Chunky, idiosyncratic, lacking in subtlety – no, it’s not the loudmouth cousin who crashes your holiday dinner and won’t leave. It’s Cheltenham, a typeface that few typophiles have a kind word for, and yet somehow has managed to persist in popularity for a hundred years.
Since the family’s release in the early 1900s, “Chelt” (as the old-timers call it) has drawn criticism for being ungainly. But someone – in fact, lots of someones – got hooked on using it, making it one of the most successful typefaces of its day. Even in recent decades, ITC Cheltenham has been one of the most popular typeface families that International Typeface Corporation offers.
What is it that attracts this population of closet Cheltenham users? The design could not be called elegant, and has no sensuous lines or subtle curves. In its lighter weights it is almost monotone in appearance, while the bolder designs are rich and dark on the page.
The original Cheltenham also suffered from a diminutive x-height. In the mid-1970s, however, ITC commissioned Tony Stan to revitalize the septuagenarian design and correct a few of its shortcomings. The first thing Stan did was enlarge Cheltenham’s x-height. This dramatically improved the aesthetics of the face. Counters are now more open and the lowercase proportions are in keeping with the caps. With this single change, Stan took a dated display design and turned it into a straightforward, no-nonsense typeface that will serve ably in both text and display applications.
The first weights Stan drew were Book and Ultra. These proved so popular that ITC asked him to create companion Light and Bold weights, followed by a suite of condensed designs. The family now includes four weights of roman and four condensed weights, with companion italics for each.
Call it the typeface we love to hate (but love anyway), or an unpretentious and versatile workhorse. Either way, ITC Cheltenham is a design that’s comfortable in its own skin. What could be more attractive than that?