Record Gothic fictional in-use samples

Ludlow’s fictional usage samples from this 1960s Record Gothic specimen.​

Record Gothic is a typeface that most contemporary designers don’t know because it never made the jump to digital format. It’s a large disparate family developed over many years, each new style mirroring the fashions of its period rather than fitting within the kind of aesthetically congruous system we expect from large type families today. For some typographers, that is its charm.

According to McGrew and others, Record Gothic was released in one regular weight and width at small sizes in the late 1920s. In the early 1950s Ludlow added larger sizes and cut Condensed and Extra Condensed. From 1956–69 Ludlow expanded the family to 20 members (most of which are represented in this booklet), with Middleton contributing to many of the styles. These subsequent styles vary widely, some close to News and Alternate Gothics, others similar to Akzidenz-Grotesk, Folio (Bold/Heavy Condensed) and Helvetica (Medium-Extended).

While there is not yet an explicit digital revival, the recently released Notary (2014) is derived from the standard width. Record Gothic on Fonts In Use →