Gill Sans is a typeface developed by Eric Gill in 1928. The font takes inspiration from the typeface Johnston Sans which most notably used by the London Underground. Gill was an apprentice to and helped designed the typeface with Edward Johnston. Originally a side project by Gill as he wanted to make Johnston Sans appear more legible to read. The most notable difference between the two is Gill Sans is taller and straighter than Johnston Sans.  His work was noticed by Stanley Morrison who worked for Monotype at the time. Stanley Morrison is most known for his work designing Times New Roman as a commission for the British paper The Times, Times New Roman is widely considered one of the most used typefaces to this day. Morrison would go on to commission Gill to create Gill Sans as a direct English counterpart and competitor to the American typeface Futura. Gill Sans when it release in 1928 became an instant and popular success. Gill Sans most notable and striking feature is its legibility. This legibility and widespread success has made Gill Sans national identity in England as it can be seen everywhere. The British government used the typeface throughout WWII in war time posters and propaganda. Places where one can see Gill Sans in use to this day include the logos for Tommy Hilfiger, The BBC, Phillips, and is even used in the Toy Story logo. Gill Sans is also used by the Penguin Book and is also employed by the London Underground in all of their signage and maps. Gill Sans obnstensiuvely made Eric Gill a noteworthy figure in the world of typography.

 

“Gill Sans vs. Johnston Sans: If Britain Was A Typeface.” Face First Creative, 6 June 2018, facefirstcreative.com/blog/gill-sans-vs-johnston-sans-if-britain-was-a-typeface/.

Li, Irene. “Gill Sans - Typeface Case Study.” Medium, Medium, 24 Oct. 2019, medium.com/@ireneliyihan/gill-sans-typeface-case-study-777878e4cd36.