Originally designed in 1996, Mrs Eaves was Zuzana Licko’s first attempt at the design of a traditional typeface. It was styled after Baskerville, the famous transitional serif typeface designed in 1757 by John Baskerville in Birmingham, England. Mrs Eaves was named after Baskerville’s live in housekeeper, Sarah Eaves, whom he later married. One of Baskerville’s intents was to develop typefaces that pushed the contrast between thick and thin strokes, partially to show off the new printing and paper making techniques of his time. As a result his types were often criticized for being too perfect, stark, and difficult to read. Licko noticed that subsequent interpretations and revivals of Baskerville had continued along the same path of perfection, using as a model the qualities of the lead type itself, not the printed specimens. Upon studying books printed by Baskerville at the Bancroft Library in Berkeley, Licko decided to base her design on the printed samples which were heavier and had more character due to the imprint of lead type into paper and the resulting ink spread. She reduced the contrast while retaining the overall openness and lightness of Baskerville by giving the lower case characters a wider proportion. She then reduced the x-height relative to the cap height to avoid increasing the set width. There is something unique about Mrs Eaves and it’s difficult to define. Its individual characters are at times awkward looking—the W being narrow, the L uncommonly wide, the flare of the strokes leading into the serifs unusually pronounced. Taken individually, at first sight some of the characters don’t seem to fit together. The spacing is generally too loose for large bodies of text, it sort of rambles along. Yet when used in the right circumstance it imparts a very particular feel that sets it clearly apart from many likeminded types. It has an undefined quality that resonates with people. This paradox (imperfect yet pleasing) is perhaps best illustrated by design critic and historian Robin Kinross who has pointed out the limitation of the “loose” spacing that Licko employed, among other things, yet simultaneously designated the Mrs Eaves type specimen with an honorable mention in the 1999 American Center for Design competition. Proof, perhaps, that type is best judged in the context of its usage. Even with all its shortcomings, Mrs Eaves has outsold all Emigre fonts by twofold. On MyFonts, one of the largest on-line type sellers, Mrs Eaves has been among the 20 best selling types for years, listed among such classics as Helvetica, Univers, Bodoni and Franklin Gothic. Due to its commercial and popular success it has come to define the Emigre type foundry. While Licko initially set out to design a traditional text face, we never specified how Mrs Eaves could be best used. Typefaces will find their own way. But if there’s one particular common usage that stands out, it must be literary—Mrs Eaves loves to adorn book covers and relishes short blurbs on the flaps and backs of dust covers. Trips to bookstores are always a treat for us as we find our Mrs Eaves staring out at us from dozens of book covers in the most elegant compositions, each time surprising us with her many talents. And Mrs Eaves feels just as comfortable in a wide variety of other locales such as CD covers (Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief being our favorite), restaurant menus, logos, and poetry books, where it gives elegant presence to short texts. One area where Mrs Eaves seems less comfortable is in the setting of long texts, particularly in environments such as the interiors of books, magazines, and newspapers. It seems to handle long texts well only if there is ample space. A good example is the book /CD/DVD release The Band: A Musical History published by Capitol Records. Here, Mrs Eaves was given appropriate set width and generous line spacing. In such cases its wide proportions provide a luxurious feel which invites reading. Economy of space was not one of the goals behind the original Mrs Eaves design. With the introduction of Mrs Eaves XL, Licko addresses this issue. Since Mrs Eaves is one of our most popular typefaces, it’s not surprising that over the years we've received many suggestions for additions to the family. The predominant top three wishes are: greater space economy; the addition of a bold italic style; and the desire to pair it with a sans design. The XL series answers these requests with a comprehensive set of new fonts including a narrow, and a companion series of Mrs Eaves Sans styles to be released soon. The main distinguishing features of Mrs Eaves XL are its larger x-height with shorter ascenders and descenders and overall tighter spacing. These additional fonts expand the Mrs Eaves family for a larger variety of uses, specifically those requiring space economy. The larger x-height also allows a smaller point size to be used while maintaining readability. Mrs Eaves XL also has a narrow counterpart to the regular, with a set width of about 92 percent which fulfills even more compact uses. At first, this may not seem particularly narrow, but the goal was to provide an alternative to the regular that would work well as a compact text face while maintaining the full characteristics of the regular, rather than an extreme narrow which would be more suitable for headline use. Four years in the making, we're excited to finally let Mrs Eaves XL find its way into the world and see where and how it will pop up next.

Unleash your inner street artist with Rocket Queen! The definitive font for urban self-expression. Inspired by the bold strokes of tagging graffiti markers found on city walls, this font encapsulates the raw energy of the streets. Its uppercase and lowercase characters ensure versatility, while support for foreign languages guarantees global appeal. Graffiti artists worldwide adore its iconic rounded tip marker style for its unique and entertaining aesthetics. Rocket Queen's "Urban Tags" font is more than just a typeface; it's an urban art form. Designed with a nod to the vibrant world of graffiti scenes, this font embodies the spirit of tagging graffiti markers, creating a gritty, authentic experience. With full support for foreign languages and both uppercase and lowercase characters, Rocket Queen empowers your creativity. Its iconic rounded tip marker style, favored by graffiti artists globally, offers a unique and entertaining touch to your designs. Plus, it's enriched with street graffiti ornaments for that added urban flair. Rocket Queen is more than a font; it's the language of rebellion and urban creativity. Drawing inspiration from the bustling streets and tagging graffiti markers, this font captures the raw spirit of street art. Its iconic rounded tip marker style, beloved by graffiti artists worldwide, sets your designs apart with a unique and captivating aesthetic. Supporting foreign languages and featuring a complete set of uppercase and lowercase characters, Rocket Queen is your canvas for bold, edgy statements. Step into the world of street art with Rocket Queen, a font that embodies the raw spirit of urban graffiti. Inspired by the legendary rounded tip marker style, this font captures the essence of tagging in the streets. Its captivating, one-of-a-kind design is favored by graffiti artists across the globe. With support for foreign languages and a full set of uppercase and lowercase characters, Rocket Queen is the ultimate choice for artists who want their work to resonate with the vibrant, rebellious energy of the graffiti scene. And, don't forget to explore the collection of street graffiti ornaments to take your designs to the next level! "Rocket Queen" font is perfect for a wide range of creative and artistic applications. Here are some ideal uses for this unique and edgy font: Graffiti Artwork: Use "Rocket Queen" to create authentic graffiti-style artwork on canvas, walls, or digital platforms. Its street-inspired design will add an urban, edgy vibe to your work. Streetwear Brand Logos: Design logos and branding materials for streetwear clothing lines or urban fashion brands. The font's bold and expressive style is a great match for this niche. Event Posters and Flyers: Create eye-catching event posters and flyers for music concerts, art exhibitions, or street festivals. "Rocket Queen" will help your event materials stand out and evoke a gritty, streetwise feel. Album Covers: Design album covers for music genres like hip-hop, rap, punk, or any style that demands a rebellious and energetic look. The font can give your cover artwork an authentic street vibe. Tattoo Lettering: Tattoo artists and enthusiasts can use "Rocket Queen" for lettering in tattoos. Its unique graffiti-inspired characters can create distinct and personalized tattoos. Skateboard Deck Graphics: Use the font to design custom graphics for skateboard decks, reflecting the rebellious and urban culture of skateboarding. Street Art Installations: If you're creating street art installations, "Rocket Queen" can be used for text elements within the artwork, giving it an authentic urban graffiti feel. Urban Magazine Titles: "Rocket Queen" can be an ideal choice for magazine titles and headlines in publications that focus on urban culture, street art, or graffiti. Video Game Titles and Graphics: Design video game titles, logos, or in-game graphics for games with an urban or street culture theme. The font's distinctive style can enhance the game's visual appeal. YouTube Channel Branding: Content creators with a street art or urban lifestyle focus can use "Rocket Queen" for their channel logos, banners, and thumbnails. Product Packaging: For products targeting a youthful, urban audience, the font can be used in product packaging design, making the brand and product look fresh and exciting. Digital and Print Advertisements: Incorporate "Rocket Queen" in advertising campaigns that aim to connect with a young, rebellious, or urban demographic. The "Rocket Queen" font is versatile and can be adapted to a wide range of applications where a bold, streetwise, and artistic look is desired. It's all about bringing an authentic graffiti vibe to your creative projects. ——— Rocket Queen features: A full set of uppercase and lowercase Numbers and punctuation Multilingual language support PUA Encoded Characters OpenType Features Layered Style +345 Total Glyphs +100 Graffiti Swashes and Ornaments included!

A font perfect for not just one, but many projects! Introducing Oceanwide Pro, a sans that loves to be used in just about any situation! Designed with ultra clean lines and versatility in mind, Oceanwide wants to be your new favorite sans! Oceanwide’s ultra clean letters work anywhere you want to communicate orderliness and competence, and designed to build trust and rapport with your audience. Its wide proportions make it ideal for display and logo use. Oceanwide especially shines for white/bright letters on black/dark backgrounds! That’s because the inside shapes are nearly perfect circles in many weights. Here's a quick video tour of Oceanwide Pro by Dave Lawrence, including all the great things Oceanwide can be used for! We've tested Oceanwide for these industries, with stunning results!: Tech Arts Fashion & Style Business & Branding Corporations Logistics Architecture Food and many more... Oceanwide can be used for: Headers Subheadlines Logos Even body text, if tracked. Print & Screen The styles it can take are also many. It's great for: Modern/minimalist design Flat design Cut out design User Interface (UI) Technical designs In combination with text effects, even for grunge and other situations. And many others... DESIGN FEATURES Simplicity Tall x-height Hand-sloped obliques (italics) Narrow spacing Semi-wide proportions Expert kerning Well proportioned, usable lights & extra lights Large caps Great ALL CAPS MODE Uppercase punctuation Uppercase spacing with California Type Foundry’s Smart Tracking™ Advanced fraction support Proportional lining figures Thick joins Smooth curves Sturdy—great for textures and effects Variable font available Latin Pro character set for Central European languages. That's the writing for over 782 languages and transliterations worldwide! DESIGN STORY—THE FORGOTTEN SANS by Dave Lawrence, Lead Designer, California Type Foundry Adrian Frutiger was the 20th century master of sans, but I didn't realize he had made—not one—but TWO geometric sans! It wasn't until I had purchased the book “Adrian Frutiger: Typefaces”. I had hoped to someday meet Adrian Frutiger, but he passed away that very same year. Here is the story of Frutiger's forgotten sans. Back in 1968, Frutiger was approached by Pentagram to make a design for British Petroleum. They wanted a "new version of Futura". However, they wanted him to make a couple adjustments. First, they felt that Futura was "too fiddly." By this, they meant that it narrowed too much at the joins. (Joins are for example where the round and straight parts of the 'd' meet.) This is something that is necessary for small print text (to prevent ink clogging), but is not necessary at large sizes. Second, they wanted it to be entirely geometric, using the circular shape with minimal optical corrections. Unfortunately this font was not even used very consistently in the BP brand. A haphazard mix of Futura and Frutiger's BP font ensued. It was then replaced by another font design very soon after. My design is different in several ways. First, the commas and quotes are a more modern style. I tried his original commas, but these just didn’t work to 21st century eyes. Second, in his drawings, Frutiger went for a more standard u with a downstroke on the right. However, Oceanwide has a simpler u. Third, I made more optical adjustments. At the direction of his employer, Frutiger reluctantly put no font optical corrections into the letters. So I think my optical adjustments are similar to what Frutiger would have wanted. Fourth, I extended the weight into the light and extra light ranges. Fifth, the rest of the font I created according to the principles of Adrian Frutiger, but with no sources for inspiration. Here is Frutiger’s design philosophy, in his own words: “If you remember the shape of your spoon at lunch, it has to be the wrong shape. The spoon and the letter are tools; one to take food from the bowl, the other to take information off the page... When it is a good design, the reader has to feel comfortable because the letter is both banal and beautiful.” The words about the spoon were the ones I kept in my mind as I tried to make the curves ultra smooth, and the shapes ultra simple. Hopefully this font is a worthy successor to the font that inspired it. Released on the 93rd birthday of Adrian Frutiger, to celebrate the life and achievements of this amazing designer. ——————— Simplicity. Versatility. Oceanwide.