❧ Useful links: Luther’s Manuscripts at the UNESCO Memory of the World at Google Arts and Culture Martin Luther font on Kickstarter (with Film about the creation) Each letter of the Martin Luther font is strictly based on original samples found in Martin Luther’s 500 year old handwritten manuscripts. Letters that occur more often for example vowels have two or more different versions stored in the font. (➶ Figure 4) These alternative forms are exchanged automatically by the font as you type, and create a vivid look that comes close to actual handwriting. The font avoids that two identical letters are placed next to each other like, for example the two “o” in the word “look”. ➸ What Historic Sources is the Font based on? Two historic documents were used to base the font on. The notes Luther took before giving his speech in Worms in 1521 and a 6 page letter he wrote immediately after to Emperor Charles V., summarising his speech (➶ Figure 2). Both documents have been added to the UNESCO “Memory of the World” and can be seen at the Google Arts and Culture website. ➸ The Creation of a Handwriting Font The creation of a handwriting font is very different from the creation of a regular font. Harald Geisler has specialised in recreating handwriting in preceding projects with Albert Einstein’s, Sigmund Freud’s and his own handwriting. His experience working with Archives and Museums has gone into this project. First Geisler analyses the movement in the writing to understand how each letter is drawn. This involves partially learning how to write like a person. In this process not the outlines of the sample are reproduced but the original movement path of the handwriting (➶ Figure 3). In a second step width and contrast is added to reproduce Martin Luther’s characteristic impetus and the writing tools used at the time. (Link: Youtube Playlist showcasing the creation of individual letters) How about signs that can’t be found in archives? Some Glyphs can not be found in 500 year old manuscripts, for example the @-sign. Towards the end of the creation one collects a profund amount of details about how a writer moves on paper and addresses certain tasks moving the pen. Keeping this knowledge in mind an improvisation can be based on similar letter forms. For example the @ sign is based on of the movement of a lowercase a and parenthesis. ➸ Features of the Martin Luther font ❶ Extensive Documentation of the creation of the font, including high quality reproduction of the used manuscripts. ❷ Additional texts from Historian Dr. Henning Jürgens and Palaeographer (and Luther handwriting expert) Prof. Ulrich Bubenheimer ❸ Alternating Letters - in handwriting every word looks a bit different. To avoid that two identical letterforms are placed next to each other (for example in the word look) the font actively changes between different versions of letters as you type. ❹ Ligatures - characteristic writing forms when two letters are combined (for example “ct”) (➶ Figure 5) ❺ Terminal Letterforms - renders a special letterform when letter is at the end of a word. (➶ Figure 8) ❻ ‘’’Initial and Medial Letterforms''' - some letterforms are different when placed in the beginning or middle of a word, for example the lowercase s. ❼ Luther Rose - is a seal Luther used to authorise his correspondence. Today it is a widely recognized symbol for Luther. When you enter the numbers of Luthers year of birth and death 14831546 using the Martin Luther PRO font, it will render a stylised version of the Luther Rose. (➶ Figure 7) ❽ Historic letter-forms - letter-forms that are specific to medieval writing around 1500. For example the long-s or h with a loop at the bottom. (➶ Figure 6) ⚑ Multi language support - see the technical information tab for a full list of supported languages. (➶ Figure 11) ➸ The different Styles explained ❋ Martin Luther PRO - this includes all features listed above and is geared towards writing texts that are more readable today. It features alternating letters to create a natural handwriting look as well as two stylistic sets accessible through the OpenType menu. Historic forms are available through the glyph picker. ❋ Martin Luther Historic - this font creates a historically correct reproduction (i.e. with long-s) of Luther’s medieval latin handwriting. It features alternating letters to create a natural handwriting look as well as two stylistic sets accessible through the OpenType menu. ❋ Martin Luther Expert-1 - Dedicated access to the first set of letters only. ❋ Martin Luther Expert-2 - Dedicated access to the second set of letters only. ❈❈❈ Family Pack - recieve all fonts at a discounted price. ❈❈❈ ➸ Kickstarter The creation and development of the Martin Luther font was financed by 500 supporters on ➸Kickstarter.

FF Real is a convincing re-interpretation of the German grotesque style from between 1998 and 1908, but with much more warmth and improved legibility as well as a hint towards the warmer American grotesques. Later on, not just slanted styles, but a “proper” italic version was added inspired by the way Roman and Italic are distinguished in traditional serif faces. NEW: a specially created set of obliques were added in 2018 to give designers more design flexibility, for those looking for a less calligraphic look. In 2020 the family was extended with matching condensed weights. FF Real was originally conceived by Erik Spiekermann as one text weight and one headline weight to be used as the only faces in his biography ‘Hello I am Erik’, edited by Johannes Erler, published in 2014. While Spiekermann drew the alphabets, he passed on the font data to Ralph du Carrois and Anja Meiners who cleaned it up and completed it. In the meantime, FF Real has been extended to a family of two styles and 65 weights each. The design of FF Real is rooted in early static grotesques from the turn of the century. Several German type foundries – among them the Berlin-based foundries Theinhardt and H. Berthold AG – released such designs between 1898 and 1908. The semi-bold weight of a poster-size typeface that was lighter than most of the according semi-bolds in metal type at the time, gave the impetus to FF Real’s regular weight. In the words of Spiekermann, the historical example is “the real, non-fake version, as it were, the royal sans serif face“, thus giving his new typeface the name “Real” (which is also in keeping with his four-letter names, i.e. FF Meta, FF Unit). FF Real is a convincing re-interpretation of the German grotesque style, but with much more warmth and improved legibility. With a hint towards the warmer American grotesques, Spiekermann added those typical Anglo-American features such as a three-story ‘g’ and an ‘8’ with a more defined loop. To better distinguish characters in small text sizes, FF Real Text comes in old style figures, ‘f’ and ‘t’ are wider, the capital ‘I’ is equipped with serifs, as is the lowercase ‘l’. What’s more, i-dots and all punctuation are round.

FF Real is a convincing re-interpretation of the German grotesque style from between 1998 and 1908, but with much more warmth and improved legibility as well as a hint towards the warmer American grotesques. Later on, not just slanted styles, but a “proper” italic version was added inspired by the way Roman and Italic are distinguished in traditional serif faces. NEW: a specially created set of obliques were added in 2018 to give designers more design flexibility, for those looking for a less calligraphic look. In 2020 the family was extended with matching condensed weights. FF Real was originally conceived by Erik Spiekermann as one text weight and one headline weight to be used as the only faces in his biography ‘Hello I am Erik’, edited by Johannes Erler, published in 2014. While Spiekermann drew the alphabets, he passed on the font data to Ralph du Carrois and Anja Meiners who cleaned it up and completed it. In the meantime, FF Real has been extended to a family of two styles and 65 weights each. The design of FF Real is rooted in early static grotesques from the turn of the century. Several German type foundries – among them the Berlin-based foundries Theinhardt and H. Berthold AG – released such designs between 1898 and 1908. The semi-bold weight of a poster-size typeface that was lighter than most of the according semi-bolds in metal type at the time, gave the impetus to FF Real’s regular weight. In the words of Spiekermann, the historical example is “the real, non-fake version, as it were, the royal sans serif face“, thus giving his new typeface the name “Real” (which is also in keeping with his four-letter names, i.e. FF Meta, FF Unit). FF Real is a convincing re-interpretation of the German grotesque style, but with much more warmth and improved legibility. With a hint towards the warmer American grotesques, Spiekermann added those typical Anglo-American features such as a three-story ‘g’ and an ‘8’ with a more defined loop. To better distinguish characters in small text sizes, FF Real Text comes in old style figures, ‘f’ and ‘t’ are wider, the capital ‘I’ is equipped with serifs, as is the lowercase ‘l’. What’s more, i-dots and all punctuation are round.

Neon Party is a nostalgic neon sign display font. Carefully handcrafted to become your favorite, this font will elevate your project no matter the topic!

Fun Zone is a fun, fun display font. With its modern and bold character, this typeface will be the right choice for you to use.

Based on remnants of the Typoart, Dresden, version of Impuls, this is a carefully extended pro-version covering Europe's main languages written in Latein letters.

This geometric typeface makes it very useful for headlines, signs and short texts. The variety of 8 weights makes it ideal for signage and captions.

New Font for Armenian Designers. This is an Armenian handwritten font. The font is comprised of Armenian letters only All Caps, numbers, and minimal punctuation.

This font is based on real prints made out of a linocut. The glyphs were handprinted, then scanned and then turned into a computer font.

Digitally engineered by Steve Jackaman. Based on the original Willard T. Sniffin design of 1933 for ATF, this informal brush script was known as Keynote.

Mystere is a new, hand-drawn font. This is currently a limited set designed for display usage. The font has a crude, yet stylish feel.

With this font, you sure have the flow! Standard hand writing easy to apply in your designs and layouts. UPPERCASE 
lowercase 
Numerals 
Punctuation 198 characters

Stitka is a chic, refined script font that emanates sophistication and elegance. Its stylish and ligatures make this font the perfect match for any project.

Take Chances is a simple and natural handwritten font. This font will greatly complement each of the design ideas you wish to bring to life!

Baby Fun is inspired by the playfulness of hand lettering. This font can be used for comic design, children's books, preschool name tag and more.

Subikto Tree is an ode to Mother Nature. This summer enjoy so many variety of trees in your design, be green and forget the blues.

This is a connected script font with a trendy flair. You can add little flourishes to the beginning or end letters for a whimsical touch.

LD Cottage resembles the antique writing you would find in an ancient fairytale or story. Enjoy this fun font and let your imagination take flight!

This is a revival font from an Image of a plate made from Eleventh Century initial letters. The "numerals" are Roman numbers done as ligatures.

Tasmik literally means thickening, this font is thick like extrabold in wight, impressed firm but flexible, suitable for display text and the center of interest.

A basic handdrawn and scanned text that could be used for scrapbooks and the like. This font is a cross between Italican Oblique and Czaristane.

A very unusual type based on wooden type designs of the 19th century, lacking lower case which may not have been designed for this font.

When Hal Taylor saw the 1930 logo for the Stetson Shoe Company of Weymouth, Massachusetts, he didn't run out and buy a pair of loafers. Instead, he seized on this striking example of an Art Deco logotype as the basis for a new typeface design. “I was impressed with the delicate and sophisticated letter forms,” Taylor recalls, “particularly the enlarged cap S -- in any other case it would have seemed unbalanced, but in the context of this logo, it worked perfectly.” All the letters in the original all-caps Stetson Shoe logo were rendered with condensed proportions except the O, which was a perfect circle. While the prominent O added visual interest to the logo, Taylor knew that such a character would limit his typeface to display applications. For versatility's sake, he drew his O for ITC Stepp with the same proportions as the rest of the alphabet. Taylor also gave the logotype's inverted S a more traditional design, but kept the original as an alternate character in the OpenType font. Taylor's toughest challenge during the design process was creating a lowercase. “A good type design tells you what it wants to be,” he says, “and after a little while the Stepp caps began to tell me what the lowercase should look like.” Taylor's lowercase is slightly more conventional than the caps. The jaunty g" and almost upside-down "s" add subtle charm, while the capital letters provide the broader gestures of Stepp's personality. Together, they create a versatile and distinctive typeface design. One of Hal Taylor's first jobs was as a photo-lettering typographer in Philadelphia, setting headlines and creating custom lettering. This was followed by a stint doing finished lettering for John Langdon, whose ambigrams appear in Dan Brown's best-selling novel, Angels & Demons. Today, Taylor works as a graphic designer in the publishing industry, but he still finds time to create an occasional hand-lettered book jacket, and draw handsome typeface designs. ITC Stepp is available in four weights, ranging from Light to Ultra Bold. All four weights have companion italics, and the lightest three weights also offer a suite of small caps."

The concept of this letter is a tall, well-dressed man with moderate muscles, decent appearance, and manners. We are always impatient. I miss someone who can give me some space. This letter gives you some leeway that you can rely on for a moment.

James Paul is a versatile display font based on the designer's handwriting. The letterforms are legible even at small sizes. When set bigger, this bold script reveals hairline ink trails that add rhythm to its lively forms. James Paul contains alternate glyphs and ligatures.

Vandalust is a unique display font with a graffiti-like appearance. Use this font for any crafting project, apparel design, logotype, advertising, wall decoration, and pretty much anything that requires a personalized look. Take your designs to the next level with this stunning font!

Ghost Zone Is a fun, quirky, and spooky decorative font. This font is PUA encoded which means you can access all of the glyphs and swashes with ease! Add it confidently to your favorite creations and let yourself be amazed by the outcome generated.

Angela is a modern, bold and highly detailed serif font. This font is PUA encoded which means you can access all of the amazing glyphs and ligatures with ease! Add it confidently to your favorite creations and let yourself be amazed by the outcome generated.

Wolvercote is one of two new ‘Masthead’ typefaces from Greater Albion. This Victorian inspired face makes the construction of ribbon or cartouche banners and mastheads the simple work of a few moments. Wolvercote is also particularly designed to complement our Wolverhampton and Mexborough families.

Many people asked why we removed Design or Die of our collection. After years of hibernation in our vault, one of the sexiest italics of the Classic Type-Ø-Tones is back. New subtle changes for a definitive version of this Luis Mendo type.

Stockville JNL is a total rebuild of the wood type design originally found in Arvada JNL. All angular lines were straightened to give the lettering a more classic look. Bold, brash and block style, this headline typeface is available in both regular and oblique styles.

Bright Love is a modern script font created especially for Valentine’s Day. Also, with this font you can make your writing and branding look elegant and beautiful. This font is PUA encoded which means you can access all of the glyphs and swashes with ease!

Maebashi is a display font in Japanese style. This font comes with a Japanese feel and you can feel it every time you use this font. It's the perfect font for multipurpose projects like logos, branding, posters, headlines, and more (especially for Asian-themed projects).

This was originally brought out as a caps-only font, but later the foundry scrounged up a lowercase that wasn't our idea of a very good match. So we cleaned up the caps and made them a bit bolder, then drew a harmonizing lowercase.