James Victor Gaultney In a diverse, multilingual typographic world do Latin-script paradigms such as italic have any future relevance? Even in the Latin script, is italic being gradually discarded as unstyled communication channels become the norm? What can the story of this 500-year-old type style teach us about the development of rich and diverse typographic environments for language communities?
For the Latin script, italic is a secondary style whose visual characteristics evolved alongside its use over hundreds of years. Far from becoming a relic of the past, italic remains an integral part of our linguistic and typographic vocabularies. Technology restrictions that once limited its use did not kill it, but only suppressed it, and it continues to be heavily used and valued.
As typefaces become global, supporting multiple scripts, is it appropriate for characteristics of this enduring Latin style to be applied to other writing systems? There are deep dangers in this approach, but also potential opportunities.
The design and computing industry has finally begun to move on from the one-font-per-script-is-enough attitude. The higher goal is that everyone should be able to participate in a broad typographic culture, free from technical and economic assumptions and limitations. Supporting local communities as they develop secondary styles will require respect, creativity, and encouragement. Inspiration may come from rich cultural treasures, but also from the established patterns and history of publishing in other scripts. This dual approach enables communities to belong both in their home culture and in the wider digital world.
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