comparing typefaces 2: seria and scala

Template Gothic was not the face of the 1990s (see Blackwell, p144); Scala was. Designed and expanded throughout the decade by Martin Majoor, Scala is a cohesive Joanna – a fresh, elegant slab-serif face that is deservedly well-used.

I had used Scala and its unserifed companion successfully in several text applications in the late 1990s, and so when I opened my FontFont 2000 catalog to find a new face from Majoor – called Seria – I did not hesitate to download and start setting text.

I quickly realized that Seria was a beautiful, complex typeface, yet I was unsatisfied with the printed output and didn’t quite know why. And to this day – still somewhat puzzled – I have yet to find the “right” application for it. And so I am beginning to investigate...

At first glance, Scala and Seria are essentially the same face by the same artist; one might conclude initially that several of the lower case romans appear to differ only in the extent of the ascender or descender. A closer look, however, reveals that the faces are more like cousins than twins – of the same pedigree yet distinct in physiognomy. To compare the two in a sentence, Scala is a chiseled, neoclassical face with a relatively large x-height; Seria is a humanist-Renaissance hybrid with its long ascenders and descenders and its modulated stroke. And to compare them more systematically and in more detail, I have made some lists of points of differentiation and have included figures for each major component of both faces.

Lower case roman

In this figure, the lower case romans of Scala and Seria are shown normalized to x-height. Doing so requires that Seria be multiplied by about 25%. After normalization, the strokes of Seria are 15–20% heavier, the letters are 5–15% wider, and the ascenders and descenders are around 45–55% longer.

But it is not the dimension of Seria’s lower case roman that defines its character. Rather, it is a motif that is seen throughout the face – a motif that is established and repeated in the counters. Begin with c, d, e, and p; you will see that the top-center regions of the counters are relatively horizontal and straight. As you move to the left, you see that the bowl thickness sharply increases to form a counter angle of around 60–70°. A more comprehensive look will reveal this motif in the ascender of the f and the descender of the j; indeed, it is present in all letters but b, i, k, l, t, and v–z.

Another prominent difference between Scala and Seria is in the serifs. Whereas those of Scala are defined largely by 90° angles, the serifs of Seria have a concave base with a convex join to the stroke; the letter k shows this clearly, both in arm and leg.

Other notable features:
- the crossbar of the f also shows the concavity/ convexity
- the rightmost strokes of h, m, and n are not vertical; rather, they curve inward
- in contrast to Scala, the bowls of b and q completely close the counters
- the first two stems of w are joined by an extended serif

Lower case italic

“It is true that most romans are upright and most italics slope to the right – but flow, not slope, is what really differentiates the two,” writes Robert Bringhurst (p56). The italics of Seria serve as a case in point. While the italics of Scala slope at about 8°, those of Seria do so at only about 1–2°; nonetheless, there is no mistaking them for roman forms.

One similarity between the italics of the two faces is the distinctive lower case y, in which the stem of the letter lies to the left, rather than the right, and the descender is roughly centered. A notable difference between the two, however, is seen in the letter f, in which that of Seria breaks away from Scala’s form by extending a straight, serifed descender below the baseline in a manner a la Jan van Krimpen’s Romanee.

The form of the counters links Seria’s italic to its roman; the aforementioned motif is preserved and is seen in all letters save i, k, l, s, t, and v–z.

Upper case roman

The upper case roman in Scala seems to be about right angles; indeed, stems and serifs in E, F, H, I, L, and T combine to create perpendicular forms. As expected, there is more curvature in the upper case romans of Seria. Compare the Ks; in Seria the arm and leg gracefully curve away from the stem; those of Scala shoot out linearly. And compare the Rs; the leg of the R in Seria extends, tapers, and ends well below the baseline. Finally, note that the angular-counter motif is absent in the upper case.

Also:
- the serifs are more prominent in Seria than in Scala; on letters such as B and D, they stretch relatively far to the left of the stem
- to achieve equal cap height, Seria must be enlarged by about 15%
- while the bowl of the P is open in Scala, it is closed completely in Seria

Upper case italic

In Scala, the major distinguishing feature of the italic caps is the slant; in Seria, the italic caps do not slant at all but are marked by increased curvature, and some letters approach swash form – see J, K, N, T, and Y. Note also the prominent tail in Q.

Numerals

The roman numerals in Scala and Seria are very similar; a major difference is the modulated stroke of the zero in Seria.

Comparing the italics, those of Seria have more ornate forms – notice the curl of the descenders of 5 and 7 and the open counters in 8. Compare also the numeral 1, which is bilaterally serifed in Seria and unilaterally so in Scala.

Andy Crewdson wrote about Scala and Seria several months back. I forget some of the particulars, but I do recall his praise for the new face. I also recall that, as I read, there was no hint of disappointment in Mr Crewdson’s experience with it. I felt a bit stupid as a result; why hadn’t I been satisfied with any of my attempts to set text in Seria?

I believe that the answer may lie in the relationship between the angular beauty of the face and the conditions under which I normally print. One of Bringhurst’s principles (6.1.3, p94) is: “Choose faces that will survive, and if possible prosper, under the final printing conditions.” Twelve pt at 600 dpi – while perfectly sufficient for Scala – will simply not do for Seria.

The angular motif, the subtle tapers, and the curvature of Seria’s letterforms are all there for a reason – to be seen, not smudged. And to be seen adequately requires high quality in both printer and paper; this is a typeface that deserves to be treated with the same care that the designer applied in its creation.

Somewhat equipped with an answer, I’ll continue to investigate, more aware of Seria’s limitations, and more aware also that its limitations derive from its exquisite form.

11-August 2002