Kuschelfraktur is a unique, eye-catching take on the theme of blackletter that replaces the broad nib with a brush pen and achieves stroke modulation through stencil-like gaps. It combines the texture and dignity of blackletter with the human warmth of informal handwriting. Kuschelfraktur offers five separate sets of capital letters and several additional customization option via stylistic alternates. The degree of ornamentation in the blackletter capitals can be increased (SS02) or decreased (SS07), while SS04 and SS05 offer two simpler approaches to capital letters that bridge from blackletter to Roman letters (Antiqua). The default single-storey �a� can be replaced with a two-storey version in SS01, and SS08 offers a single-storey capital �A� for the simple capitals. Finally, SS03 restores some of the more unique letter shapes of the Fraktur style of blackletter. The old-style figures can be replaced with lining and/or tabular figures. All these stylistic sets are accessible via OpenType from the main font, Kuschelfraktur, whereas the spin-off fonts (Traditional, Verziert, Text, Schlicht, Antiqua) offer convenient access to those sets even in environments without OpenType support. I am grateful to the helpful souls on the TypeDrawers and Typographie.info forums for encouragement and constructive feedback, and to the Glyphs team for their fantastic type editor. Kuschelfraktur is dedicated to my son Marius.

Grenale #2 shapes the new standard of elegance within the Grenale family. Not your typical sans, this pure, geometric structure with its glamorous sensitivity draws much inspiration still from Grenale's didone sans and the haute couture influence. Independently attractive, though, the form abandons the original's high contrast for its own minimal stroke variation, achieving proper balance through its graceful strokes. Grenale's thin weights are simple but vibrant--elegant forms that naturally lend themselves to designer journals and high-end branding along with upscale applications. With added energy and power, the thicker weights give your work a firmer, statlier look. Grenale #2's upright versions are also matched by optically adjusted italics. While unique in appearance, any of #2's weight also provide a well-matched companion to its original counterpart. The fashionable typeface includes a multitude of alternates that may be accessed in any OpenType-enabled application. The stylish features include a large group of alternates, swashes, and meticulously refined details with ball terminals and alternate titling caps to accessorize the font. Also included are capital swash alternates, old style figures, and small caps. Peruse the PDF brochure to see these features in action. OpenType enabled applications such as the Adobe suite or Quark can take full advantage of the automatic replacing ligatures and alternates. This family also offers the glyphs to support a wide range of languages. It's time to think high-class. Graceful and assured, the carefully crafted forms of Grenale #2 step pleasantly onto each page with elegant charm. Include its range of alternate glyphs, and this chic font is a superb choice for bringing a far more refined look to your projects.

Who doesn't want or need an expansive contemporary extended sans that has a sense of style and swagger… what if it had a lowercase, small caps and various numeral options… how could you say no? This was the foundational argument I made for myself when I drew the initial alphabet on my birthday last year (something I do each year, draw a new font, kind of a fun OCD thing). I wanted to see a wide, utilitarian sans that had more to it than just a basic character set and didn't resemble standard geometric models. As I continued sketching, the letterforms were being influenced more by my 'lettering tendencies' than the normal mechanical trappings of drawing flat, wide letters. The letters have retained aspects of letters created by hand — stresses, modulation, naturally ending terminals. Truncation and quick clipping of strokes became antithetical to the letterforms I drew, so I continued this once I brought the design into the computer. I kept it precise and dependable, but made every attempt to keep a conscientiously crafted typeface and not let it devolve into a grid-based drone. As such, it works just as well looking back in time as much as it does assuming a lead role in a sci-fi movie. Halogen does deliver and opts not to take a short cut and provide an anemic offering of glyphs — a modern typeface offered today must provide more than just the basics and this one does — lowercase, smallcaps, old style numerals, tabular forms, stylistic and titling alternates, fractions, case-sensitive features, and even an alternate uppercase ordinal set is included. So go make cool print and digital things with it, now.

A sturdy workhorse with the grace of a gazelle, the FF Pastoral typeface family marries pure craftsmanship with rapturous excesses of form. With his fifteenth release under the FontFont brand, prolific French designer Xavier Dupré has filled a typographic toolbox with plentiful options ranging from a tender, feathery Thin to a robust, healthy Black. At a glance, FF Pastoral appears deceptively simple, particularly in the middle weights. That surface serenity is intentional and allows for easy reading and quick comprehension of short blocks of copy. Upon closer inspection, FF Pastoral is complex and nuanced, carrying a balanced tension in its forms. This plays particularly well in magazine spreads and corporate logos, where uniqueness is a virtue. In creating his latest design, Dupré drew inspiration from a tasteful mix of references, combining diverse elements with a deft hand. While its letter shapes were informed by humanist-geometric hybrid Gill Sans, FF Pastoral’s proportions have been optimized for contemporary typography. Slightly condensed but generously spaced, FF Pastoral features a tall x-height, open counters, and subtle, sprightly italics slanted at just 5°. Proportional oldstyle figures are the default in the family, with tabular and lining numbers and fractions accessible through OpenType features. Elegant details evocative of calligraphy judiciously pepper the FF Pastoral glyph set. The ‘e’ bears an oblique crossbar, while the right leg of the ‘K’ and the ‘R’ are insouciantly curved in both the upright and italic variants. Further flourishes appear throughout the italics, notably in the ‘T’ and the ‘Z’, the gloriously looped tail of the ‘G’, and an extraordinary ampersand. Sharp-eyed fans of Dupré’s work may feel like they’re in familiar territory, and they would be right. An early version of FF Pastoral sprang to life in 2017 as Malis, a family in four weights on the heavier side of the spectrum. Over time, Dupré refined his original design, expanding it with four lighter styles and including true italics for all. The lightest weights are ethereal, with exquisitely delicate strokes drawing the eye in and across a line of type. The most substantial styles are tremendous in their power, allowing text to make a deep impression in print or on screen. Fully fleshed out, FF Pastoral works sublimely in a vast array of text and display settings. Dupré sees his latest FontFont offering as a ‘cultural’ typeface, perfect for the pages of an oversized coffee-table book or business communications where warmth and informality will win the day. Born in Aubenas, France (1977), Xavier Dupré is a gifted user of type as well as an award-winning type designer and lettering artist. After training in graphic design in Paris, Dupré studied calligraphy and typography at the Scriptorium de Toulouse. Since releasing FF Parango in 2001, Dupré has published such FontFont classics as the FF Absara and FF Sanuk superfamilies, FF Megano, FF Tartine, and FF Yoga. A designer of Khmer fonts as well as Latin typefaces, Dupré splits his time between Europe and Asia.