Lithos is based upon greek inscriptions...
http://www.identifont.com/show?QS

See also Jonathan Hoeflers course Type Styles 101
http://typophile.com/courses.html

You're right, a lapidary font is the way to go. But I can't stand lithos :/ Are there any other alternatives?

Sophia is really good one. I vote for it.

Skia from the same master, if there is a way to access to past GX weights will be a good choice too.

To get to GX weights and features for Skia on OS X: Install the Mac OS X Developer Tools CD (or download it from Apple Developer Connection; membership is free) and browse to Developer -> Applications -> Extras or Developer -> Extras -> Applications or something like that on your Macintosh HD. In there find and run WorldText.

Unfortunately you have to install the whole half-a-gig of Developer Tools to get to WorldText. But some of those tools are important anyway.

In one of the menus, click on "Show Typography Palette." The Features tab works for Skia, Hoefler Text and Apple Chancery, and maybe a few other Apple fonts. The Variations tab works only for Skia. You can create a range of widths and weights with it.

Here's a screenshot.

Skia in WorldText SkiaWorldText.pdf (321.0 k)

Also, don't forget you can export a PDF from WorldText and place it into an Illustrator or InDesign document. So if you want to do some fancy titling using AAT, you don't need to own UniQorn.

Hey, John:
How come when I install the Developers tools, all I get in the Extras folder is... SimpleText? (!)

Any hints?

-

Thanks Yves,

I really like the way Sophia is working. I'll post once I have a finished comp. Unfortunately I don't own the font, and won't have funding to purchase until client approval.

Any suggestions on this common dilemna?

Well...Here's a couple of logos in progress. The mascot for the school will be a Centaur.

What da' ya' think?
p.s. the greeking on the second will be the school motto.

I know the focus of this discussion (as is appropriate in a Typophile forum) has been on the typography, but now that I see that there's actually a graphic logo, I think you should get away from a Greek-inspired typeface entirely. (And actually, Trajan is Roman-inspired. Just saying.)

The centaur image is strong -- I think it should dominate. The Greek-looking type really takes away from the potential power of the centaur. I think, looking at the Trajan variation, the type should be about 60% of its current size. I would suggest using a classic-inspired family -- Centaur, perhaps? Just a little joke, but it is a nice typeface. Bears a couple of similarities to Trajan but is actually a full family and can provide you with a lot of flexibility for the myriad applications a school logo will engender.

I'm torn. I understand what you are saying Mr. Dave, but at the same time, I think the centaur is already dominant. The masculinity implied by Sophia (even with that name) overpowers the conservative Trajan. Trajan seems to obvious. If the Sophia is too liberal, perhaps Centaur might be nice. And Mr. Dave's comment concerning flexibility is correct.

Although, Centaur is no more Greek than is Trajan.

Tiff, Mr. Dave is my father. ;-)

(OK, even that's not true.)

Quite right about Centaur being Roman-inspired, like Trajan. Those Romans really had a good thing going.

One side note: there's a slight misspelling, not that it matters, on the Greeking. It should be "Lorem Ipsum Dolor." But it got me to thinking: maybe the Greeking for a private academy should be "Lorem Ipsum Dollar."

Chesh -- ;^)

Rick -- What about Manitinia by Matthew Carter? Probably too late, but I came across it just now and thought of this thread.

FF Spontan

Syntax Lapidar

Paestum

Stellar Classic

Don't forget Matthew Carter's Sophia!

The design of Sophia, a titling face, was suggested by
hybrid alphabets from sixth-century Constantinople -
a Byzantine blend of cosmopolitan influences: Roman
classical capitals, early uncials, and Greek letterforms.
Designed by Matthew Carter, it includes several alternative
character shapes. Some of these have extending strokes
that are designed to fuse together with neighboring
letters to compose on-the-fly ligatures; C&C 1993

Hi Rick, here's what it looks like when set in Sophia CC.
Mr. Carter rewls.

A very unexpected choice might be Jonathan Barnbrook's Exocet or Patriot.