Iconic Conjuring memories of chunky typefaces from the late-60s and early-70s, and named after the world’s greatest footballer of that and probably any other era, FS Pele is one of a set of Fontsmith fonts designed specifically for headlines and other prominent applications. “We wanted to create fonts that could be integral to the design of posters, album covers and magazines,” says Jason Smith. Welcome to FS Pele, iconic, like its namesake (though, perhaps, a little less nimble). Big Pele, little Pele There was only one Pele. But there are two sizes of FS Pele. FS Pele One, with the finer counters and details, adds considerable weight and style at large sizes, especially in big block headlines on posters. FS Pele Two’s thicker “slots” make it a better choice for smaller-sized text. A load of blocks FS Pele began as an exercise by Phil Garnham in turning squares into legible letters, via the least means necessary. The idea extended his ideas about logo-making, and the search for a stamp-like brand mark that lends authority, stability and instant identification. “The thought that the type was a 2D/3D jigsaw of slotted, architectural pieces was almost an after-thought. I wanted to create a strong, stacking, block aesthetic for the most contemporary poster design. “At the time there were a lot of designers creating their own versions of the same thing but I wanted to take the blocker forms to the next step, and infer a more legible text without sacrificing the idea.”

Timeless imperfection FS Meridian is a rhythmic geometric grotesque which takes inspiration from the precise yet imperfect nature of time. There are 24 hours in a day. 60 minutes in an hour. 60 seconds in a minute. Well, almost. The Earth’s orbit isn’t a perfect circle – and nor is the Earth itself. Each day varies a few dozen seconds and up to 16 minutes each year. Look closer and time is more flexible than we think. Geometry with a twist From a geometric base, FS Meridian’s rounded forms veer and extend, creating unexpected humanistic shapes – while the straight terminals remain reliably rigid. This combination of forms gives this grotesque sans serif a pleasingly dynamic rhythm, every time it’s read. Added quirks The unconventional character of rigid terminals and ink traps are balanced with emphasized extended forms to develop visual differentiation. Designed by Kristina Jandová, the complete family has been carefully crafted with distinguishing marks. Take a look at the cap ‘Q’ which comes with three alternative options. Deliciously loopy FS Meridian has a wide geometric, mono-liner appearance with humanistic elements. Quirky individual touches like the loopy expressive pound sign help the typeface to stand out. Available in five weights, FS Meridian is both timeless and timely, a distinctive font for all screens and surfaces.

Developer-friendly The studio has developed a wide array of weights for FS Untitled – 12 in all, in roman and italic – with the intention of meeting every on-screen need. All recognisably part of a family, each weight brings a different edge or personality to headline or body copy. There’s more. Type on screen has a tendency to fill in or blow so for each weight, there’s the choice of two marginally different versions, allowing designers and developers to go up or down a touch in weight. They’re free to use the font at any size on any background colour without fear of causing optical obstacles. And to make life even easier for developers, the 12 weight pairs have each been designated with a number from 100 (Thin) to 750 (Bold), corresponding to the system used to denote font weight in CSS code. Selecting a weight is always light work. Easy on the pixels ‘It’s a digital-first world,’ says Jason Smith, ‘and I wanted to make something that was really functional for digital brands’. FS Untitled was made for modern screens. Its shapes and proportions, x-height and cap height were modelled around the pixel grids of even low-resolution displays. So there are no angles in the A, V and W, just gently curving strokes that fit, not fight, with the pixels, and reduce the dependency on font hinting. Forms are simplified and modular – there are no spurs on the r or d, for example – and the space between the dot of the i and its stem is larger than usual. The result is a clearer, more legible typeface – functional but with bags of character. Screen beginnings FS Untitled got its start on the box. Its roots lie in Fontsmith’s creation of the typeface for Channel 4’s rebrand in 2005: the classic, quirky, edgy C4 headline font, with its rounded square shapes (inspired by the classic cartoon TV shape of a squidgy rectangle), and a toned-down version for use in text, captions and content graphics. The studio has built on the characteristics that made the original face so pixel-friendly: its blend of almost-flat horizontals and verticals with just enough openness and curve at the corners to keep the font looking friendly. The curves of the o, c and e are classic Fontsmith – typical of the dedication its designers puts into sculpting letterforms. Look out for… FS Untitled wouldn’t be a Fontsmith typeface if it didn’t have its quirks, some warranted, some wanton. There’s the rounded junction at the base of the E, for example, and the strong, solid contours of the punctuation marks and numerals. Notice, too, the distinctive, open shape of the A, V, W, X and Y, created by strokes that start off straight before curving into their diagonal path. Some would call the look bow-legged; we’d call it big-hearted.

A literary font FS Neruda takes its name from Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, described as “the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language”. As such, it’s a font that references the very best literary typeface traditions. Smart, sharp and classical, FS Neruda bridges the gap between the classical and the offbeat. This font started life in the world of newspapers and books and is the perfect storytelling typeface for savvy, inquiring readers whether in printed journals, hard news, short online missives or poetry. Idiosyncratic precision FS Neruda is clear and legible in body text, while also being a space-saver fitting in more characters on each line than the typefaces that inspired it. In larger sizes it becomes a different beast – livelier, quirkier, but no less sharp. This is a truly classic typeface designed with long text setting in mind, thanks to its large x-heights, and short ascenders and descenders. FS Neruda mixes suave, sharp confidence with a sense of fragility and quirkiness. It’s knowledgeable, informative and idiosyncratic; one for readers and enquiring minds. Subtle weight modifications The construction and details of the letterforms differ across each of the five weights, with each cut separately to evoke different flavours: Thin is typewriter-like, Light is classy, Regular is canonical, Bold is robust, Black is magazine-esque. FS Neruda also boasts a radiant italic companion, a wide set of small caps, lower and uppercase ligatures, case punctuation and spacing, four sets of figures, and some ageless typographic symbols such as manicules, fleurons and teardrop crosses. Suggestive simplicity “The key to success in the current type design landscape is to design a typeface which looks conventional at text sizes but has a few small, suggestive touches visible at bigger sizes that make it distinct,” says designer Pedro Arilla. “Another thing we wanted to achieve with this typeface is simplicity.” FS Neruda is available in ten carefully crafted styles: it’s designed to work perfectly at text sizes, but still glows as a display typeface.

Right now! FS Emeric reconciles a pair of seemingly opposing approaches: the systematic but chilly functionalism of early modernist typography, trapped in time, and a warmer, more emotional, more optimistic spirit. What Fontsmith created was something that marries precision with expression, geometry with movement, functionality with humanity. FS Emeric has a sharp, kinetic edge that cuts across design disciplines – graphic, fashion, product, automotive. It’s about what’s happening right now. Contemporary, optimistic, distinctive – a classic working sans serif. Appetite Discussions with some of Fontsmith’s design studio clients had revealed an appetite for a new kind of typeface that could express mid-century modernist principles in a fresh, contemporary voice. As he crafted the letterforms that would form FS Emeric, Phil Garnham was guided by two central ideas. First, there was Jan Tschichold’s contention that a good letter is “one that expresses itself, speaking with the utmost distinctiveness and clarity”. Second was a belief that a font can be personally expressive without compromising its functionality. These provided the fuel that drove the project to its conclusion. Posters To mark the launch of FS Emeric, Fontsmith asked 11 eminent design studios from around the world – the likes of Pentagram, Studio Dumbar, Bibliotheque, Non-Format and Build – to create a limited edition A1 poster. Each poster celebrated a different weight of FS Emeric, and just 50 of each were screen-printed by Dan Mather onto 175gsm Colorplan stock. “We gave away a randomly selected poster every time two or more weights of the FS Emeric were purchased,” says Phil Garnham. “They’ve now become somewhat of a collector’s item in their own right.” Superfamily In the spirit of Univers, the original font superfamily, FS Emeric now comprises 22 Roman and italic typefaces overall, making it one of the most versatile and functional modern fonts across all kinds of media, as well as one of the most distinctive.

Fs ornaments are unique modular sets of ornaments that are based on ancient patterns and medieval woodcuts. They work very well on modern layouts as well. What is more You can use them not only as ornaments but also as borders. This complexity gives you a carefully planned tool with high decorative qualities. All this depends only on your imagination! With it you can add a genuine touch of distinction to every sophisticated layout but use them carefully. The basic set is Fs ornament 1 while Fs ornament 2 is a distorted version of it. Fs ornament 3 is a woodcut underlying that could be applied underneath ornaments or without them. The usage is very simple-You type them as you normally type letters but instead you get those great decoration! Easy isn't it?

Slinky Chic, svelte and slinky, FS Sophie was inspired by and designed in partnership with ATTIK UK. With clean lines, simple, elegant curves and dynamic forms, it brings a feminine sophistication to text and headlines in publishing and advertising. Kinky FS Sophie’s engaging simplicity arises from its construction, using a modular set of core, rounded shapes and straight strokes, drawn and then repeated to create letterforms. An extra technical detail of occasional, short 45-degree diagonals adds a distinctive little kink to Sophie’s cool exterior. Alchemy By some kind of typographic alchemy, the combination of simple curves and lines with unexpected twists to the shapes of characters creates an unusually spirited and lively design in all three weights and their italic sets. Born for the spotlight, FS Sophie is a natural for big headlines, pull quotes and other high-profile text elements.

Elliptical The squareness of curves. That was the elliptical – in more than one sense – notion being explored in the making of FS Hackney. The squareness of curves and vertical terminals to create a gentle, soft sans serif, with a little bit of magic. A momentary thought – “It doesn’t have to be like this” – provided the spur to explore the verticals and skeletons of letterforms beyond conventional type design limits. A 12-month gestation period gave rise to a font with a larger-than-usual character set, including non-lining figures, small caps and superior and inferior numbers. It’s a collection that speaks confidently for itself. Assertive It was the Hackney carriage – the black London cab – that gave this font its name, not the north London neighbourhood. Solid, dependable, effective and built to last, FS Hackney was honed to perform in all conditions. Cool, compelling lines and a satisfying overall simplicity lend FS Hackney its assertive air. Assured, versatile and effective; just like a black cab (but without the grumbling). Machined Over a string of meetings, Jason Smith and FS Hackney designer Nick Job worked out how to infuse Nick’s sketched letterforms with Fontsmith’s familiar geniality. “Nick is very meticulous and produces very clean design work,” says Jason. “Hackney is ideal for branding as it’s very clear and its quirks are sensible ones, not odd ones, that don’t distract from the message.”

Trajan The original template for this one-weight, all-caps font was the inscription on Trajan’s Column, carved in AD 113 to celebrate the emperor Trajan’s victory in the Dacian Wars. College student Jason Smith copied the stone lettering from the cast on display in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. In Roman times, the signmaker would paint letters onto stone with a wide brush for the stone mason to chisel out later. The signwriter would end each stroke with a flick of his brush, which the mason would also carve into the stone. Ecce (as they would have said in Rome): the serif was born. Hand-crafted “I first drew this typeface when I was 17,” says Jason. “I drew it with a very sharp 9H pencil on polydraw film. “Then, using a Rotring pen, I inked the letters in and scraped back the serifs so they were perfectly sharp. These letters were then reduced on a PMT camera. I’d designed my first typeface, although it wasn’t digitised till much later.” Digitised Years after Jason had drawn the original typeface, its transfer into digital form made further refinements necessary. The serifs and weights needed thickening slightly, creating a crisp, new version whose delicate elegance is best appreciated in larger sizes. A classically-inspired font, timeless and perfectly-proportioned, to reflect the refinement of premium brands.

I am pleased to present you an excellent futuristic font "Futurism" in modern graphic style! The font supports the Latin alphabet and Cyrillic alphabet. It is recommended to use it at long intervals between letters, but you can customize it perfectly for your own design, use it to create logos, emblems, posters and posters. Futurism is very stylish, it ideally suited for a space mood, future tech and innovative products! Uppercase and lowercase english letters Uppercase cyr letters Numbers

A dystopian, CAPS only, title font used primarily for big type - so headlines in magazines, newspapers and articles. Though also amazing for posters and fdlyers where you want to grab attention. Futuristic values of a sans, which incorporate cut away elements that reflect reality - nothing's perfect - or invoke shadows when reversed out. Uppercase gives you a hard-edged version, lowercase keys will give you a rounded CAPS version, softer on the eye. Enjoy!

Futura is one of the best known and most widely used of modern typefaces. Designed by Paul Renner between 1924-1927 for the Bauersche Giesserei, it remains today one of the most successful typefaces due to its simplicity of features, perfect legibility, and meticulous finish of each of its letters. Its great variety of styles and weights makes Futura particularly fit for distinguished user interfaces, information displays, smart watches, e-readers, television apps, technical appliances, and internet-related uses. Futura is a Trademark of BauerTypes SL

The Futura Black font, related to the Futura font family is boldly geometric and has detached strokes suggesting stencil lettering.

Since the release of these fonts most typefaces in the Scangraphic Type Collection appear in two versions. One is designed specifically for headline typesetting (SH: Scangraphic Headline Types) and one specifically for text typesetting (SB Scangraphic Bodytypes). The most obvious differentiation can be found in the spacing. That of the Bodytypes is adjusted for readability. That of the Headline Types is decidedly more narrow in order to do justice to the requirements of headline typesetting. The kerning tables, as well, have been individualized for each of these type varieties. In addition to the adjustment of spacing, there are also adjustments in the design. For the Bodytypes, fine spaces were created which prevented the smear effect on acute angles in small typesizes. For a number of Bodytypes, hairlines and serifs were thickened or the whole typeface was adjusted to meet the optical requirements for setting type in small sizes. For the German lower-case diacritical marks, all Headline Types complements contain alternative integrated accents which allow the compact setting of lower-case headlines.

FuturaClassic is a recut of Paul Renners original Futura. This version was what Mr. Renner wanted the Futura to look like. He had to change his very stringent design because the market wanted a more pleasing typeface. I think the original design is worth saving because it is much more typical and has a personal and distinguished touch. I have also designed Geometra Rounded with rounded endings that looks more interesting than your usual DIN type Yours trying to save the typographical past Gert Wiescher

First presented by the Bauer Type Foundry in 1928, Futura is commonly considered the major typeface development to come out of the Constructivist orientation of the Bauhaus.movement in Germany. Paul Renner (type designer, painter, author and teacher) sketched the original drawings and based them loosely on the simple forms of circle, triangle and square. The design office at Bauer assisted him in turning these geometric forms into a sturdy, functioning type family, and over time, Renner made changes to make the Futura fonts even more legible. Its long ascenders and descenders benefit from generous line spacing. The range of weights and styles make it a versatile family. Futura is timelessly modern; in 1928 it was striking, tasteful, radical - and today it continues to be a popular typographic choice to express strength, elegance, and conceptual clarity. The PL Futura Maxi font family was created by Victor Caruso in 1960 to add more display weights to Paul Renner's 1927 Futura family. Typefaces in the same style like Futura are: Avenir, Metromedium, Neuzeit Grotesk,

Futura is the fully developed prototype of the twentieth century Geometric Sanserif. The form is ancient, Greek capitals being inscribed by the Cretans twenty-five hundred years ago at the time of Pythagoras in the Gortyn Code, by the Imperial Romans, notably in the tomb of the Scipios, by classical revival architects in eighteenth century London, which formed the basis for Caslon’s first sanserif typeface in 1817. Some aspects of the Geometric sanserif survived in the flood of Gothics that followed, particularly in the work of Vincent Figgins. In 1927, stimulated by the Bauhaus experiments in geometric form and the Ludwig & Mayer typeface Erbar, Paul Renner sketched a set of Bauhaus forms; working from these, the professional letter design office at Bauer reinvented the sanserif based on strokes of even weight, perfect circles and isosceles triangles and brought the Universal Alphabet and Erbar to their definitive typographic form. Futura became the most popular sanserif of the middle years of the twentieth century. Ironically, given its generic past, Futura is the only typeface to have been granted registration under copyright as an original work of art, and, further irony, given the key part played by the Bauer letter design office, the full copyright belongs to Renner and his heirs. This decision in a Frankfurt court implies that a further small group of older typefaces may also be covered by copyright in Germany, particularly those designed for Stempel by Hermann Zapf. This situation appears to be limited to this small group of faces in this one country, although protection of designers’ rights in newer typefaces is now possible in France and Germany through legislation deriving from the 1973 Vienna Treaty for the protection of typefaces. Mergenthaler’s Spartan is a close copy of Futura; Ludlow’s Tempo is less close. Functional yet friendly, logical yet not overintellectual, German yet anti-Nazi... with hindsight the choice of Futura as Volkswagen’s ad font since the 1960s looks inevitable.

Futura is a classic geometric sans serif, one of the crucial typefaces of the 20th century. It remains relevant today and is widely used in logos, headings, web and print. Futura was designed by Paul Renner for Bauersche Gießerei (Bauer) in 1927. The typeface is based on simple geometric forms and is close in the aesthetics to 1920s-30s constructivism and the Bauhaus. Futura PT is the most complete Cyrillic version of Futura. It’s a type system of 25 styles: 16 regular and 9 narrow, from Thin to Extrabold. Futura PT has linear and old style figures, subscripts and fractions. The typeface supports more than 100 languages: Western and Central European Latin and the Cyrillic-extended. The Cyrillic version of Futura was designed by Vladimir Yefimov in 1991–1995. He partially redesigned the typeface in 2007, making it a wholesome consistent system, and Isabella Chaeva added new styles. The typeface was released under the name Futura PT. Isabella Chaeva returned to work on Futura in 2022. The typeface has three new styles, old style figures and extended Cyrillic support.

Josef Albers drew a stencil sanserif form at the Bauhaus in 1923 (published in 1926); Paul Renner and the Bauer design office made a similar design into a typeface in 1929, and rather confusingly included it in the Futura series. Many websites erroneously attribute the stencil design to Josef Albers, but there is no evidence that the two met or collaborated on Futura Black. In 1929 Josef Albers and Jan Tschichold corresponded on the “Transito” typeface (another very similar stencil typeface, while Paul Renner was working with Jan Tschichold.

Since the release of these fonts most typefaces in the Scangraphic Type Collection appear in two versions. One is designed specifically for headline typesetting (SH: Scangraphic Headline Types) and one specifically for text typesetting (SB Scangraphic Bodytypes). The most obvious differentiation can be found in the spacing. That of the Bodytypes is adjusted for readability. That of the Headline Types is decidedly more narrow in order to do justice to the requirements of headline typesetting. The kerning tables, as well, have been individualized for each of these type varieties. In addition to the adjustment of spacing, there are also adjustments in the design. For the Bodytypes, fine spaces were created which prevented the smear effect on acute angles in small typesizes. For a number of Bodytypes, hairlines and serifs were thickened or the whole typeface was adjusted to meet the optical requirements for setting type in small sizes. For the German lower-case diacritical marks, all Headline Types complements contain alternative integrated accents which allow the compact setting of lower-case headlines.

Our most up-to-date Futura adapted to the new times. Its peculiarity lies in the curved endings of three of its letters (“j”, “l” and “t”), which gives the typeface a more dynamic and modern look, making it easier to visualize on small and low-resolution screens. The original designs of these characters are also included. Futura is a Trademark of BauerTypes SL

For nearly 90 years, Paul Renner’s Futura has been as popular as it is versatile—from children’s books to fashion magazines to the plaque on the Moon. Futura is a typographic icon. Futura Now offers designers a chance to see Futura with fresh eyes. It’s more truly Futura-like than any digital version you’ve ever worked with. “It brings some much-needed humanity back to the world of geometric sans serifs,” says Steve Matteson, Monotype’s Creative Type Director who led the design team. “Despite its reputation as the ultimate modern typeface, Futura Now is surprisingly warm,” he explains. “It’s just as at home set next to a leafy tree as it is next to a stainless-steel table, because it skillfully navigates the border between super-clean geometry and humanist warmth.” Futura Now—the definitive Futura—contains 102 styles, including: new Headline and Text weights; new Script and Display weights and styles; and new decorative variants (outlines, inlines, shadows, and fill). Its contemporary alignment of names and weights makes the family easier to understand and use, and its comfortable Text and judicious Headline subfamilies provide instantly refined spacing. With a large Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic character-set, Futura Now serves a wider international creative community. Futura Now is available both as individual OpenType fonts and as a set of Variable fonts, delivering limitless styles in a tidy digital footprint.

Futura is THE prototype of a geometric or constructed linear sans serif and the font most commonly font of its kind used to date. Futura, very much influenced by the Bauhaus movement in Germany, was designed in 1927 by Paul Renner. Although being around for almost 90 years, Futura seems eternally young and fresh which also explains its continuous popularity with designers and typographers. Futura simply means efficiency and functionality documented by both its many usages as corporate type (e.g. Volkswagen, formerly IKEA, Vuitton, Shell, formerly HP, SMA and many more) as well as in various famous film projects (e.g. Kubrick, Anderson etc.). Futura’s iconic status was probably established when it walked on the moon with the Apollo 11 crew in 1969. It was used for the lettering of the plaque that was left up there. Now, URW has expanded its range of Futura styles by Futura Round with 14 additional styles.

First presented by the Bauer Type Foundry in 1928, Futura is commonly considered the major typeface development to come out of the Constructivist orientation of the Bauhaus movement in Germany. Paul Renner (type designer, painter, author and teacher) sketched the original drawings and based them loosely on the simple forms of circle, triangle and square. The design office at Bauer assisted him in turning these geometric forms into a sturdy, functioning type family, and over time, Renner made changes to make the Futura fonts even more legible. Futura’s long ascenders and descenders benefit from generous line spacing. The range of weights and styles make it a versatile family. Futura is timelessly modern; in 1928 it was striking, tasteful, radical — and today it continues to be a popular typographic choice to express strength, elegance, and conceptual clarity. NEW: the new Futura W1G versions features a Pan-European character set for international communications. The W1G character set supports almost all the popular languages/writing systems in western, eastern, and central Europe based on the Latin alphabet including Vietnamese, and also several based on Cyrillic and Greek alphabets.

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.

Slab-like sibling Why stop at sans? Rather than leave FS Silas Sans as an only child, the team wanted to extend the family, and create a complete system for brands and editorial. Unsure what the result would be, the team started experimenting with a slab serif version. ‘We didn’t know how it would turn out, but we really liked it and wanted to take it further. A fresh angle ‘We stuck with the angular theme of the sans by drawing angled slab serifs,’ says Phil Garnham, ‘as opposed to the square serifs that slab fonts usually have. That created an inner dynamism in words and sentences on the page, and a very distinctive, crafted character, like a Victorian soul in a contemporary body.’ These crafted touches include details such as the angled ascenders on the ‘i’ and ‘l’, while characters such as the ‘y’, with its abruptly-ending descender, add a mark of distinction. A perfect pair Silas Slab, like its sibling, offers a clear-cut range of five weights, from the elegant Thin to the monumental ExtraBold. Put it together with Silas Sans and you have the full complement, capable of performing the full range of tasks, above the line and below, in headlines, body copy and logotypes, B2B and B2C. Keep them together; they don’t like it when they’re apart.

Worldly Even though it’s a new arrival, FS Brabo has seen the world. Designed by a Brazilian working in London and studying in Belgium under a Dutchman, it’s certainly well-travelled. And it was inspired by the extraordinary archive of early book typefaces at the world-renowned Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, while Fernando Mello was attending Frank Blokland’s Expert class Type Design course at the Plantin Institute of Typography. It was there that Fernando became engrossed in the collection of early metal type, matrices, punches and type samples by figures such as Garamond and Granjon. So much so that he took on the mighty task of developing ‘a beautiful, functional, serifed text font’ of his own. Heroic FS Brabo’s journey from sketch to font family took an epic three years, starting in Antwerp, continuing at Fontsmith in London, and reaching its conclusion back in Fernando’s home city of São Paulo. No wonder Fernando was reminded of another titanic face-off: that of Antwerp’s Roman hero of legend, Silvius Brabo, and the evil ogre, Antigoon. Brabo came to the town’s rescue after the tyrannical giant had been charging ships’ captains extortionate taxes and chopping off the hands of those who refused to pay up. Having finally downed Antigoon after a long and terrible duel, Brabo cut off the giant’s own hand and threw it into the river Scheldt, unwittingly giving the town its name: the Dutch for ‘hand-throw’ is hand werpen. What better way for Fernando to name his literary typeface than after the hero of Antwerp’s oldest tale? The garalde factor FS Brabo is not a revival, but a very much a contemporary, personal interpretation of a garalde – a class of typeface originating in the 16th century that includes Bembo, Garamond and Plantin, with characteristically rounded serifs and moderate contrast between strokes. Brabo’s ‘ct’ and ‘st’ ligatures, upper-case italic swashes and contextual ending ligatures – ‘as’, ‘is’, ‘us’ – all preserve the beauty and character of traditional typefaces, but its serifs are chunkier than a garalde. Their sharp cuts and squared edges give them a crispness at text sizes, helping to bring a beautifully bookish personality to hardworking modern applications. A workhorse with pedigree It may give the appearance of a simple, four-weight typeface, but FS Brabo has hidden depths beneath its simplicity and beauty. OpenType features such as cap italic swashes, contextual ending swashes – programmed only to appear at the end of words – and stylistic alternatives make this a complete and well-equipped typeface. Comprehensive testing was carried out at text and display sizes, too, to prevent counters from filling in. All of which makes FS Brabo a very modern take on a traditional workhorse serif typeface: colourful and versatile enough to adorn not just editorial projects but also signage, advertising and logotypes.

Antwerp On a visit to Belgium and the Netherlands while still an MA student at Reading University, Eleni Beveratou made some important discoveries. First, there was the letter ‘g’ from the Didot family seen at Plantin Moretus Museum in Antwerp, which seemed “almost like a mistake”. Then there were strange details such as the serifs on the “l”, “h”, “k”, “b” 
and “d” in Egmont Cursive and other typefaces by Sjoerk Hendrik de Roos, found in volumes of poetry she picked up from a chaotic bookshop in Amsterdam. These were characters that stood out from the text but seemed to blend harmoniously with the rest 
of the letters. “And there it was, the spark. 
I decided to design a typeface that would capture the details of the process of writing.” A guiding hand Eleni shared her initial thoughts with Phil Garnham and Jason Smith. They liked what they saw in her tentative first sketches, and gave her the chance to develop her ideas further. Phil, in particular, provided valuable input as FS Olivia took shape. Eleni’s main influence – the handwritten – would give the font its character. “When creating a typeface,” says Eleni, “it’s fair to say that it reflects some of the designer’s personality. And that’s certainly the case with 
FS Olivia. “Although technology is part of my everyday life. I am a great admirer of traditional graphic design where you can touch and feel paper and ink.” Irregular “What I particularly like,” says Eleni, “is that a printed item can develop its own personality sometimes as a result of imperfections in the print. “FS Olivia has some of 
these characteristics as it’s inspired by handwriting, 
and yet it also includes some 
very modern features.” Feminine and fascinating, FS Olivia captures the expressive twists and turns of (the poet’s?) pen on paper, with low junctions, 
deep top serifs and semi-rounded edges. Round outstrokes contrast with 
the rough corners of the instroke, while strong diagonals and inclined serifs create a richly textured pattern. Polytonic It’s only fitting that there should be a version of this poetic font for one of the birthplaces of poetry and song. Eleni, who hails from Athens, developed an extensive range of glyphs that could be used for the Greek language, in both modern and ancient texts. For the latter, there is a version of Olivia for displaying polytonic Greek (a system that utilises a range of accents and “breathings”), which brings the 21st century technology of OpenType to the presentation of poetic texts from Ancient Greece. Just think what Homer could have done with that.

New York to London via Europe The hardworking FS Koopman is a crossbred workhorse which draws inspiration from Swiss and Germanic grotesks, American gothics and early British grotesques, but refuses to fit neatly into any of these categories. Its neither one nor the other, but all of the above. Fontsmith designers Andy Lethbridge and Stuart de Rozario decided to take the characteristics they admired from each category and distill them down into one functional family. Neo meets Neue FS Koopman aims to swim against the tide of Helvetica-ish derivatives by bringing some personality and soul to a genre that all too often ends up feeling bland and sterile. FS Koopman subtly embraces the quirkiness and charm often seen in early twentieth century designs but pairs this with the functionality of later pioneers of the genre. It’s a grotesque isn’t it? The term grotesque surfaced around the early 1800s and refers to the early sans serif designs that many initially believed were strange or ‘grotesque’ due to their lack of elegant serifs. Later variations became known as neo-grotesques and this moniker stuck around even after they gained mass popularity. Some American variants became known as gothics. FS Koopman takes cues from all three categories and blends them into one cohesive design.

Bookish A little bit bookish, but quietly elegant and well-proportioned, FS Sally is a graceful font family. It’s a refreshingly uncomplicated design that brings sophistication to text and display type, and a distinctive aplomb to both large and small volumes of text. Hidden talents There’s more to FS Sally than meets the eye. Choose Standard for the Latin alphabet or Pro if you work with Cyrillic and Greek typography. There’s a large range of special features, including elegant small caps and a set of discretionary ligatures to add a traditional flavour to figures and fraction sets. Rhythmic There’s a rhythm and flow to FS Sally – the result of the classic but asymmetric design of its serifed feet and shoulders. The inward curve of the serif at the shoulder and the outward curve at the foot subliminally guide the eye through each letterform, and the flicked feet of the “a”, “d” and “u” add an extra kick of energy to the rhythm. The italic forms have their own flow, too, with a pen-like fluency that retains the formal discipline required for a text type. Regular to heavy FS Sally’s five weights, all with italics, cover every kind of print application. The regular weight is elegant in display and an easy read in longer texts. A subtle step up from the regular is the medium, which was created to deliver a stronger colour and finish in poorer printing conditions. The semibold offers a strong alternative to the regular at smaller sizes, and its intermediate feel suits it to sub-headings, title pages and calmer designs. The bold works excellently in book and title headings, and FS Sally Heavy lends weight and punch to poster headlines and logotypes.

Changing nature of work FS Industrie is an extraordinarily versatile new type system, with 70 variants built around five different widths and seven different weights. Type in the future will be increasingly variable, and FS Industrie is specifically designed to address the changing needs of brands. As more of the things we make exist primarily in a digital space, so our need to create type that can adapt within that space grows. It is the spirit of variable design, adaptation and flexibility that drove us to create FS Industrie. A typeface for future work in a future world. FS Industrie is a response to the changing nature of type, for brands that are responding to the changing nature of work. Industrial style Stylistically, FS Industrie feels direct and simple without sacrificing its humanity. It takes inspiration from German fonts of the 1930s, with their roots in manufacturing and signage. A classic sense of functional utility combined with a progressive view of where type is heading. Expressions in width A fundamental challenge with variable type is to ensure that craft and precision is preserved at every interval. Each width and weight is drawn by hand, with subtle variations in terminals and angles as you progress through the system. This ensures each variant can play to its unique strengths, while also pairing perfectly with its siblings. From the closed terminals of the Condensed and the open terminals of the Extended. FS Industrie is a design system that maintains a practical, grounded and robust tone throughout every variable style. Variable nature The 70 styles offer a range of expression. Each width contrasts with the next to clearly define typographic roles in graphic layouts. Every glyph is crafted with adaptability and scalability in mind, creating a pliable design space for the user. The proportions of each letterform flex as weight scales up, stem weights increase as letter width broadens. These subtle design changes create an optically consistent visual impression.

Rooted Rooted in 1960s Brit modernism and infused with a fresh, contemporary spirit, FS Elliot is a future-proof, workhorse sans serif, well-suited to any assignment. Open and harmonious, its clear, fluid shapes lend words a distinctive and optimistic bounce. Britishness FS Elliot came out of a desire to create something squarely in the British modernist tradition, drawing on influences such as Design Research Unit’s portfolio of type for famous British brands and products, and Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir’s work on the British road sign system. Nick Job took the openness and simplicity of that style and injected warmth and wide appeal, coming up with a highly practical, multi-purpose family of faces. Enduring appeal “The great thing about having an eye on the future,” says designer Nick Job, “is that most of it is unknown. It’s what encourages us to take risks. And it leaves an uncertainty which, I believe, gives the best work its enduring appeal.” FS Elliot is available in a Pro version with full language support and a full range of Roman, Cyrillic and Greek weights.

Brother To create a truly global font family, FS Albert needed an Arabic script sibling. Emanuela Conidi set about the delicate task of creating an alphabet to harmonise visually with its Latin sans serif counterpart so that the two could be used side-by-side in bilingual publications. Working with the Kufic style of script, with its simpler, geometric forms, Emanuela sculpted letters with the a similar optical size, weight and rhythm as FS Albert, with open counters and monolinear strokes. It never hurts to Naskh But there’s more to FS Albert than a simple, geometric structure. To match Albert’s cheery, charming character, FS Albert Arabic needed an injection of warmth and informality. Emanuela incorporated some of the more expressive, calligraphic shapes of the Naskh script style, which lent the letterforms a looser, softer, more handwritten quality, while remaining functional and structured. The Naskh influence is most noticeable in the bowl of characters such as Jim, Qaf and Nun, in the curved tail of Waw and Reh, and the deep joining of Tah. Follow the script The end result is an Arabic script that’s the perfect partner to FS Albert: open counters, monolinear strokes and a friendly, rounded appearance. FS Albert Arabic is available in Opentype format, in five weights from Thin to ExtraBold. It supports Persian and Urdu, with proportional and tabular numerals for both, plus full vocalisation and the Hijra feature.