Nexa Slab is a geometric slab serif font whose design is based on the already popular best-seller Nexa . The font family contains 3 basic forms: italics, obliques and uprights, each of which has 8 different weights. This visual richness makes it the ideal slab serif font family for the web as well as for print, for motion graphics, logos, t-shirts and so on. It is also great for headings, fitting nicely with both small and large typesetting text blocks. Nexa Slab draws from the rich traditions of the classic Neo-Grotesque slab serif fonts such as Lubalin Graph, Rockwell and Memphis, which conceal the richness of typesetting text in its crucial advertising function. Just like these fonts, it’s design is subject to rational, carefully thought-out, thick and thin bars with a low contrast between them. The letters are characterized by the strict geometry and square proportions of the original, extra-fortified by suitably balanced slab serifs. Nexa Slab is serious without being rigid and inflexible, finished and lacking in nothing, systematic without being monotonous, and though it may seem at first glance to be more suitable for short, direct messages; in the hands of a master designer... it can build and create exquisite and harmonic designs. Open Type Features: Lining figures (proportional and tabular) The “f” ligature set Alternate characters (a, g, y) Automatic fractions Automatic numerators Automatic denomerators Automatic subscript and superscript Automatic ordinals Extended language support (most Latin-based scripts supported)*

The history of Able’s connection with the Harry Potter phenomenon is really up in the air. It’s a catch-22 in this business - you either promote your own work and negotiate expensive exclusive licenses, or you work with a promoter and sell your designs to anyone and everyone. It could have been an in-house designer at Rowling’s publisher, Scholastic, or a freelancer who proposed Able for the headings and such. The responsible party licensed it from T26, and JK Rowling’s storytelling made it a star. (I suppose it’s ironic that there’s a whole lot of unwritten history in the typography business.) Able’s rise to fame really is a classic love story between reading and type design. If the books weren’t so popular, Able might still be waiting for some Mexican fast food chain to pick it up for packaging design. The movie deal certainly made the font all the more recognizable, what with its merchandising campaign. Popularity can also cripple a great decorative face. It’s always being recognized as “The Harry Potter Font.” It might just have to wait a few decades for the Potter phenomenon to subside to be freed from the “Chamber of Pigeonholed Fonts.” In the meantime, I’m sure that a lot of fledgling graphic design apprentices are reading their new Potter books, being charmed by the idea of type design when they’re not turning the pages too fast to notice.

L-O-L-A Like the subject of the Kinks’ song, FS Lola is a little bit of both – a font with a rare combination of masculine and feminine. The font was inspired by the song, which itself was inspired by the night the Kinks’ manager spent dancing drunkenly in a Soho club with a beautiful woman... Or so he’d thought, until her stubble started to show halfway through the evening. Masculine/feminin Phil Garnham’s experience in designing FS Lola was similar to the one related by Ray Davies. Setting out to create a sans serif font, he realised along the way that he was actually dealing with a semi-serif. He went with it, though, and produced a font with the best masculine and feminine qualities: hard edges and corners tempered by shapes of softness and generosity, the outcome of what Phil calls an “organic” design process. “Initially, my designs were very graphic and hard but not very distinctive. By printing and redrawing the letters in pencil I achieved a softer and friendlier alphabet with a strong personality.” Broad Lola, as you’d expect, is very broad-minded. Available in five weights with italics – and fluent in central European languages – FS Lola offers a confident combination of feminine softness and male steeliness to any kind of design. As the song says, “It’s a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world... except for Lola.

An exquisite Didot font in 18 series Ambroise is a contemporary interpretation of various typefaces belonging to Didot’s late style, conceived circa 1830, including the original forms of g, y, &; and to a lesser extent, k. These unique glyphs are found in Gras Vibert, cut by Michel Vibert. Vibert was the appointed punchcutter of the Didot family during this period. It is the Heavy, whom sources were surest that Jean François Porchez has been used as the basis for the design of the typeface family. In the second half of the 19th century, it was usual to find fat Didots in several widths in the catalogs of French type foundries. These same typefaces continued to be offered until the demise of the big French foundries in the 1960s. Ambroise attempts to reproduce more of what we see printed on paper in the 19th century; a more accurate representation of Didot punches. So, the unbracketed serifs are not truly square straight-line forms but use tiny transitional curves instead. The result on the page appears softer and less straight, particularly in larger sizes. The illustrious Didot family of type founders and printers Every variation of the typeface carries a name in homage to a member of the illustrious Didot family of type founders and printers. The condensed variant is called Ambroise Firmin. The extra-condensed is called Ambroise François. Ambroise Pro brought back to life: fifteen years in the making! Club des directeurs artistiques, 48e palmarès Bukva:raz 2001

Microbrew Unicase is the latest addition to the Microbrew family, a versatile retro display family. Microbrew Unicase has 14 individual styles plus a very functional set of catchwords, and a fresh and eclectic set of retro-style ornaments. Microbrew Unicase sports a nice mix between wood type poster style, and vintage letterpress. The more detailed styles work well at large sizes, and the cleaner styles add legibility at smaller sizes. Microbrew Unicase is an all caps display font, but the lowercase act as alternates. The uppercase are all uppercase letter forms, while the lowercase is mixed. Type in all caps to be a buzz-kill. Mix upper and lowercase to have a little fun. Or type in all lowercase to have a party! (more informal) For super-easy alternates, just mix uppercase and lowercase letters. To add to the realism, Microbrew Unicase includes double-letter ligatures. Microbrew Unicase also includes a set of extremely intentional and eclectic ornaments and symbols. Designed to give a vintage feel, the ornaments and symbols compliment Microbrew nicely to round off the family. The ornaments also include old style numbers, and lots of retro symbols. Don't let the name fool you, Microbrew Unicase is very versatile and works great for almost any subject matter, including weddings, birthdays, restaurants, coffee shops, music, and many more. Opentype features include automatic fractions, subscript numbers, superscript numbers, and double-letter ligatures.

Designed from the perspective of a multi-purpose font family, comprehending the slab-serif and humanist-sans subtypes, the Distéfano typefaces were specifically developed and subsequently tested considering the needs of editorial products, for both print and digital media.   Includes a comprehensive program where formal, style, thickness and slant attributes are especially indicated for the composition of text and headings in newspapers, journals and magazines. For that reason, in addition to the more traditional weights, others, ranging from Light to Black were added. The identity and systemic criteria of this font family doesn’t fall short on diversity of specific solutions, flair and quirks for each variant, especially noticeable in the contrast of the italics to the roman styles. The original drawings of Distéfano date back to 1983; embodied in pencil on paper, provided only the alphabetical characters and punctuation signs for Spanish, and the Sans Serif family. By digitalizing them, their possibilities of use were widened, the set of characters of each typeface were considerably completed considering the current requirements for the majority of the latin and germanic languages, and the slab-serif family was developed. This type family bears the name of the most notable argentinian designer, and it is a homage to his work, that influenced the youth of the 50’s decade of the 20th century, and especially to him, whom I have always recognized as a friend, and a teacher.

Designed from the perspective of a multi-purpose font family, comprehending the slab-serif and humanist-sans subtypes, the Distéfano typefaces were specifically developed and subsequently tested considering the needs of editorial products, for both print and digital media.    Includes a comprehensive program where formal, style, thickness and slant attributes are especially indicated for the composition of text and headings in newspapers, journals and magazines. For that reason, in addition to the more traditional weights, others, ranging from Light to Black were added. The identity and systemic criteria of this font family doesn’t fall short on diversity of specific solutions, flair and quirks for each variant, especially noticeable in the contrast of the italics to the roman styles. The original drawings of Distéfano date back to 1983; embodied in pencil on paper, provided only the alphabetical characters and punctuation signs for Spanish, and the Sans Serif family. By digitalizing them, their possibilities of use were widened, the set of characters of each typeface were considerably completed considering the current requirements for the majority of the latin and germanic languages, and the slab-serif family was developed. This type family bears the name of the most notable argentinian designer, and it is a homage to his work, that influenced the youth of the 50’s decade of the 20th century, and especially to him, whom I have always recognized as a friend, and a teacher.

Now even more design possibilities with the popular DIN Next. With its technical and neutral character, DIN Next has earned a permanent place in contemporary typography. Now, DIN Next Slab expands the font family further, offering new design potential. Now comes the next step, DIN Next Slab, also produced under the direction of Akira Kobayashi. On a team with Sandra Winter and Tom Grace, Kobayashi is creating the new font variant based on the optimized shapes of DIN Next. The expansion will make the popular font all the more flexible and versatile. Apart from that, the geometric slab serifs underline the technical and formal nature of the font and emphasize a central design element of DIN Next. However, the team did have some challenges to overcome. While it is relatively easy to imagine DIN Next Light with slab serifs, the amount of available space quickly disappears when it comes to the Black styles. Winter explains that many tests and trials were necessary to find a compromise between space, letters and the serif shapes. Experiments with modified contrast in the weight or only one-sided serifs were quickly abandoned. The central, technical and powerful character of the font changed too much. Nevertheless, it was necessary to simplify slightly the shape of some letters, such as the ‘k’ or ‘x’, for example. These changes, first developed in the Black styles, were applied to all weights in order to lend the font a consistent appearance. Like DIN Next, DIN Next Slab also has seven weights, which cover the range from Ultralight to Black, each with matching italic. There are various character sets in all of the styles and the four middle weights have small capitals available. DIN Next Slab harmonizes perfectly with the styles of DIN Next: the basic letterforms and weights are identical. Both versions of the font can work together perfectly, not just in headlines and body text, but also within a text; they complement each other very well as design variations. With the new DIN Next Slab, Monotype expands the DIN Next super family consistently. With DIN Next Slab, you can underscore the technical and formal nature of the understated font not only in headlines, but in texts, as well. In this way, you have new and diverse potential for application, thanks to the way the different styles of DIN Next combine perfectly.

TT Octosquares useful links: Specimen | Graphic presentation | Customization options TT Octosquares is a fresh, revised, expanded, and significantly improved version of our first commercial typeface TT Squares and its narrow version TT Squares Condensed. With all our love for the original font family, it felt there was a lack of functionality, character composition, features, and design freshness, which prompted us to the idea of a complete restart. Now TT Octosquares can be safely called a superfamily consisting of 4 widths (Compressed, Condensed, Standard, Expanded), 72 faces (18 in each width), and 1 incredible variable font in which variability works jointly on three axes. In addition to working on the contours themselves and their design, we completely revised the composition of the typeface. First, we added two completely new widths: Compressed and Expanded. Secondly, we increased the number of weights in each of the subfamilies—while in the old versions there were 5 weights, now in each of the subfamilies there are 9 weights. At the stage of working with the contours of characters, we revised the roundings, changed the forms of shoulder and stem crossings, added noticeable shelves at the letters, removed the sharpness from the triangular characters and cut off all sharp endings. From the very beginning of work on TT Octosquares, we planned to make a variable 3-axis version of it sewn into 1 font file. This means that by installing just one variable font file, you get access to three axial adjustment of the font: by thickness, width and inclination. Thanks to this flexibility in settings, you can always choose a custom combination of thickness, width or inclination that best suits your tasks. Due to the increased language support and the appearance of a bunch of useful OpenType features, the number of glyphs in the typeface has increased from 480 to 825 in each style. Now you can use stylistic alternates, standard and discretionary ligatures, or use old-style figures, numbers in circles and even slashed zeros in your design. Full list of features: aalt, mark, mkmk, ccmp, subs, sinf, sups, numr, dnom, frac, ordn, lnum, pnum, tnum, onum, case, zero, dlig, liga, salt, ss01, ss02, ss03, ss04, ss05, ss06, ss07, ss08, ss09, ss10, ss11, ss12, calt, locl. To use the variable font with three variable axes on Mac you will need MacOS 10.14 or higher. For other software and browsers, you can check the support status here: v-fonts.com/support/.

The great enigma There are hidden depths to FS Silas Sans. First impressions are of a functional, multi-purpose typeface with a cool, edgy, angular character. Gaze into its eyes a little longer, though, and you'll detect a more nuanced, colourful personality, with full, open, satisfyingly squarish forms balancing the abruptness of the sharply-angled terminals and ascenders. Authoritative, official and stern on the outside; amiable and welcoming on the inside. You’re so Dane The designers, led by Phil Garnham, were trying to capture something straight-talking, authentic, and a little... Scandinavian. ‘We were thinking about some of the characters in Danish dramas that were on in the early stages of the font’s development, like The Killing and The Bridge,’ says Phil. ‘The police officers, that is, not the psychopathic killers. Smart and a bit cool, but with a warm heart.’ For a good Danish name, we settled on Silas. It was that or Hans-Christian. The finer points Silas Sans rewards close inspection. Study, if you will, its amply squarish forms, the roomy ‘o’ and ‘e’, in particular. Observe the angular ascenders and terminals of, for example, the ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘d’ and ‘i’, inferring the movement and lift of a pen. Consider the cuts to the ‘A’ and ‘v’ that create harmony with adjacent letters. And scrutinise the subtle ink traps set within the ‘A’ and ‘Y’ for reproduction at small sizes. A fine subject, we think you’ll agree, and available in a versatile range of weights to make (with FS Silas Slab) a typographic system with a comprehensive hierarchy.

This monospaced version of Galix was commissioned in 2037 by the space exploration company Earth2, as part of a major overhaul of their branding, which had used, since 2021, a generic sans serif (much like every other company). Many specialists in both design and space exploration suggested that this very rebrand started a chain of events that concluded with the invention of time travel in 2041. Contrary to the perceived notion put forward in popular Science Fiction, time travel is only (as of now) possible in the digital realm. It was considered fitting that included among the first files sent back in time should be the Galix Mono typeface, which was remade in OTF format to ensure that it would work with the technology available in 2019. Earth2, for all their insight, did not foresee that the release of the typeface in September of 2019, would lessen the impact of their rebrand. What kind idiots would rebrand a forward looking company with a font that was, by then, almost 18 years old? The subsequent lacklustre response to the redesign didn’t inspire the tidal wave of R&D funding Earth2 had anticipated, and the company went into administration in the summer of 2039, having never invented the time travel which made the release of Galix Mono in 2019 possible. Experts believe that the files sent back in time, although their very sending made it impossible for them to be sent, remained as “time relics” of the future that might have been.

The ideal typeface for cartography The Swiss designer/typographer Felix Arnold designed Cisalpin during the late 1990s, after he had challenged himself to create a contemporary typeface that could be used for cartographic uses. Arnold came to the subject of cartographic typefaces after analyzing many maps and atlases, and discovering that there was no standard typeface for these types of documents. Like any good cartographic type, Cisalpin is very legible at small sizes. While he was drawing this typeface on his computer, Arnold used a reduction glass to refine his design, making it work in these situations. Cisalpin is a linear sans serif face, with slight resemblance to renaissance serif types. The various weights are all clearly differentiated from one another. And because space is often a premium on maps, Cisalpin runs narrow. Words close in around themselves to help them become more identifiable. The letterforms in Cisalpin are durable, and can maintain their readability when placed over complex backgrounds. They have open interior forms, flattened curves, tall x-heights, and a capital height that almost reaches the tops of the ascenders. Cisalpin also has pronounced Italics, with a very clear angle of inclination. Each letterform in the family has been optimized so that they cannot be easily mistaken for another. This again helps minimize the misunderstandings that often occur because of illegibility. Although Cisalpin was developed for use in cartography, it may be used for countless other purposes; any font that can work well in small sizes on a map could be used almost anywhere else!

In designing the Millenium® typeface, Patrice Provost was inspired by great typographers in the great French typographic tradition to create a unique and modern variable font. His goal was to reinterpret the mid-20th century sans serif style in a variable typeface that will conform to the need of the 21st century. He succeeded with mastery in drawing large characters. In doing so, patrice provost added an exceptional dimension to the design of this typeface, a graphic personality that evolves over the styles. The attention to detail brought to each letter, each accent, each diacritic, make this font a solid tool for all Western graphic designers and layout artists. With more than 1000 glyphs per style, Millenium® can be used in more than 210 countries. With its 13 styles drawn in Classical Roman style, in Italics and in condensed Millenium® provides designers from all walks of life with a fantastic tool to bring novelty and class to your creations. Ideal for signage, Millenium, thanks to its "wide case", is also widely used for posters. It is also a gold mine for creating logos for dynamic tech start-ups. The Millenium family is made up of designs with progressive weight changes. it is very extensive. It ranges from "Super Thin" to "Extra Black". Unique in the world, its thinness makes it possible to design a very light style even to print on posters and other large formats. Designed from the outset as a variable typeface, Millenium offers a range of 900 possible variations and an infinity of creations...