Monotype’s hot metal Bell series from 1931 was based on original types made by the punchcutter Richard Austin for the foundry of John Bell in the 1780s. The different sizes of Monotype’s series were not all based on the same model. As type historian James Mosley wrote on Typophile, “For 18 point and above (the metal type was cut in sizes up to 36 point) Monotype’s model was a larger type [than the model used for the text sizes], the ‘Great Primer’ cut by Austin. This has greater contrast in the capitals and a flat foot to letter a.” The digital Bell closely follows the design of the hot metal 18pt version, and is therefore somewhat lighter in color than the text sizes of Monotype’s original metal face. James Mosley’s Typophile article can be found here.

ITC Rastko began as a series of initial letters for a book of poetry. Serbian designer Olivera Stojadinovic had been working with a small publishing house creating a special series of books under the Masterpieces" brand. Her goal was to draw a new set of initial letters for each book. ITC Rastko, named after the Serbian poet Rastko Petrovic, was a project that required initial letters for the entire alphabet. Once Stojadinovic had drawn the majority of the capital letters, she realized that a companion lowercase would make a distinctive script typeface. Sketches of the letters were drawn quickly with a pointed pen. Stojadinovic then refined these, keeping the spontaneous, hand-drawn quality. Capitals are wide and flourished, while the lowercase letters are more condensed and subdued. It's no surprise that the capitals also make great initial letters."