Matthew Carter: My life in typefaces

譯者: Gibbs Lee 審譯者: Justine Bai

Type is something we consume

我們以龐大的數量

in enormous quantities.

消耗著印刷文字

在世界上絕大多數地方

In much of the world,

it's completely inescapable.

這是完全無可避免的

But few consumers are concerned to know

但是很少有消費者會在意

where a particular typeface came from

如果事實上 字體的創造

or when or who designed it,

有人類力量參與其中

if, indeed, there was any human agency involved

如果它不是從軟體環境裡自動生成

in its creation, if it didn't just sort of materialize

那麼某一特定的字體從何而來

out of the software ether.

或者何時由何人設計

But I do have to be concerned with those things.

但我必須關心這類問題

It's my job.

因為這是我的工作

I'm one of the tiny handful of people

我和另外少數人

who gets badly bent out of shape

會因為T和E之間的間距問題

by the bad spacing of the T and the E

而怒不可遏

that you see there.

正如你們所見

I've got to take that slide off.

我得換掉那張幻燈片

I can't stand it. Nor can Chris.

因為我無法忍受 克理斯也是

There. Good.

這樣 總算好了

So my talk is about the connection

所以我的演講是關於

between technology and design of type.

技術與印刷文字之間的聯繫

The technology has changed

自從我開始工作以來

a number of times since I started work:

技術經歷了幾次變革：

photo, digital, desktop, screen, web.

相片 數位 桌面 螢幕 網頁

I've had to survive those changes and try

我必須在這些變革中求得生存

to understand their implications for what I do

並且試圖理解這對我的設計工作

for design.

意味著什麼

This slide is about the effect of tools on form.

這張是關於工具對形態的影響

The two letters, the two K's,

這兩個字母 兩個K

the one on your left, my right, is modern,

你們左手邊 我的右手邊的 是現代設計

made on a computer.

在電腦上完成的

All straight lines are dead straight.

所有的直線都絕對筆直

The curves have that kind of mathematical smoothness

這些曲線根據貝塞爾曲線公式

that the Bézier formula imposes.

都有種精準的平滑度

On the right, ancient Gothic,

右邊是古代哥德字母

cut in the resistant material of steel by hand.

是用耐久的鋼材質手工切割的

None of the straight lines are actually straight.

沒有一條絕對的直線

The curves are kind of subtle.

曲線也相對微妙

It has that spark of life from the human hand

它有種來自人類手工的生命力

that the machine or the program

這是機器或電腦程式

can never capture.

永遠也無法捕捉的

What a contrast.

多麼強烈的對比

Well, I tell a lie.

好吧 其實我撒謊了

A lie at TED. I'm really sorry.

在TED上撒謊 真是很抱歉

Both of these were made on a computer,

這兩種字體都是在電腦上製作的

same software, same Bézier curves,

同樣的軟體 同樣是貝塞爾公式

same font format.

同樣的字體格式

The one on your left

你們左邊這個

was made by Zuzana Licko at Emigre,

是由 Emigre 的 Zuzana Licko 所創作的

and I did the other one.

右邊這個是我製作的

The tool is the same, yet the letters are different.

工具是一樣的 而字體卻不一樣

The letters are different

這些字體的不同

because the designers are different.

是由於設計者的不同

That's all. Zuzana wanted hers to look like that.

僅此而已 Zuzana 想要那樣的字體

I wanted mine to look like that. End of story.

而我想要這樣的字體 就是這樣

Type is very adaptable.

印刷文字的適應性很強

Unlike a fine art, such as sculpture or architecture,

不像藝術品 如雕塑或建築

type hides its methods.

印刷文字隱藏了手法

I think of myself as an industrial designer.

我把自己看作是工業設計者

The thing I design is manufactured,

我設計的東西要投入生產

and it has a function:

而且具有功能：

to be read, to convey meaning.

滿足人們閱讀與表達的需要

But there is a bit more to it than that.

但字體的設計不止於此

There's the sort of aesthetic element.

其中還有美學元素

What makes these two letters different

通過不同設計者的不同解讀

from different interpretations by different designers?

這兩種字體為何變得不同？

What gives the work of some designers

是什麼賦予了某些設計師的作品

sort of characteristic personal style,

一種特有的個人風格

as you might find in the work of a fashion designer,

就像你在時裝設計 汽車設計等作品中

an automobile designer, whatever?

所能發現的那樣？

There have been some cases, I admit,

我承認 作為一名設計師

where I as a designer

曾經有些時候

did feel the influence of technology.

我的確感受到技術的影響力

This is from the mid-'60s,

這是從60年代中期開始

the change from metal type to photo,

金屬鑄排變成照相排版

hot to cold.

“熱排”變成“冷排”

This brought some benefits

這帶來一些好處

but also one particular drawback:

但同時也有一個弊端：

a spacing system that only provided

文字間距系統

18 discrete units for letters

只提供18個獨立的單位

to be accommodated on.

來讓我們調試字母

I was asked at this time to design

這時 有人讓我設計

a series of condensed sans serif types

一系列的壓縮無襯線字體

with as many different variants as possible

要有盡可能多的變體

within this 18-unit box.

但都限於這18個單位

Quickly looking at the arithmetic,

做了簡單的算數後

I realized I could only actually make three

我發現我其實只能製作

三個有關設計 如大家所見

of related design. Here you see them.

In Helvetica Compressed, Extra Compressed,

Helvetica字體的壓縮版 超壓縮版

and Ultra Compressed, this rigid 18-unit system

和終極壓縮版 這種嚴格的18單位的系統

really boxed me in.

著實限制了我的發揮

It kind of determined the proportions

它一定程度上決定了

of the design.

設計的比例

Here are the typefaces, at least the lower cases.

這是這三種字體的小寫體

So do you look at these and say,

看著這些 你會不會說：

"Poor Matthew, he had to submit to a problem,

可憐的馬修 他不得不屈服於一個問題

and by God it shows in the results."

上帝可鑒 結果就是這樣

I hope not.

我不希望這樣

If I were doing this same job today,

如果這個任務放到今天

instead of having 18 spacing units,

我會用1000個單位

I would have 1,000.

而不是18個

Clearly I could make more variants,

很明顯 我就能做更多變體

but would these three members of the family be better?

但是這三種字體會變得更好嗎？

It's hard to say without actually doing it,

若沒有著手去做 則很難說

but they would not be better in the proportion

但我能告訴你 在1000/18的比例下

of 1,000 to 18, I can tell you that.

他們絕不會變得更好

My instinct tells you that any improvement

我的直覺告訴你們 任何的改善

would be rather slight, because they were designed

都會微乎其微 因為它們在設計之初

as functions of the system they were designed to fit,

就被限於一個必須去適應的系統

and as I said, type is very adaptable.

而我剛才說過 印刷文字的適應性很高

It does hide its methods.

印刷字的確隱藏了其手法

All industrial designers work within constraints.

所有的工業設計師都在制約內工作

This is not fine art.

這不是藝術

The question is, does a constraint

問題是 制約會不會

force a compromise?

強加某種折衷？

By accepting a constraint,

接受一種制約的同時

are you working to a lower standard?

你是否降低了工作標準？

I don't believe so, and I've always been encouraged

我不這樣認為

查爾斯·伊姆斯的話 一直鼓勵著我

by something that Charles Eames said.

He said he was conscious of working

他說 他明白自己的工作

within constraints,

受到一些制約

but not of making compromises.

但從不會降低工作品質

The distinction between a constraint

制約和折衷

and a compromise is obviously very subtle,

之間的區別很微妙

but it's very central to my attitude to work.

但卻是我工作態度的核心

Remember this reading experience?

還記得這種閱讀體驗嗎？

The phone book. I'll hold the slide

電話簿 這張幻燈片會停一會

so you can enjoy the nostalgia.

讓你們享受懷舊的愉悅

This is from the mid-'70s early trials

這是70年代中期，

of Bell Centennial typeface I designed

我設計的 Bell Centennial 字體

for the U.S. phone books,

在美國電話簿上的早期試驗

and it was my first experience of digital type,

這是我對數碼印刷字的初次體驗

and quite a baptism.

如思想洗禮一般

Designed for the phone books, as I said,

我說過 這是為電話簿設計的

to be printed at tiny size on newsprint

要以微小字型大小印在新聞用紙上

on very high-speed rotary presses

用高速的輪轉印刷機

with ink that was kerosene and lampblack.

和煤油煤煙制的墨水

This is not a hospitable environment

這種工作環境對一個排印設計者來說

for a typographic designer.

並不舒適

So the challenge for me was to design type

所以對我的挑戰就是

設計的字體在這種惡劣的生產環境中

that performed as well as possible

in these very adverse production conditions.

能盡可能地表現出色

As I say, we were in the infancy of digital type.

如我所說 我們還處於數碼排印的初期

I had to draw every character by hand

我必須在方格紙上

on quadrille graph paper --

動手畫出每個字

there were four weights of Bell Centennial —

——Bell Centennial 字體有四種粗細——

pixel by pixel, then encode them raster line by raster line

一個像素一個像素地畫 然後給每個光柵線編碼

for the keyboard.

使它們適用於鍵盤

It took two years, but I learned a lot.

我花了兩年時間 但學到了很多

These letters look as though they've been chewed

這些字母看起來像是被

by the dog or something or other,

狗或其他什麼咬了一樣

but the missing pixels at the intersections

但是在筆劃的交叉點

of strokes or in the crotches

之所以有些像素缺失

are the result of my studying the effects

是因為我瞭解了墨水

of ink spread on cheap paper

在廉價紙上會是什麼效果

and reacting, revising the font accordingly.

於是對字型做了相應修改

These strange artifacts are designed to compensate

設計這些奇怪的人造字型是為了抵消

for the undesirable effects of scale

測量和生產過程所帶來的

and production process.

不理想的效果

At the outset, AT&T had wanted

一開始 AT&T 想要

to set the phone books in Helvetica,

在電話簿裡應用 Helvetica 字體

but as my friend Erik Spiekermann said

但是正如我的朋友艾瑞克·史皮克曼

in the Helvetica movie, if you've seen that,

在《Helvetica》這部紀錄片理所說 如果大家看過的話

the letters in Helvetica were designed to be

Helvetica 字體的設計是為了

as similar to one another as possible.

讓所有字母都盡可能相似

This is not the recipe for legibility at small size.

這並不是為了提高小號字的可讀性

It looks very elegant up on a slide.

在幻燈片上看相當優美

I had to disambiguate these forms

我必須在 Bell Centennial 字體中

of the figures as much as possible in Bell Centennial

盡可能的區分每一個數字的樣式

by sort of opening the shapes up, as you can see

這是通過將這種樣式的形狀打開

in the bottom part of that slide.

如最後一行這樣

So now we're on to the mid-'80s,

這時已經快到80年代中期

the early days of digital outline fonts,

這是數碼輪廓字體和向量技術

vector technology.

發展的早期

There was an issue at that time

當時有一個問題

with the size of the fonts,

是關於字型的大小

the amount of data that was required to find

以及在電腦裡尋找和儲存一種字型

and store a font in computer memory.

所需要的數據量

It limited the number of fonts you could get

這限制了你能一次從排版系統中

on your typesetting system at any one time.

得到的字型的數量

I did an analysis of the data,

我對這些數據進行了分析

and found that a typical serif face

發現 你們左手邊

you see on the left

這種典型的襯線體

needed nearly twice as much data

需要的數據量幾乎是

as a sans serif in the middle

中間的無襯線體的兩倍

because of all the points required

這是因為做出優雅的襯線弧度

to define the elegantly curved serif brackets.

所需要的那些點

The numbers at the bottom of the slide, by the way,

順便說一句 幻燈片底部的數字

they represent the amount of data

它們表示了儲存各種字體

needed to store each of the fonts.

所需要的數據量

So the sans serif, in the middle,

所以位於中間的無襯線體

sans the serifs, was much more economical,

去掉了襯線 則變得更省數據

81 to 151.

由原來的151變成81

"Aha," I thought. "The engineers have a problem.

我想：啊哈 工程師們遇到了問題

Designer to the rescue."

我們設計師來解決

I made a serif type, you can see it on the right,

我便製作了一種襯線體 就是你們右邊這個

without curved serifs.

去掉了彎曲的襯線

I made them polygonal, out of straight line segments,

我把它們變成了多邊形 由許多線段組成

chamfered brackets.

且對襯線彎曲處進行了斜切

And look, as economical in data as a sans serif.

看 結果跟無襯線體一樣節省數據

We call it Charter, on the right.

右邊這種 我們叫它 Charter 字體

So I went to the head of engineering

所以我帶著這些數據

with my numbers, and I said proudly,

去找工程部主管 驕傲地說：

"I have solved your problem."

我解決了你的問題

"Oh," he said. "What problem?"

他說：哦 什麼問題？

And I said, "Well, you know, the problem

我說：你知道的 就是

of the huge data you require for serif fonts and so on."

襯線體的數據量要求過大之類的

"Oh," he said. "We solved that problem last week.

他說：我們上禮拜已經解決了

We wrote a compaction routine that reduces

我們寫了一個壓縮例程

the size of all fonts by an order of magnitude.

將所有字型的大小減小一個數量級

You can have as many fonts on your system

現在你想在系統裡有多少字型

as you like."

就能有多少

"Well, thank you for letting me know," I said.

我說：好吧 謝謝你讓我知道

Foiled again.

再次受挫

I was left with a design solution

我手裡的這個設計方案

for a nonexistent technical problem.

卻是為了一個不存在的技術問題

But here is where the story sort of gets interesting for me.

但就在這裡 我突然來了興致

I didn't just throw my design away

我並沒有一氣之下

in a fit of pique.

扔掉我的設計

I persevered.

我還要繼續

What had started as a technical exercise

一開始的一個技術性操作

became an aesthetic exercise, really.

現在卻成了一個美學課題

In other words, I had come to like this typeface.

也就是說 我開始喜歡這個字體了

Forget its origins. Screw that.

別想一開始為什麼了 管他呢

I liked the design for its own sake.

我就是喜歡這個字體本身

The simplified forms of Charter

Charter 的這種簡化形式

gave it a sort of plain-spoken quality

給了它一種簡單明了的特質

and unfussy spareness

和不做作的留白

that sort of pleased me.

這讓我很高興

You know, at times of technical innovation,

要知道 在技術革新的年代

designers want to be influenced

設計者想要被

by what's in the air.

未知的想法所影響

We want to respond. We want to be pushed

我們想回應未知 想推進自己

into exploring something new.

探索未知的世界

So Charter is a sort of parable for me, really.

所以 Charter 是我給自己上的一課

In the end, there was no hard and fast causal link

最終 技術和 Charter 的設計之間

between the technology and the design of Charter.

並沒有確切的因果聯繫

I had really misunderstood the technology.

我當時誤解了那些技術

The technology did suggest something to me,

技術的確給了我一點啟發

but it did not force my hand,

但並沒有迫使我做什麼

and I think this happens very often.

而且我認為這時常發生

You know, engineers are very smart,

大家知道 工程師都很聰明

and despite occasional frustrations

除了偶爾因為自己不夠聰明

because I'm less smart,

而感到挫敗以外

I've always enjoyed working with them

我一直都為能跟他們合作和

and learning from them.

向他們學習而感到高興

Apropos, in the mid-'90s,

說到這裡 在90年代中期

I started talking to Microsoft

我開始跟微軟談論

about screen fonts.

螢幕字型的事情

Up to that point, all the fonts on screen

直到那時 所有的螢幕字型

had been adapted from previously existing

當然都還是從之前的印刷字

printing fonts, of course.

改造而成

But Microsoft foresaw correctly

但是微軟正確地預見到

the movement, the stampede

這次變革 這次向

towards electronic communication,

電子通訊的潮湧

to reading and writing onscreen

向螢幕閱讀和書寫的邁進

with the printed output as being sort of secondary

而印刷產物可能會在重要性上

in importance.

位居第二

So the priorities were just tipping at that point.

所以 重點任務就是開始嘗試

They wanted a small core set of fonts

他們想要一小組核心字型

that were not adapted but designed for the screen

不是改編而來 而是專為螢幕設計

to face up to the problems of screen,

來解決一些螢幕上的問題

which were their coarse resolution displays.

也就是他們低解析度的顯示螢幕

I said to Microsoft, a typeface designed

我跟微軟說，專門為一項技術

for a particular technology

而設計的字體

is a self-obsoleting typeface.

首先自身就過時了

I've designed too many faces in the past

我過去設計了很多字體

that were intended to mitigate technical problems.

都為了緩解技術問題

Thanks to the engineers, the technical problems went away.

多虧工程師們 技術問題已經沒有了

So did my typeface.

而我的設計也沒有了

It was only a stopgap.

因為這種設計只是一個中轉站

Microsoft came back to say that

微軟回來告訴我

affordable computer monitors

負擔得起的解析度較高的

with better resolutions

電腦顯示器

were at least a decade away.

至少還需十年

So I thought, well, a decade, that's not bad,

所以我想 十年 那還不算太糟

that's more than a stopgap.

起碼比中轉期要長

So I was persuaded, I was convinced,

這樣我就被說服了

and we went to work on what became Verdana

我們開始合作 製作出今天的 Verdana

and Georgia,

和Georgia字體

for the first time working not on paper

第一次沒有在紙上工作

but directly onto the screen from the pixel up.

而是從像素開始就直接在螢幕上操作

At that time, screens were binary.

那時 螢幕是二進制的

The pixel was either on or it was off.

像素要麼開 要麼關

Here you see the outline of a letter,

這是一個字母的輪廓

the cap H,

大寫 H

which is the thin black line, the contour,

其中的細黑線便是輪廓

which is how it is stored in memory,

這就是它如何在電腦裡儲存的

superimposed on the bitmap,

輪廓置於點陣圖之上

which is the grey area,

也就是灰色區域

which is how it's displayed on the screen.

這就是它在熒幕上如何顯示的

The bitmap is rasterized from the outline.

點陣圖在輪廓之內都被光柵化

Here in a cap H, which is all straight lines,

這裡 H 是由直線寫成

the two are in almost perfect sync

所以輪廓和點陣圖在直角網格上

on the Cartesian grid.

完美同步

Not so with an O.

而字母 O 就不是了

This looks more like bricklaying than type design,

這看起來更像壘磚 而不是字體設計

but believe me, this is a good bitmap O,

但相信我 這是個很好的 O 形點陣圖

for the simple reason that it's symmetrical

就是因為它在 x 和 y 軸上

in both x and y axes.

都是對稱的

In a binary bitmap, you actually can't ask

在二進制的點陣圖上 能達到這樣

for more than that.

其實就夠了

I would sometimes make, I don't know,

有時我會為一個較麻煩的字母

three or four different versions of a difficult letter

做3到4個不同版本

like a lowercase A,

比如小寫 a

and then stand back to choose which was the best.

然後靠後站一點選擇一個最好的

Well, there was no best,

其實 沒有最好的

so the designer's judgment comes in

那麼設計者就要判斷

in trying to decide

試圖去決定

which is the least bad.

哪個是最不糟糕的

Is that a compromise?

這算一種折衷嗎？

Not to me, if you are working

對我來說不是 因為這是

at the highest standard the technology will allow,

技術有限的情況下的最高標準

although that standard may be

儘管這個標準

well short of the ideal.

可能遠低於理想水準

You may be able to see on this slide

你現在看到的是

two different bitmap fonts there.

兩種不同的點陣圖字型

The "a" in the upper one, I think,

我認為 上面一種的字母 a

is better than the "a" in the lower one,

好於下面一種的字母 a

but it still ain't great.

但上面那個仍不是很好

You can maybe see the effect better

或許縮小點效果會更好

if it's reduced. Well, maybe not.

好吧 或許不是

So I'm a pragmatist, not an idealist,

所以說我是個實用主義者 而非理想主義者

out of necessity.

一切從需求出發

For a certain kind of temperament,

對一種特定的性情

there is a certain kind of satisfaction

都有一種特定的滿足感

in doing something that cannot be perfect

做的事或許不能完美

but can still be done to the best of your ability.

但仍然是盡你所能

Here's the lowercase H from Georgia Italic.

這是小寫 h 的 Georgia 斜體

The bitmap looks jagged and rough.

點陣圖看起來邊緣不齊且粗糙

It is jagged and rough.

但它就是這樣的

But I discovered, by experiment,

但是通過實驗我發現

that there is an optimum slant

對螢幕上的斜體來說

for an italic on a screen

有一個最佳的斜度

so the strokes break well

從而讓筆畫在像素邊緣

at the pixel boundaries.

能合理地分割

Look in this example how, rough as it is,

看看這個例子 儘管粗糙

how the left and right legs

但是左邊和右邊

actually break at the same level.

卻在同一水平線分割

That's a victory. That's good, right there.

這就是勝利 這樣就很好了

And of course, at the lower depths,

當然了 在較低的色深

you don't get much choice.

你並無太多選擇

This is an S, in case you were wondering.

這是 s 如果大家看不太出來的話

Well, it's been 18 years now

距離 Verdana 和 Georgia 的發佈

since Verdana and Georgia were released.

已有18年了

Microsoft were absolutely right,

微軟當時是對的

it took a good 10 years,

真的花了十年

but screen displays now do have

但現在的螢幕

的確改善了空間解析度

improved spatial resolution,

and very much improved photometric resolution

而且極大提高了光度解析度

thanks to anti-aliasing and so on.

這多虧了反鋸齒之類的技術

So now that their mission is accomplished,

那麼微軟的使命完成了

has that meant the demise

是否意味著我一開始

of the screen fonts that I designed

為低解析度螢幕設計的字體

for coarser displays back then?

又將被拋棄？

Will they outlive the now-obsolete screens

在那批螢幕過時

新的網頁字型湧入市場的情況下

and the flood of new web fonts

我設計的字體能生存下去嗎？

coming on to the market?

Or have they established their own

或者 它們是否建立了

sort of evolutionary niche

自己的演化領域

that is independent of technology?

並獨立於技術？

In other words, have they been absorbed

換句話說 它們是否被納入

into the typographic mainstream?

排印設計的主流？

I'm not sure, but they've had a good run so far.

我不確定 但目前為止它們表現還不錯

Hey, 18 is a good age for anything

嘿 以今天的損耗率來看

with present-day rates of attrition,

18年對任何事物都很長了

so I'm not complaining.

所以我並沒抱怨什麼

Thank you.

謝謝

（掌聲）

(Applause)