William Display
William Display is a contemporary interpretation of the William Caslon (1692–1766) types. It is delicately modelled on the original sources but adapted to digital technologies, making it useful both in print and on screen. Use it for text larger than 36 points; for smaller sizes, use William Text.
PDF Specimen
Design Concept
William Caslon (1692–1766) established the cornerstone of British type founding, ending reliance on the Dutch types which had been commonly used in England up to that point (and which inspired his designs). Caslon achieved success both at home and abroad, and the American Declaration of Independence was printed in 1776 using Caslon type. Caslon typefaces set the aesthetic standard for book design, and by the 20th century, the name Caslon referred not only to a specific set of typefaces, but an entire brand.
Caslon’s work has a permanent place in the history of typography. William builds on his foundation and makes his type relevant for a new generation of designers. Read more about the development of William in this article.
Optical Sizes
William is available in three optical sizes, a Text version with a large x-height for smaller text from 7 to 12 points, a Subhead version for use at 14 to 30 points, and Display version for text larger than 36 points. The optical sizes differ not only in the contrast between the thick and thin strokes; the vertical and horizontal proportions of letters have also been adjusted to better fit the specific size ranges, and the spacing of the text has been optimised as well.
Ornaments
The original Caslon Foundry produced over 2,600 ornaments and decorative elements, important for the book publishing of the time. Maria Doreuli reviewed them, giving William more than 200 tasteful ornaments that can be recombined to create borders, patterns and typographic decorations.
Numeral Styles
All styles of William include nine different kinds of numerals. Default numerals are proportional old-style (ranging) numerals, for use in running text. William also includes lining figures for use with capitals letters, because their proportions match the height of the capitals. Use small caps figures in all small caps setting, tabular (both lining and old-style figures), superior and inferior figures, and finally circled and circled inverted figures. When you take a licence for this font, you can choose your own default numeral variant.
