page_title: Berthold Block
section_title: Digitisations
hierarchical_section_title: Berthold Block / History / Digitisations
caption_attribution_description: English: Swiss advertisement for votation regarding Kursaals legislation in 1928 Français&#160;: Affiche politique concernant la votation sur la légslation des Kursaals en 1928
context_page_description: Berthold Block is a sans-serif typeface released by the H. Berthold foundry in the early twentieth century and intended for display use. Block has a chunky design suitable for headings, with short descenders allowing tight linespacing and rounded corners. It is sometimes simply called "Block". Font design expert Stephen Coles describes it as "a soft but substantial display face with compact dimensions and an organic appearance…[it] isn’t meant for body copy." The Block design has been credited by the Klingspor Museum to Hermann Hoffmann, who managed type design for Berthold.
  The original metal type release of Block was intentionally "distressed" in style, matching the effect of worn type; some rereleases have a cleaner design. Ferdinand Ulrich suggests that this was to match the organic feel of advertising lettering of the time, including the work of Lucian Bernhard. Block was one of Berthold's most popular typefaces, and was released in a wide range of versions, including lighter weights and type in wood and hard-wearing steel.
context_section_description: A variety of digitisations of Block exist, including by Berthold and successor companies and by Bitstream (the condensed weight only). Paratype of Moscow released an expansion with Cyrillic characters in 1997. Matthew Butterick's Hermes, released by Font Bureau, is a loose adaptation also inspired by other German grotesque typefaces of the period, adding lighter weights and unicase features.
caption: Berthold Block in a 1928 Swiss political flyer
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