Pure and not-so-simple Maybe it’s the air of purity, openness and transparency that they transmit, but geometric typefaces are more popular than ever among leading brands. Based on near-perfect circles, triangles and squares, geometric letterforms look uncomplicated, even though making them readable is anything but – something the designers of the first wave of geometric fonts discovered nearly a century ago. Many of the world’s most recognisable brands in technology, retail, travel, food, manufacturing and other industries continue to be drawn to the straightforward, honest character that geometric fonts convey. Fontsmith set out in 2015 to develop a typeface in the same tradition, but optimised for the demands of modern brands – online and offline usage, readability and accessibility. And, of course, with the all-important Fontsmith x-factor built in. FS Lucas is the bold and deceptively simple result. Handle with care The letterforms of FS Lucas are round and generous, along the lines of Trajan Column lettering stripped of its serifs. But beware their thorns. Their designer, Stuart de Rozario, who also crafted the award-winning FS Millbank, wanted a contrast between spiky and soft, giving sharp apexes to the more angular letterforms, such as A, M, N, v, w and z. Among his inspirations were the colourful, geometric compositions of Frank Stella, the 1920s art deco poster designs of AM Cassandre, and the triangular cosmic element symbol, which led him to tackle the capital A first, instead of the usual H. The proportions and angles of the triangular form would set the template for many of the other characters. It was this form, and the light-scattering effects of triangular prisms, that lit the path to a name for the typeface: Lucas is derived from lux, the Latin word for light. Recommended reading Early geometric typefaces were accused of putting mathematical integrity before readability. FS Lucas achieves the trick of appearing geometric, while taking the edge off elements that make reading difficult. Perfectly circlular shapes don’t read well. The way around that is to slightly thicken the vertical strokes, and pull out the curves at the corners to compensate; the O and o of FS Lucas are optical illusions. Pointed apexes aren’t as sharp as they look; the flattened tips are an essential design feature. And distinctive details such as the open terminals of the c, e, f, g, j, r and s, and the x-height bar on the i and j, aid legibility, especially on-screen. These and many other features, the product of sketching the letterforms in the first instance by hand rather than mapping them out mechanically by computer, give FS Lucas the built-in humanity and character that make it a better, easier read all-round. Marks of distinction Unlike some of its more buttoned-up geometric bedfellows, FS Lucas can’t contain its natural personality and quirks: the flick of the foot of the l, for example, and the flattish tail on the g and j. The unusual bar on the J improves character recognition, and the G is circular, without a straight stem. There’s a touch of Fontsmith about the t, too, with the curve across the left cross section in the lighter weights, and the ampersand is one of a kind. There’s a lot to like about Lucas. With its 9 weights, perfect proportions and soft but spiky take on the classic geometric font, it’s a typeface that could light up any brand.

Pure and not-so-simple Maybe it’s the air of purity, openness and transparency that they transmit, but geometric typefaces are more popular than ever among leading brands. Based on near-perfect circles, triangles and squares, geometric letterforms look uncomplicated, even though making them readable is anything but – something the designers of the first wave of geometric fonts discovered nearly a century ago. Many of the world’s most recognisable brands in technology, retail, travel, food, manufacturing and other industries continue to be drawn to the straightforward, honest character that geometric fonts convey. Fontsmith set out in 2015 to develop a typeface in the same tradition, but optimised for the demands of modern brands – online and offline usage, readability and accessibility. And, of course, with the all-important Fontsmith x-factor built in. FS Lucas is the bold and deceptively simple result. Handle with care The letterforms of FS Lucas are round and generous, along the lines of Trajan Column lettering stripped of its serifs. But beware their thorns. Their designer, Stuart de Rozario, who also crafted the award-winning FS Millbank, wanted a contrast between spiky and soft, giving sharp apexes to the more angular letterforms, such as A, M, N, v, w and z. Among his inspirations were the colourful, geometric compositions of Frank Stella, the 1920s art deco poster designs of AM Cassandre, and the triangular cosmic element symbol, which led him to tackle the capital A first, instead of the usual H. The proportions and angles of the triangular form would set the template for many of the other characters. It was this form, and the light-scattering effects of triangular prisms, that lit the path to a name for the typeface: Lucas is derived from lux, the Latin word for light. Recommended reading Early geometric typefaces were accused of putting mathematical integrity before readability. FS Lucas achieves the trick of appearing geometric, while taking the edge off elements that make reading difficult. Perfectly circlular shapes don’t read well. The way around that is to slightly thicken the vertical strokes, and pull out the curves at the corners to compensate; the O and o of FS Lucas are optical illusions. Pointed apexes aren’t as sharp as they look; the flattened tips are an essential design feature. And distinctive details such as the open terminals of the c, e, f, g, j, r and s, and the x-height bar on the i and j, aid legibility, especially on-screen. These and many other features, the product of sketching the letterforms in the first instance by hand rather than mapping them out mechanically by computer, give FS Lucas the built-in humanity and character that make it a better, easier read all-round. Marks of distinction Unlike some of its more buttoned-up geometric bedfellows, FS Lucas can’t contain its natural personality and quirks: the flick of the foot of the l, for example, and the flattish tail on the g and j. The unusual bar on the J improves character recognition, and the G is circular, without a straight stem. There’s a touch of Fontsmith about the t, too, with the curve across the left cross section in the lighter weights, and the ampersand is one of a kind. There’s a lot to like about Lucas. With its 9 weights, perfect proportions and soft but spiky take on the classic geometric font, it’s a typeface that could light up any brand.

Lyra is an Italian Renaissance script that might have developed if metal type had not broken the evolution of broad pen calligraphy. It lies in the area between the humanist bookhand and the chancery cursive, combining the fullness and articulation of the Roman letters with a moderate italic slant and condensation. A steep pen-angle allows use of a broader pen relative to the x-height, giving the letters more contrast with light verticals and heavy curves. Lyra embodies the Renaissance spirit of refining technical advances of the late middle ages with reintroduction of ancient classical principles. Based on the moving penstroke with constantly changing pen-angle, it brings the vitality of handwriting to the ordered legibility of type. Lyra is a formal italic, too slow for copying books. By eliminating the element of speed, digital technology opens up a new level of calligraphy, bringing it into the sphere of typography as would naturally have happened if metalworkers had not controlled the process. If classical Western traditions are respected, digital calligraphy has the potential to recapture the work of the past and restart its stalled evolution. There is of course no substitute for the charm of actual writing, with each letter made for its space; but the tradeoff is for the formal harmony of classical calligraphy as every curve resonates in tune with every other. This three-weight font family marks Philip Bouwsma's much-requested return from a three year hiatus. It also reminds us of his solid vision in regards to how calligraphy, typography and technology can interact to produce digital beauty and vesatility. Each of the three Lyra fonts contains almost three character sets in a single file. Aside from the usual wealth of alternates normally built into Bouwsma's work, Lyra offers two unique features for the user who appreciates the availability of handy solutions to subtle design space issues: At least three (and as many as six) length variations on ascending and descending forms, and 65 snap-on swashes which can be attached to either end of the majuscules or minuscules. The series also offers 24 dividers and ornaments built into each weight, and a stand-alone font containing 90 stars/snowflakes/flowers, symmetric contstructs for building frames or separators, masking, watermarking, or just good old psychedelia.

Klothilde is a handwriting font which came to life in one of my doodling sessions (I must admit I still doodle with pen and paper). The idea was to create a font which resembles writing with a quill on paper with exaggerated ball terminals. Sometimes there is too much ink which makes the letters fat and the strokes uneven. The paper soaks the ink resulting in blurred line crossings. The form gets blurry. On the other hand, when the quill runs out of ink the stroke gets thinner looking like the light version of Klothilde. In order to emulate the different looks, I created six fonts with a common skeleton but different appearance which can be altered seamlessly by using the Variable Fonts technology (e.g. in latest Adobe apps or CorelDRAW Graphics Suite) along the Weight and Blurred sliders. But even without, Klothilde can be used even in longer copy. Use it from 18 pt upwards, flush left with tight leading and intersecting ascenders and descenders. Due to extensive manual kerning, it gives your text an even colour. To my knowledge, Klothilde is one of the first script Variable fonts in different weights. No, Klothilde’s letters are not connecting. But I added a whole bunch of connecting ligatures which are simply activated by the ligature feature of your app. Even Microsoft Word can do that. Thus Klothilde comes to life, as it should be expected from a handwriting font. In order to add to variety there are additional glyphs for some critical initial and standalone letters. Repeating letter combinations like nn, mm or rr are avoided by replacing the second letter by an alternative form. All features are activated by the standard ligature feature. Ligatures are available for most European languages, some even in Cyrillic (some special Serbo-Croat letters included and accessible through localization or Style Set 08 features). Romanian comma-accent characters and ligatures are accessible through the OpenType locl feature. For the topping on the cake, I added an alternate ampersand (stylistic set 1) and asterisk (ss04), an alternate Cyrillic b (ss02) and t (ss03), a few fleurons, arrows and a skull (OpenType feature ornm), fractions (frac feature), circled numbers (ss06) and an interrobang (ss07) which result in exactly 900 glyphs in each of the six fonts. There should be enough to play with. Should you be missing a special character, do give me a hint.

In comparison to the powerful and commanding original, Sancoale Gothic is a more sober version of Sancoale. The medium contrast between thick and thin strokes makes for a typeface that stands out with striking clarity in longer texts, yet is very readable. This new addition to the Sancoale family is a perfect alternative if you want to use a different style than the original family. Using the utmost care and restraint, the designer strove to avoid overbearing futurism in favor of a typeface with clean lines and clear forms. Show your customers the world with Sancoale Gothic, a versatile sans with a wide range of styles, from delicate thins to bold, hefty weights that dominate the page and screen with confidence and futuristic flair. A fresh, friendly voice for all kinds of uses, from corporate statements to fashion, Sancoale Gothic is a versatile sans with a wide range of styles, from delicate thins to bold, hefty weights that dominate the page and screen with confidence and futuristic flair. Sancoale Gothic has a distinct personality, which allows you to create a wide range of projects, including posters and websites. The Sancoale Gothic fonts come in many varieties, so you can go with a light or thick weight, depending on what fits your project best. With their sweeping curves, the heavy fonts are meant for huge headings on posters and websites. The Sancoale Gothic family is made up of 48 distinct styles, with 660 glyphs and supports 70 languages, allowing you to communicate with your customers all over the world. Small Capitals and other OpenType features abound! The design is sleek with no stems or spurs in the default character set, but OpenType alternates have alternates with stems. OpenType capable applications such as Quark or the Adobe suite can take full advantage of the automatically replacing ligatures and alternates. The superfamily offers an array of optical sizes, contrasting weights, and contrasting optical sizes to discover the right balance, contrast, and optical size for your design. Prepare to be blown away by Sancoale Gothic’s smooth curves and captivating allure. Sancoale Gothic is perfect for both a contemporary and forward looking style. Sancoale Gothic is both practical and unique, in a standalone capacity or with the companion Sancoale fonts. Use it to make an impact today.

The Azbuka™ typeface family has its roots in a fairly pedestrian source. “The idea came in part from an old sign in London that read ‘SPRINKLER STOP VALVE’,” says Dave Farey, designer of the typeface. Like all good sign spotters, Farey took a photograph of the sign and filed it away for possible use in a lettering or typeface design project. In Prague a number of years later, the street signs reminded Farey of the London signage - and his camera came out again. Comparing the two back in his studio, he realized that the signs from London and Prague were not as similar as he initially thought. However, they were enough alike to serve as the foundation for a no-frills, 21st century sans serif typeface family. “I wanted to draw a wide range of weights, italic and condensed designs all in one go,” recalls Farey, “rather than add on to the family later.” His goal was to create a family that could be used for text and display copy, with sufficient weights to provide a broad typographic palette. Indeed, the completed design, created in collaboration with fellow type designer Richard Dawson, consists of twenty typefaces in eight weights ranging from extra light to extra black. The five mid-range designs have complementary italics. Seven condensed designs round out the family. Azbuka’s lighter weights perform remarkably well in blocks of text composition. “They’re clean and legible - and perhaps a little boring,” says Farey, “but they are perfect for copy with a down-to-earth, yet contemporary flavor.” The heavier weights are equally well suited for a variety of display uses. The designs are authoritative but not overbearing and will readily make a strong statement without calling attention to themselves. The condensed weights of Azbuka are ideal for those instances where you have a lot to say - and not much room to say it. The name Azbuka? It’s Russian for “alphabet.” And what more appropriate name could there be for this utilitarian, industrial-strength type family than alphabet? The Azbuka family is available as a suite of OpenType Pro fonts. Graphic communicators can now work with this versatile design while taking advantage of OpenType’s capabilities. The Azbuka Pro fonts also offer an extended character set that supports most Central European and many Eastern European languages

The Postea font family is Veronika Burian and José Scaglione’s take on German geometric typefaces, reshaped with the right attributes for setting paragraphs and headings, and perfect for branding and text use. Some typefaces are a rough tool, like a pumice rock: abrasive to the senses, unforgiving, and unhelpful for most reading situations. Postea is an obsidian: smooth and classy, with attractive nuances in any light. The classic curves and purposeful details keep its individuality intact while allowing it to fit an incredible range of geometric font needs. Because of these qualities, Postea makes normal reading in paragraphs a cinch and your branding memorable. Compared to midcentury attributes of restraint and a sparse appearance, Postea’s deliberate play between character widths injects life and distinctiveness into its personality. The default ‘t, f’ have lyrical doses akin to a robust evening drink and are rounded out with a serpentine ‘s’ and rotund ‘o, g, b’. Another nice surprise awaits: spacing for the Hairline weight is tighter for optimal use in large headings and titles, while the regular weights have the expected, slightly looser spacing for text. Setting the test word ‘bogarts’ brings all this together nicely, invoking a balance between a constructed and human feel while brushing away the dust from a century of derivatives. Postea is opinionated and its modern stylistic sets allow it to be accommodating with softer, specially-designed alternative characters. SS01 replaces ‘b, f, M, m, t’, while SS02 changes only the lowercase ‘a’ to the round style, and SS03 swaps out the angled ‘y’ for a straight version. The fourth and sixth stylistic sets are packed with wallpaper-worthy geometric patterns, ornaments, arrows, and symbols aplenty. Postea’s 14 styles (seven upright and italic) and two variable fonts are accompanied by an all-new family of icons in three weights, which we developed a new, easy way to activate. Simply bookend the desired icon name with colons (:arrowUp: :chargingStation: :aid: :firstAid:), making sure to capitalise each word after the first word, then highlight and activate SS05. Icons include wayfinding, social interface, sanitary precautions like face masks, thermometers, and hand washing, and much more. Postea is resilient in the number of ways the family can be used, and its recognisable characters make it a prime selection for branding, signage, corporate typefaces, and magazines. Beginning with midcentury virtues, Postea is the rational response for text — a lyrical take on geometric sans serifs.

Aspen is a refreshing and resilient typeface for text of any kind. Functional but not faceless, Aspen derives a very distinctive character from an unusual pedigree. It is loosely influenced by early American and European grotesques, but with more warmth and improved legibility. And where these historical models were rigid and bulky, Aspen’s curves have a gentle sway that makes for very comfortable reading. Relatively generous ascenders and descenders allow the typeface to feel spacious even when set with tight leading. These amiable qualities are matched with a lively italic based on cursive writing. The family consists of nine weights, and is intended for both text and display usage. Visit this minisite to see Aspen in action.

The future is square! Well, at least according to Turbo Modul! Maybe the future is square, but it is also funky - just like Turbo Modul ... and its pretty unpredictable! Turbo Modul is loaded with alternative letters with arrows pointing in all directions, all made to pimp your designs! I've also added ligatures to substitute double letters, and there's a slight difference from caps and lowercase. Wow! That's a lot of different combinations! I tell you what ... I take a look at the posters I've made, and hopefully it will make you want to try out the font. I had a lot of fun doing the font, and maybe you will have a lot of fun using it! ;)

Aint’ nuthin but the Thang. Thang is a street cred script family with big initial caps and tight flow. Thang is great for flashy headlines or as a logotype. Thang family comes with three weights. Thang Extras is a pack of strokes and dots that can be used to decorate your texts typed with Thang. Thang Extras can also be combined with Thang letters for custom Swash. Thang is packed with several OpenType features: keep on Standard Ligatures and Contextual Alternates for smooth flow. Try Swash, Stylistic or Titling Alternates for alternate characters to create customised lettering works. Check out Glyph Palette for even more alternate characters and go wild the Thang.

Monthly Calendar JNL is a companion font to Calendar Blocks JNL, and features classic wood type lettering and numerals from the 1800s. A set of large numbers are on their own keys, while the numbers 1-31 reside on the A-Z and a-e keys respectively. The days of the week are on the lower case “f” through “l” keys, while the names of the months are found on the “m” through “x” positions. An open rectangle is on the lower case “y” key, and a solid black rectangle is on the “z”. For those who wish to use the 23/30 and 24/31 configurations, they can be found on the left and right parenthesis.

Seconda XtraSoft is the extra soft companion of Seconda and Seconda Soft. Friendlier, easier on the eye, more informal, more fashionable — but still the refined and reliable Seconda. Seconda XtraSoft’s extra softness comes from the moderate rounding of both the edges and the inner corners of its characters. Seconda XtraSoft has sixteen styles, extensive language support, eight different kinds of figures, sophisticated OpenType features — so it’s ready for advanced typographic projects. For text and display use. When using Seconda XtraSoft in small text sizes, it will be a reliable and legible text face. When using it in big display sizes, it will show its interesting details. For more information about Seconda XtraSoft, download the PDF Specimen Manual.

Modeled on the writings chiseled in stone in the second century B.C., Syntax™ Lapidar is an energetic, spirited typeface designed by Hans Eduard Meier in 2000. Linotype Syntax Lapidar Text and Linotype Syntax Lapidar Serif Text have five weights each, with both cap and lowercase letterforms. Lapidar Display and Lapidar Serif Display also have five weights each, with mostly all cap letterforms and many alternates. It's a terrifically fun and inventive family, and if you look closely, you can see the resemblance to the more modern and restrained Syntax™ relatives. Great for menus, artist books, travelogues, or advertising - and if used very sparingly, it could add just the right element of lapidary significance to corporate documents.

A multilingual type family that features a modern Arabic Naskh with very short descenders and ascenders, which matches with a full-caps Latin counterpart. Molsaq is perfect for setting applications that require tight leading, such as posters, hence the name, which means poster in Arabic. With 1050 glyphs, Molsaq Pro supports Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, and Kurdish, it also supports more than 60 languages that use the Latin script. Molsaq Pro comes with many Opentype features such as, stylistic alternates, ligatures, swashes, and small caps. Molsaq Latin includes all the Opentype features and the full languages support, except for the Arabic script. While Molsaq Arabic doesn't include Opentype features, and only support the Arabic script.

Disco Rendezvous: An Adaptive Font Pair Inspired by Neon Soaked Club Culture Combining an elegant script and a tall sans serif font, Disco Rendezvous is a perfectly contrasted design that evokes the golden-age of disco, inspired by neon soaked night clubs and epic dance floor hits. The superstar of this show is the highly customisable script that takes full advantage of OpenType features to offer countless creative options via alternative characters and automatic ligatures, giving your headers and title designs an authentically hand-made look. It features a complete set of uppercase and lowercase characters, along with numerals, punctuation and language support, and used with the included Sans Serif font pair you have a perfectly matched type treatment.

The original inspiration for Blue Parrot came from a short scene in the classic film Casablanca. For just a few seconds, the exterior of Ferrari's Blue Parrot night club is shown, complete with a wonderful hand-lettered sign... all in capital letters. Blue Parrot JNL was originally released in 2006, and it wasn't long before a few people noted that the font would also look good with a lower case alphabet. The idea of adding in lower case kicked around for a couple of years until Jeff Levine finally completed a revision of the font. In this version there's also an expanded character set thanks to the creative input of Michael Hagemann of Font Mesa.

RARE BIRD SPECIMEN II Specimen II is an elegant hand by Karla Lim of Written Word Calligraphy. It floats across the page on gossamer wings. Specimen II pairs well with classic typefaces like Baskerville, Garamond and Bodoni. OBSERVATIONS Specimen II is exquisitely delicate but not fragile. Best suited for unforgettable affairs. DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS Opentype programming, formal title & preposition wordart, 7 alternate ëandí options, Roman numerals, in and out-stroked letterforms at beginning and end of words, multiple alternate lowercase t cross-strokes, realistic double-letter ligatures, seamlessly connecting calligraphic letters, alternate capital letters, old style numerals, basic Latin encoding. POTENTIAL SIGHTINGS Wedding stationery suites, logo design, luxury product packaging, fragrance, wine labels.

Mix Catchphrase is a fun and playful handwritten font that tries its best to be a serious serif (although it fails at being serious, in case you were wondering). With its clean handwriting style and serif details, this font is perfect for adding a quirky, DIY feel to your projects. Use Mix Catchphrase to give your designs a creepy edge, perfect for Halloween or any other ghoulish occasion. With the right styling and color palette, this rough and rugged font is sure to bring personality and character to all of your projects. Add some fun to your designs with Mix Catchphrase. MIX CATCHPHRASE includes the following characters: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 !@$#%^&*()`~♥✿•· ÷×+−±≈=≠≥≤[]<>‹›:;'”,.|/?{}<>“”‘’-–—_ …©®™<>«»°¹²³ªº¡¿₱¢€£¥¶§№† ÁÀÂÄÃÅĂĀĄÆĆĈČÇÐĐÉÈÊËĖĒĘĜĤIÍÌÎÏĪĮĴŁŃÑŇ ÓÒÔÖÕØŌŐŒŔŘŚŜŠȘŤȚÚÙÛÜŮŰŪŲẂẀŴÝŶŸŹẐŽŻÞ áàâäãåăāąæćĉčçðđéèêëėēęĝĥıíìîïīįĵłńñň óòôöõøōőœŕřśŝšșťțúùûüůűūųẃẁŵýŷÿźẑžżþß

Amorino is a new casual and organic calligraphic font. Is the perfect blend of elegant and casual. With the total number of 889 glyphs, is equipped with plenty of OpenType features. Uppercase letters can alternate between at least four different forms and lowercase letters have up to thirteen choices more to avoid repetition. These effects include start and end forms words. To activate the optional glyphs you may click on Swash, Contextual, Standard Ligatures, Stylistic or Discretionary Ligatures buttons in any OpenType savvy program or manually choose the characters from Glyph Palette. Amorino font might be the choice to use on creating headlines, logos & posters for branding and packaging purposes. Hope you enjoy.