SOME THOUGHTS...

Having had several discussions with greek graphic designers, a specific concern has always arisen regarding greek typography. According to their opinion, the form of the greek letters seems to be a problem regarding contemporary composition. The problem seems to be that greek letterforms not only look old fashioned but also have many descenders in comparison to the latin ones therefore making, according to their opinion, the setting of a greek text look darker in comparison to a text set in latin (the latin alphabet has 5 letters with descenders as opposed to the greek that has 9).

In an effort to cope with this issue, they choose typefaces that have been "latinised". For example in place of the greek letter eta they use the latin letter n, in place of the greek letter chi the latin letter x or in place of the sigma final the latin letter s and so on. Let us also not neglect additional voices that state that such typefaces also look more 'modern' to the contemporary reader.

I shall not comment here on the history of greek typography, but rather note that it seems quite weird that greek graphic designers find it appropriate to change the letterforms of a language that has taken its shape back in the 8th-9th century A.D. (always referring to the minuscule hand). I cannot but attribute such an embarrassing action to the lack of historic and typographic education of the designers in key positions who are responsible for these choices. For choices they are, as there are plenty of well designed -but mostly, correctly designed- typefaces in the market that could be used in contemporary greek typographic composition. This misconception has also been observed in the past as in the first typographic composition baring greek text that we know of, the same mistake was made (De Oficiis and Paradoxa, Cicero: Fust and Shöffer, 1465, Mainz) but was quick to be corrected by future designers and punch-cutters. Due to the ottoman acquisition, greek typography did flourish outside the premises of the greek land* and therefore it has been formed mostly by non greeks. Nevertheless, in the course of years, typographers did respect the history of the greek script and based their designs on the hands of greek scribes of their time instead of inflicting the latin letterforms onto the greek script. We should here mention though, that they did use the latin capitals to set greek text, as greeks wrote mostly with lowercase, resulting in a mistake that has survived up 'till nowadays (greek capitals with serifs and lower case without serifs - the issue of where should the design of greek capitals be based on is a very important one).

How would it strike the general latin script based readers to start using the greek letter chi in place of the latin letter x in a continuous text I wonder? How could the violation of the history of an entire script be permitted?
I must add here, that evolution is something important and an element that every society is in need of. In this case, the substitution of greek letters with latin ones is no way an evolution but rather a violation (and of course a remnant of the Linotype/Monotype diffusion of greek latinised typefaces back in the 80's -a mistake now partially ammended)**.

The continuous efforts of professors teaching typeface design both outside (Gerry Leonidas -University of Reading, UK) and within Greece (George Matthiopoulos -Technological and Educational Institute of Athens, Greece) are certainly commendable.

Greece is in need, now more than ever, of people with the proper education that will teach the future designers the history of their own script, people that will make sure that the history of the greek script will not be lost forever.

* Although Greek typographers did print abroad (the Kretan printers Laonikos and Alexandros, Nikolaos Blastos and Zacharias Kallierges etc), and even more Greeks were involved with various roles in the typographic process (Markos Mousouros, Theodoros Gaza etc). And of course a few examples of Greeks that printed within Greece (an attempt by Nichodimus Metaxas, Constantinople, 1627, as well as the successful efforts by Gregorius Konstantinidis at Moschopolis, 1731-1760, etc).
** For example, Helvetica and it's first greek design in the 70's requested by Doxiadis and the redesign in 1990-91.