Industry: Design

Spectator

Between Caslon and Baskerville: a Scottish Enlightenment revival in four cuts

Spectator is a serif revival by Paul Barnes based on the English Roman types of Alexander Wilson of Glasgow, sitting stylistically between Caslon and Baskerville. Wilson's original combined oldstyle sharpness with transitional warmth and rationality, reflecting the Scottish Enlightenment. Barnes drew four optical cuts—Text, Deck, Headline, and Poster—with an italic updated for contemporary use and a full range of weights.

Set in Spectator

Insights

Four optical cuts—Text, Deck, Headline, and Poster—were drawn by Barnes to span different size contexts.
The italic was updated for contemporary needs rather than strictly reproduced from Wilson's original.
Wilson's type was described as blending oldstyle sharpness with transitional warmth and rationality, qualities the revival draws on.