Sabon was commissioned by a group of German printers who wanted a typeface that would look identical whether set by hand, on a Linotype or on a Monotype. Tschichold drew on Garamond and named the typeface in tribute to the type founder Jacques Sabon.
At a glance
Origin: Stempel, Linotype and Monotype type foundries.
Designer: Jan Tschichold.
Date: 1964 to 1967.
Evolution
Jean François Porchez designed a revised version, Sabon Next, released in 2002.
Famous examples
It sets a great many books, especially literature and essays.
Current use
It remains a text typeface valued in publishing, for its great readability and sobriety.
Alternatives
Garamond, 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