Jazmo is an offspring of an assignment I did for a Dutch architect. A classic building and coincidently the place of my studio in my hometown Zwolle, Netherlands, needed to be renovated. My job was to design the house numbers and signs for this building. This building I refer to was built in 1932 and designed according to the ‘New objectivity’ architecture. Now it accommodates several artist and craftsmen and also houses students. In my design I used elements of the Art Nouveau, which is related to the ‘New Objectivity’. Words as stately, angular, linear, stylish, artful, playful and frolic came to mind. It should be a design with a hint of the past and a flirt with the future. This house numbering is the root wherefrom Jazmo arises. The name Jazmo cites to the Jazz scene, which was a new and very popular artistic influence that time and age and is still a vibrant source of musical renewal. Mo stands for my Name Marit Otto. Together with my intern Arie Blok I created the missing characters and completed the font. Welcome Jazmo!

The word ‘Ghibli’ per se refers to a Saharan hot and dry wind commonly known as the Sirocco. In Arabic language, ‘Ghibli’ is known as ‘Qibli or Kibli’, meaning ‘Southern’ for those Arabic nations who live in the North of Africa. The ‘Ghibli’ wind is most common during spring and autumn, and can blow at almost 60mph; it is this wind which is responsible for the dry, dusty conditions on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. ‘Ghibli’ can last for days making life miserable and is therefore feared by the desert dwellers in that region. It can also have profound effect on the landscape by moving vast quantities of sand and dunes. Inspired by the Studio Ghibli’s unique and magical characters, the ‘Ghibli’ typeface is designed as a Latin free and literary serif typeface. It strongly expresses transition, imagination, sharpness, characterization, and modernization. It is a literary type that can capture the eyesight of readers and other observers with its acute and stylistic letterforms, dots, and numerals. It has transitional serifs and it is generally based upon the Latin printing style of the 18th and 19th centuries, with a pronounced vertical contrast in stroke emphasis (i.e., vertical strokes being heavier than the horizontal strokes). It has more regular forms in which serifs are bracketed and more symmetrical. The main characteristic of ‘Ghibli’ typeface is in its new designed serif letters. Special letters that can be described as having modern designs include small ‘g’, ‘p’ (with their open ends), ‘x’, and capital ‘B’, ‘P’, ‘Q’, and ‘R’ (with their open ends). ‘Ghibli’ typeface has also both of lining and old-style numerals which makes it more suitable for any literary and printing purposes. This gratuitous font comes in only two weights (i.e., Ghibli Regular and Ghibli Bold). It is absolutely preferable to be used in the wide fields related to literature and publication industry. This includes typing titles of diverse literary and academic books, readable texts of novels, novellas, short stories, prose, poetry, textbooks, newspapers, and magazines. It is also notable if chosen for designs that include movies’ titles, logos of academic institutions such as colleges and universities, organizations and associations’ names, medical packages such as those dedicated for tablets and syrups, and also other different educational and social materials. ‘Ghibli’ is simply a free literary typeface dedicated for all who want to write and read using a modern and stylish serif font. Enjoy it.

Mr Eaves is the often requested and finally finished sans-serif companion to Mrs Eaves, one of Emigre’s classic typeface designs. Created by Zuzana Licko, this 2009 addition to the Emigre Type Library expands the versatility of the original Mrs Eaves with two complimentary families: Mr Eaves Sans and Mr Eaves Modern. Mr Eaves was based on the proportions of Mrs Eaves, but Licko took some liberty with its design. One of the main concerns was to avoid creating a typeface that looked like it simply had its serifs cut off. And while it matches Mrs Eaves in weight, color, and armature, Mr Eaves stands as its own typeface with many unique characteristics. The Sans version relates most directly to the original serif version, noticeably in the roman lower case letters a, e, and g, as well as in subtle details such as the angled lead in strokes, the counter forms of the b, d, p, and q, and the flared leg of the capital R, the tail of the Q. The distinctly loose-fitting letter spacing of Mrs Eaves was applied also to the Sans version. This, together with generous built-in line spacing due to a small x-height and extended ascenders and descenders, renders the same kind of lightness and airiness when setting text that is so characteristic of Mrs Eaves. Deviations from the original Mrs Eaves are evident in the overall decrease of contrast, as well as in details such as the flag and tail of the f and j, and the finial of the t, which were shortened to maintain a cleaner, sans serif look. And the lower case c had to be balanced out differently after it lost its top ball terminal. And with the loss of serifs, Mr Eaves set width is slightly narrower. Mr Eaves Italic also carries over many forms from its Mrs Eaves model, most notably the v, w, and z, which are unusually flamboyant for a sans italic design. It also utilizes lead in and terminal tails that are reminiscent of the serif italic. The biggest departure here is the width of the characters. The extra narrow gauge and delicate features seemed more appropriate for the Serif than the Sans. To allow for a comfortable fit, Mr Eaves Italic has a more robust design and wider character width. Meanwhile, the Modern family provides an overall less humanistic look, with simpler and more geometric-looking shapes, most noticeably in the squared-off terminals and symmetric lower case counters. This family has moved furthest from its roots, yet still contains some of Mrs Eaves’ DNA. The Modern Italic is free of tails, and overall the Modern exhibits more repetition of forms, projecting a cleaner look. This provides stronger differentiation from the serif version whenever a more contrasting look is desired. Each version (Sans and Modern) contains its own set of alternates providing unique options for applications such as headlines, word logos, letterheads, pull quotes, and other short text settings. Both the Sans and Modern come in six weights. The simpler forms of a sans-serif provide the opportunity of more weights than do serif letter forms, which are more complex in structure, making it difficult to accommodate additional weight without distortions. Regular and Bold match the original Mrs Eaves weights, while the Heavy provides an additional weight for extra emphasis.

Mr Eaves is the sans-serif companion to Mrs Eaves, one of Emigre’s classic typeface designs. Created by Zuzana Licko, this 2009 addition to the Emigre Type Library expands the versatility of the original Mrs Eaves with two complementary families: Mr Eaves Sans and Mr Eaves Modern. Mr Eaves was based on the proportions of Mrs Eaves, but Licko took some liberty with its design. One of the main concerns was to avoid creating a typeface that looked like it simply had its serifs cut off. And while it matches Mrs Eaves in weight, color, and armature, Mr Eaves stands as its own typeface with many unique characteristics. The Sans version relates most directly to the original serif version, noticeably in the roman lower case letters a, e, and g, as well as in subtle details such as the angled lead in strokes, the counter forms of the b, d, p, and q, and the flared leg of the capital R, the tail of the Q. The distinctly loose-fitting letter spacing of Mrs Eaves was applied also to the Sans version. This, together with generous built-in line spacing due to a small x-height and extended ascenders and descenders, renders the same kind of lightness and airiness when setting text that is so characteristic of Mrs Eaves. Deviations from the original Mrs Eaves are evident in the overall decrease of contrast, as well as in details such as the flag and tail of the f and j, and the finial of the t, which were shortened to maintain a cleaner, sans serif look. And the lower case c had to be balanced out differently after it lost its top ball terminal. And with the loss of serifs, Mr Eaves set width is slightly narrower. Mr Eaves Italic also carries over many forms from its Mrs Eaves model, most notably the v, w, and z, which are unusually flamboyant for a sans italic design. It also utilizes lead in and terminal tails that are reminiscent of the serif italic. The biggest departure here is the width of the characters. The extra narrow gauge and delicate features seemed more appropriate for the Serif than the Sans. To allow for a comfortable fit, Mr Eaves Italic has a more robust design and wider character width. Meanwhile, the Modern family provides an overall less humanistic look, with simpler and more geometric-looking shapes, most noticeably in the squared-off terminals and symmetric lower case counters. This family has moved furthest from its roots, yet still contains some of Mrs Eaves' DNA. The Modern Italic is free of tails, and overall the Modern exhibits more repetition of forms, projecting a cleaner look. This provides stronger differentiation from the serif version whenever a more contrasting look is desired. Each version (Sans and Modern) contains its own set of alternates providing unique options for applications such as headlines, word logos, letterheads, pull quotes, and other short text settings. Both the Sans and Modern come in three weights. The simpler forms of a sans-serif provide the opportunity of more weights than do serif letter forms, which are more complex in structure, making it difficult to accommodate additional weight without distortions. Regular and Bold match the original Mrs Eaves weights, while the Heavy provides an additional weight for extra emphasis.

Times with a Human Face: In my article of the same name which appeared in the magazine Font, volume 2000 I described the long and trying story of an order for a typeface for the Czech periodical Lidové noviny (People’s Newspaper). My task was to design a modification of the existing Times. The work, however, finally resulted in the complete re-drawing of the typeface. The assignment, which was on the whole wisely formulated, was to design a typeface which would enable “a smooth flow of information in the reader’s eye”, therefore a typeface without any artistic ambitions, from which everything which obstructs legibility would be eliminated. A year later Lidové noviny had a different manager who in the spring of 2001 decided to resume the cooperation. The typeface itself definitely profited from this; I simplified everything which could be simplified, but it still was not “it”, because the other, and obviously more important, requirement of the investor held: “the typeface must look like Times”. And that is why the above-mentioned daily will continue to be printed by a system version of Times, negligently adjusted to local conditions, which is unfortunately a far cry from the original Times New Roman of Stanley Morison. When I was designing Lido, the cooperation with the head of production of Lidové noviny was of great use to me. Many tests were carried out directly on the newspaper rotary press during which numerous weak points of the earliest versions were revealed. The printing tests have proved that the basic design of this typeface is even more legible and economical than that of Times. The final appearance of Lido STF was, however, tuned up without regard to the original assignment – the merrier-looking italics and the more daring modelling of bold lower case letters have been retained. The typeface is suitable for all periodicals wishing to abandon inconspicuously the hideous system typefaces with their even more hideous accents and to change over to the contemporary level of graphic design. It is also most convenient for everyday work in text editors and office applications. It has a fairly large x-height of lower case letters, shortened serifs and simplified endings of rounded strokes. This is typical of the typefaces designed for use in small sizes. Our typeface, however, can sustain enlargement even to the size appropriate for a poster, an information table or a billboard, as it is not trite and at the same time is moderate in expression. Its three supplementary condensed designs correspond to approximately 80% compression and have been, of course, drawn quite separately. The intention to create condensed italics was abandoned; in the case of serif typefaces they always seem to be slightly strained. I named the typeface dutifully "Lido" (after the name of the newspaper) and included it in the retail catalog of my type foundry. In order to prevent being suspected of additionally turning a rejected work into cash, Lido STF in six designs is available free of charge. I should not like it if the issuing of this typeface were understood as an “act out of spite” aimed against the venerable Times. It is rather meant as a reminder that there really are now alternatives to all fonts in all price categories.

Sapore is a script font family, mostly monoline, inspired by the elegant handmade signs in the beautiful city of Venice, Italy, where I work and live. Many of these signs were made at the beginning of the 20th century by skillful craftsmen and artists, carrying that distinct vintage Italian flavour, and this is why I named the font Sapore, which means precisely flavour (also, one of the signs is from a pastry shop that makes the most delicious things). The design takes this retro vibe into the 21st century, making it up-to-date and fresh, while keeping it authentic. It is a script font, but I added some stand alone capitals that you can use in all caps words and texts effortlessly, as the open type code is taking care of using the right set of letters at the right time, I could have made two separate fonts, but I wanted to give you the best value I could and ease of use. Make sure contextual alternates are always on! There are also swashes, alternate styles, stylistic sets, small caps, 2 figure sets and decorative elements, all accessible through open type. I think the font is particularly suited for display use, as in logos, packaging design, branding, but it is readable enough for small text blocks. You can access the non-linking caps by clicking on the discretionary ligatures button. You can access the loopy caps by clicking on the titling alternates button. The main version has straight terminals but I included a round version and a calligraphic one, called “classico”. Hope you like it!

VAROGE SARO NOEST arrives on your computer with OpenType replacement features standard, along with extended language support for Central European, Greek, Cyrillic and Extended Cyrillic. We've even included some nice character options for our German-speaking customers with the uppercase Eszett and a number of alternatives to the standard lowercase eszett. Also included is the new Turkish Lira. VAROGE SARO NOEST is a font with a very funny name. Sometimes it can be a funny font. Or a font that is fun. It looks kinda casual, but also a little bit handwritten--freeform and freehand. Or a form of block lettering with a rough edge. Not too rough. Just enough to break up the visual rigidity. But this is not a face in distress. It's mostly at ease in its surroundings. If it's in text mode, it handles the job comfortably. In headline mode it does well too. It's quite flexible and looking for a home. Give this font a home. See if you can figure out what to use it for. See if you see what we saw when we made it. We saw a font that's cool and elegant with a bit of a tantrum driving the node count. We also found it's impossible to look away from it. Anyone can see that. That's why you're here. That's why you're reading this. And VAROGE will do you a favor if you let it. Revisit your typographic beliefs and head over to the one persistent constant in life: your font list. Is VAROGE SARO NOEST on it? If it were to set up headquarters there, you might discover something ideal. That's the favor I was promising.