The Story of Times New Roman

Times New Roman: The Story Behind the World’s Most Famous Typeface

Adored by typographers and readers alike, Times New Roman is one of the most recognisable typefaces ever created. From traditional newspapers to our computer screens, its influence on modern typography is difficult to overstate. But how did this classic font come into being?

The Origins of Times New Roman

In 1929, The Times of London commissioned a new typeface to improve the appearance and readability of its newspaper. The project was led by Stanley Morison, typographic adviser to the British branch of the printing equipment company Monotype, working in collaboration with Victor Lardent, a lettering artist in The Times‘ advertising department.

Morison believed the newspaper’s existing type reflected an outdated 19th-century style. He advocated a stronger, more efficient design inspired by the typography of the early 18th century. Lardent produced the initial drawings under Morison’s direction, while Monotype’s designers refined and adapted the artwork for practical use in printing.

The Concept

Morison based the new design on Plantin, an earlier Monotype serif typeface. While Times New Roman shared many of Plantin’s proportions, it was carefully modified to improve readability and maximise the amount of text that could fit on a newspaper page.

The new typeface featured tighter letter spacing, allowing more words per line without sacrificing clarity. Greater contrast between thick and thin strokes enhanced legibility, while a relatively high x-height and short descenders permitted tighter line spacing. The result was a compact yet highly readable design that was perfectly suited to newspaper production.

The roots of the “New Roman” style stretch back even further. The design can be traced to a metal type cut in the late 16th century by the French punchcutter Robert Granjon, examples of which are preserved today in the collection of Antwerp’s Plantin-Moretus Museum.

Typography historian and Monotype executive Allan Haley observed that, compared with Plantin, Times New Roman’s “serifs had been sharpened… contrast was increased, and character curves were refined”. Meanwhile, typographic historian Alexander Lawson described the typeface’s crisp, high-contrast appearance as possessing “a sparkle [Plantin] never achieved.”

Following its commercial release, Times New Roman proved an immediate success and went on to become Monotype’s best-selling metal typeface of all time.

Further Development

Morison envisaged the creation of additional widths and weights that would retain the sharp serifs and distinctive character of the original Roman design. However, his correspondence from the period reveals that several different directions were considered before Plantin was ultimately selected as the most suitable foundation for a condensed newspaper typeface.

One alternative was Perpetua, a typeface that had long been a personal favourite of Morison’s. Yet he ultimately concluded that it was “too basically circular” to be condensed in an attractive way.

Although Lardent’s original drawings have been lost, contemporary accounts suggest they captured the spirit of the finished design, even if many of the finer details were later developed by Monotype’s drawing office. It was this team that resolved the spacing, proportions and technical refinements that transformed the concept into a fully realised typeface.

Morison maintained close ties with The Times throughout his life, serving as editor of The History of The Timesbetween 1935 and 1952. Interestingly, Times New Roman remained the only typeface he ever designed.

Although The Times itself eventually adopted different fonts, Times New Roman endured. Today it remains one of the most widely used typefaces in the world and, for generations of computer users, served as the default font for digital publishing and word processing.

Final Thoughts

The enduring success of Times New Roman demonstrates that typography matters. The way a message looks can be just as important as the words themselves. At Quicksilver Translate, we recognise that every aspect of communication — from language and tone to design and presentation — plays a role in shaping the reader’s experience. That’s why our expert translators and localisation professionals work to ensure that your message retains its meaning, impact and visual identity in every language.

Learn more: Preparing Layouts for Translation