While doing this i realized that I don’t ever actively ever think to myself: oh yes, i think i’ll use Centaur for that truly baroque feel because so often i’m reaching for Poliphilus, but then i see some Centaur in print and i feel like a philistine.
That’s not to say you can’t use your favorite venetian whenever you want, you really should; Centaur isn’t right for all occasions. But what you get for free is that it looks really hot just straight black on some cream colored paper. Sure, it might look a bit too fancy for the occasion, but it never hurts to dress up a little. And seriously, Centaur might as well be as respected as a well worn sports coat, if not a new John Varvatos black pinstripe jacket. It plays both sides.
Like i said, half the time, i feel like a total ass for even forgetting that Centaur exists because i feel like i’ve been conditioned to forget about all those monotype classics, but it’s worth revisiting from time to time. Aside from its sloping e and its proper punctuation marks, it reminds me of a turn-of-the-century scrappy 16 year old bare-knuckle boxer that’s been tidied up with a couple splashes of brut and half a tin of brill-creme.
Perhaps you can see young centaur coming home from dinner on the way to meet its girl—suddenly, it runs afoul of a brash Garamond #3. Fisticuffs imminent, it’s a close fight, but that doesn’t matter. You know in your heart who’ll win.
