Type Tuesday's Birthday Tribute to Stanley Morison

Today marks the birthday of British typographer and printing historian Stanley Morison, born in the London suburb of Wanstead on May 6, 1889. Morison is most well-known as the designer of the very font you are reading now, Times New Roman. 

Morison had acted as a typographic consultant to the Monotype Corporation for 44 years, creating revivals of historic types such as Baskerville, Blado and Bembo. It was Morison's critique of London's The Times poor print that propelled him to typeface fame when the paper commissioned him to create a new font for their paper. With the help of graphic artist Victor Lardent, Morison produced Times New Roman for The Times in 1932, and it was offered by the Monotype Corporation in 1933.

Morison is also known for his books on the history of fine typography including an introduction to The Typographic Book published in 1963. The Typographic Book is a study of fine typography from 1450 to 1935, and of course, includes mention of Morison and his Times New Roman. 

Jaime Henderson,
Archivist