Re: Euro

From: Asmus Freytag (asmusf@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Mon Aug 07 2000 - 00:22:08 EDT


At 07:46 PM 7/30/00 -0800, John Cowan wrote:
> > Yeah, how WOULD you make a serifed, rounded E that
> > doesn't look silly and doesn't look like a C with
> > an extra line? Well, maybe you can, I dunno. Anyone
> > who can do that, I'd like to see it.
>
>http://www.egt.ie/standards/iso10646/euro/euroglyph.html

The problem with the commission design of the euro glyph is that it only
works as long as you use their aspect ratio and uniform stroke width. As
long as you have these, the eye will complete them to a lower case 'e' form
and you will see an 'e'uro. As soon as you attempt to actually match the
type face you are working with, you end up with a glyph that's taller than
wide, has different stroke width (usually thinner) for the cross bars
and/or variable stroke width and serifs for the main loop. The eye
immediately responds and see's an adorned capital 'C', so you get the
'C'uro, whether you want to or not.

Familiarity with use will 'train' enough people to accept the 'C'uro for a
'e'uro, so their knowledge of the full name will override their visual
processing long enough that they will see the 'e' shape in the euro. I
suspect that process is in full swing already, since the various
typographers' attempt to design euro glyphs for printers, PC's, bill
printing and sign making have already been going on for over a year now.

A./



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