville was not an inventor but a perfector… He concentrated on spacing. He achieved amplitude not merely by handsome measurement but by letting in the light.” While Linko has kept true to the lightless of “Baskerville,” her type has been criticized for its spacing. Hrant .H. Papazian, wrote on the typophile forum, "The problem with Mrs. Eaves isn't just that the spacing is messy, it's that its overall loose spacing goes against all its other parameters, like the tiny x-height, and the lightish color.”  The characters are sometimes awkward looking and don’t seem to fit together, while the spacing is generally “too loose” for large body text, however Émigré observes that “when used in the right circumstance it imparts a very particular feel that sets it clearly apart from many likeminded types. It has an undefined quality that resonates with people.”

Emigre 38 The Authentic Issue (1996)

“Mrs. Eaves” is licensed by the type foundry, owned and run by Licko and husband Rudy VanerLans, Emigre. Issue 38, The Authentic Issue, of Emigre Magazine first published “Mrs. Eaves” and used the type extensively throughout its content. Emigre’s type foundry has been significantly defined by the commercial and popular success of “Mrs. Eames.” 

Originally designed as a traditional text face, Emigre believes that “typefaces will find their own way” and sure enough, “Mrs. Eaves” found a presence in literary design. “Mrs. Eaves “ gives beautiful presence to small amounts of text and an elegancy to headlines, “It makes the reader slow down a bit and contemplate the message.” (Emigre, 2010) 

Novel covers featuring “Mrs. Eaves”- Book archive. com

Mrs. Eaves adorns book covers, short blurbs, poetry books, CD covers, restaurant menus, and logos. My favorite use of “Mrs. Eaves” would have to be its magical presence on the spine of “Penguin Classics.”

References-

Images- http://pinterest.com - Last accessed 23/07/2012

Emigre 38, The Authentic Issue - http://www.emigre.com - Last accessed 21/07/2012

Mrs. Eaves- http://www.australianedge.net - Last accessed 21/07/2012

History of Mrs. Eaves- http://typedia.com - Last accessed 21/07/2012

Mark boultin, Mrs. Eaves History - http://www.markboulton.co.uk/journal - Last accessed 23/07/2012

Zuzana Licko, Mrs.Eaves - www.emigre.com - 19/07/2012

http://bookcoverarchive.com/typeface/mrs_eaves - 30/07/2012