10-01-2023, 01:22 PM
The serif at the top of the 1 numeral is such a hard thing to get right in sans serif type, possibly because it shouldn't really be there. Just so many examples of it coming off badly - often it is too prominent or badly angled and just ends up looking ugly. Really one of those things where, if you notice it, its gone wrong.
In my view, nobody is going to top the 1 in Koto's original version of New Johnston (which I think was used by the BBC as the basis for the 1 in news titles between 1999 and 2008). The serif there is subtle, not too big and the right angle, while also feeling like a natural extension of the main figure. I guess from a purist sans serif perspective, the original Johnston 1 with its angled top is probably the neatest solution to the issue. Though with their humanist design, not sure they'd fit alongside the grotesques that ITV have opted for.
In my view, nobody is going to top the 1 in Koto's original version of New Johnston (which I think was used by the BBC as the basis for the 1 in news titles between 1999 and 2008). The serif there is subtle, not too big and the right angle, while also feeling like a natural extension of the main figure. I guess from a purist sans serif perspective, the original Johnston 1 with its angled top is probably the neatest solution to the issue. Though with their humanist design, not sure they'd fit alongside the grotesques that ITV have opted for.