The Fabric of the Human Body

License: All Rights Reserved.

Two sample pages of the new English translation of the 1543 and 1555 editions of De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem by Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564), who is widely considered to be the father of modern anatomy.

From vesaliusfabrica.com:

In keeping with the uniqueness of Vesalius' masterpiece and the typeface in which it was first published, Swiss font designer Christian Mengelt developed a new typeface based upon the Basel Antiqua font that was distinctive to the 16th-century printing powerhouse Basel. Basel Antiqua is a modern rendition of that typeface especially prepared for the new translation.

Mengelt was asked early in the course of the project to create a typeface that would be representative of Vesalius' assiduous production with Basel printing master Johannes Oporinus, but, as an added challenge, which needed to be compatible with new digital technology.

See also the video below, where graphic designer Erich Gschwind explains the thinking behind the fresh design.

License: All Rights Reserved.

Detail

License: All Rights Reserved.

Detail