In the midst of the Renaissance, Garamont cut roman typefaces of great finesse, inspired by the Venetian models of Aldus Manutius. He became one of the first independent punchcutters, selling his type to other printers.
At a glance
Origin: Paris, France.
Designer: Claude Garamont, punchcutter and type founder.
Date: 1530s to 1540s.
Evolution
Many modern "Garamonds" are actually based on the typefaces of Jean Jannon, cut around 1615. Among the best-known versions are Robert Slimbach's Adobe Garamond in 1989, Garamond Premier in 2005 and the free EB Garamond.
Famous examples
Apple made it its signature in its advertising for nearly twenty years with Apple Garamond, and the American edition of Harry Potter is set in Adobe Garamond.
Current use
It remains one of the most used typefaces in book publishing, for its readability and understated elegance.
Alternatives
Sabon, Minion, EB Garamond.
Great typefaces glossary
Akzidenz-Grotesk, Arial, Avenir, Baskerville, Bodoni, Caslon, Circular, Cooper Black, Didot, DIN, FF Meta, Franklin Gothic, Frutiger, Futura, Garamond, Georgia, Gill Sans, Gotham, Graphik, Helvetica, IBM Plex, Inter, Minion, Montserrat, Myriad, Neue Haas Grotesk, Optima, Poppins, Roboto, Sabon, SF Pro, Source Sans, Source Serif, Times New Roman, Univers, Verdana