Typophile

Help: Companion Roman for Futura?

LeslieB22

Dear Typophiles,

has anyone a suggestion for a roman that’d be a good text face companion for Futura?

I’m designing a flyer / magazine ad and later a website for a music competition from a non-profit.

The competition and the organisation are focused on an unusual Modern composer - active from the 30’s through the 70’s, who flouted the atonal trends of the time to compose music that was melodic and harmonic yet very fresh, clear and modern-sounding. When I heard the music I thought of Futura - modern yet (some think, Bringhurst does at least) humanist. So that’s what I’ve been using for this client for past couple years.

But these days I’m not as into Futura as when I used to be able to print it in lead (my college print shop had some nice chunky sizes that looked really great) and I’d like to round it out with a text face. But I can’t figure out how to match or complement those round, wide shapes and long ascenders - help!

Thanks,
Leslie

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Marc Oxborrow

Maybe it’s because I saw them paired together quite a bit in the ’80s, but I think of Baskerville when it comes to serif companions for Futura. Baskerville’s round shapes, low x-height (in the non-ITC versions) and long ascenders/descenders make it a decent match. Mrs. Eaves (a Baskerville derivative) might work, too.

jupiterboy

Maybe Egyptienne or another slab that isn’t too compressed.

sihep

In Jost Hochuli’s “Printed matter, Mainly books” he uses it with with Monotype Bembo.

writingdesigning

A few other possibilities:

Absara
Joanna
Weiss

Looking at the sample on top of the page, Ommegaand looks like it might work well with Futura :)

LeslieB22

Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions. I’m glad to hear others thought of Baskerville and Bembo; I had actually thought about this too but thought I might be nuts since they come from such a different time and heritage. So it’s good to hear that it makes sense.

I had actually looked up this question on typografie.info, where it had already been asked, and there the responses devolved into bickering with people insulting each others’ suggestions and good sense. Someone even said the question was totally naive and a designer who asked it shouldn’t be working for paying clients yet! They say Germans are more blunt and direct than Americans; maybe it’s true...

I’m going to go ahead and try out some of these suggestions, but if anyone else stumbles on this thread and has other ideas or input, I’d welcome them as well.

Thanks again!

Gräfenberg

Looking at the sample on top of the page, Ommegaand looks like it might work well with Futura :)

Yep, it does!

ryanholmes

I second the Futura/Joanna suggestion.

writingdesigning

“Yep, it does!”

Gräfenberg: do you think Ommegaand would work? I’m not too sure any more.

In fact, the more I see it, the less I’m comfortable with that typeface. And I must say the way it’s spaced here doesn’t really help the case.

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