Morris Fuller Benton?

12.13.2024

I received a request to answer a question from a Jonathan Meyer

How does Morris Fuller Benton create different typefaces?

This is part of the reply I provided;

Dear Jonathon,

Sadly he no longer does as he passed in 1948. Mr. Benton left us with many type families. He designed many typefaces and revised and improved typefaces also. Many of his typefaces have been adopted to the digital medium today.

His influence is everywere, the readability and legibility of his typefaces has been a gift to readers of books, magazines, newspapers, and modern screens.

Great articles and books exist, lectures have been given about Morris Fuller Benton.

I suggest learning about graphic arts, printing, typography, graphic design, computer graphics, current typesetting topics, as well as read about all the Benton’s and ATF so that you might begin to gain the understanding enough and so then answer your own question.

Best success Jonathon.

Like so many in the field of graphic arts and graphic design that never toot their own horn but just work day in and out Morris Fuller Benton is largely an unknown designer of type.

Morris Fuller Benton worked three decades for ATF (American Type Founders). The list of Morris fuller Benton's typefaces is extensive. He was prolific creating type designs. He had concerns about the legibility in typefaces, and created typographic design innovations that at the time went unnoticed. 

Morris Fuller Benton was trained in engineering, educated at Cornell. He came to work with his father at ATF. Type casting equipment was then being revolutionized by typesetting machines. Morris Fuller Benton started in an opportune moment at ATF as a part of this new typesetting technology. With this beginning, his eduction and under the influence of his father L. B. Benton (inventor and type founder) his very practical approach to type design emerged.

Today well set type is balanced in readability and legibility and the reader does not notice the type (expect for graphic designers) and so enjoys the benefits of reading, a book, a journal, a magazine article the display type and copy in an ad while viewing print media with quality designed typefaces and well set type.

As the chief top designer at ATF he was an influencer in typographic legibility of the early 1900's. His typeface families are in use and perform as intended still today.