Hard work and help
Inspiration is everywhere and often found in unexpected places
What really inspires you? A quick look on the web reveals that the most popular place to go looking for inspiration is in nature. The “go for a walk in nature” solution might suggest that you get inspired basically by doing nothing.
If you look to Wikipedia, you find that inspiration (from Latin inspirare ~ to breathe into) refers to “an unconscious burst of creativity”. The Greeks believed that inspiration came from the muses. In the Book of Amos the prophet speaks of being overwhelmed by God’s voice and compelled to speak. Similarly, in the ancient Norse religions, inspiration derives from the gods, such as Odin, whereas in Christianity, inspiration is a gift from the Holy Spirit. So, is the recipe to just sit and wait for inspiration to hit you from above?
Our experience as designers tells us that inspiration comes from a persistent pursuit of new solutions to real problems. Inspiration springs from the ambition to try to achieve the very best solutions, combined with resilience in our efforts and courage to tread unknown paths toward innovative solutions or designs. Our greatest inspiration is to bring with us in our backpacks the historical heritage of the pioneers who paved our paths so far, as we trek into the future. Getting inspired is hard work.
The challenge
This time 2K/DENMARK was asked by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson/Zondervan, to create a brand new typeface family designed specifically for the King James Version Bible translation (1611).
A task of this magnitude needs an extraordinary solution. Extraordinary solutions need a source of powerful inspiration.
Without inspiration the final result is at risk of becoming indifferent and failing to meet its potential. We are well aware of our responsibilities. They keep us alert and they inspire us.
The client
The client hardly needs any introduction being a major player in the US and global Bible publishing market. But to get a deeper understanding, I studied the Thomas Nelson origin story: “Thomas Nelson, Sr. founded the company that bears his name in Edinburgh in 1798, originally as a second-hand bookshop. The firm went on to become a publisher of new books and in 1854, Thomas Nelson had become the largest publisher in Scotland. In that same year, the company opened an office in New York City.” According to The Thomas Nelson Way, the company published its first Bible, the King James Version, in 1885.
And that made me wonder, why would a successful Christian publishing house wait almost 100 years before they would publish their first Bible?
The search
To find out I started my search in the second-hand bookshops in Edinburgh. With a little luck I might be able to find what I was looking for: an early Thomas Nelson Bible. I did not succeed! But I talked to a lot of interesting book people (they always are). One of them suggested that I try the National Library of Scotland.
The catch #1
I followed his advice, and the Special Collections Assistant Emily Goetsch, PhD, at the Library took on the challenge. To my delight she found: The Family Bible with the self-interpreting and explanatory notes, and marginal references of the late Rev. John Brown. It was published by Thomas Nelson in 1842 — more than 40 years prior to what has so far been known as the first Bible published by Thomas Nelson. So we are rewriting history, but did we find the inspirational source for the new typefaces? Well, alas not! The typeface used was a Scotch Modern typeface, very neoclassical, similar to a Bodoni. The typographic style of this period is not suited for Bible design. The high contrast between thin and thick lines in the letters does not work well in smaller sizes and coupled with the vertical stress of the letterforms the result is a less readable text.
The catch #2
So I had to continue my search for inspiration. Luckily, with the good help from Centre for Research Collections at Edinburgh University Library, I was led to the St. Andrews University Library. In their wonderful book collection, they had a rare copy of Novum Testamentum Domini nostri Jesu Christi, a latin New Testament, published by Thomas Nelson in 1844.
This small book was typeset with a — then — brand new Scotch Roman typeface, the mother of all Roman typefaces, such as Times New Roman. The Roman typographic style is much more suited for Bible typesetting. Finally, we had found the first and most important of our inspirational sources for the new Thomas Nelson KJV typeface!
The translation
Every Bible translation has its own story. It is often a combination of translation principles or philosophy, the rules set for its presentation, and the traditions that are added through cultural practices and expressions springing from the use of it. No Bible translation has more stories to tell than the King James Version. If the weight of that story does not intimidate you, it is a great source of inspiration.
The typeface
So, the goals we set out to achieve were to create a typeface that:
- Is inspired by the Scotch Roman typeface used in the Novum Testamentum from 1844.
- Represents the historical tradition of the kjv translation and honors the typographical traditions such as the use of italics for added words.
At the same time, we had to ensure that we designed it as a tool robust enough to be printed on thin paper, in small type sizes and still be fully readable. It should also be compact in order to keep the page count reasonable and it should aesthetically and authoritatively display the message of the Bible. Beautiful. Trustworthy. Timeless.
The detailed process of how we crafted the KJV typeface and its sister typeface for the NKJV translation will need to have its own article in 2K/STORIES.
The inspiration
So where to go to get inspired? Well, in this case, hard work, help from fellow human beings, an old University Library in Scotland, and maybe a little light from above.
