Aldero™ strives to be as useful to any design environment as Alder trees are to the forest. Wildlife and insects feed on Alder leaves and seeds. The tree also provides shelter for animals in winter while its shades keep streams from getting too hot in summer. The trunks and branches are excellent habitats for lichens and mosses. The nitrogen-rich leaves help fertilize the soil where they landed. Alder’s utilitarian nature inspires us to create Aldero™, a handy, versatile, go-to type family for all professional designers. To achieve what we set out to do, we gave Aldero™ the two-in-one looks, doubled the sets of ligatures, and loaded it with plenty more of Opentype features. We put in long hours, months after months, until we are proud of the outcome. And we truly believe that you will enjoy working with this typeface as much as we do. With five weights, ten styles, and 1,100+ glyphs per style, this versatile typeface comes with virtually two looks. The standard glyph set is perfect for formal, corporate design, while the stylistic alternate set elicits a fun, friendly, and casual feel. You can use each style separately or mix and match them to achieve your design aesthetic. Thanks to these options, a wide range of design possibilities are at your fingertips. In addition to the two large sets of ligatures (for both the standard and the stylistic glyph sets), we also pack tons of Opentype features into Aldero™ to improve your user experience while working with this typeface. To activate the case-sensitive features, for example, highlight the phrase with the type tool, then hit the “All Caps” button; or select each mark, punctuations, or symbols with the type tool, then choose the case-sensitive option from the Opentype popup window. Hope you enjoy working with Aldero™ as much as we do! To find out more about Aldero™ Opentype features and type specimen, please visit https://r9typedesign.com/aldero-features

A creative context 2003. Fontsmith was sharing a small, cold, whitewashed studio space in Northburgh Street, Clerkenwell. But things were on the up following prestigious custom type commissions for The Post Office and E4. “Slab serifs were on the brink of another revival, we could feel it,” says Jason Smith. “All we wanted to do was have a play with these slabs, go as far as we could within what was acceptable and readable.” “It wasn’t initially clear what was happening,” recalls Phil Garnham. “We were becoming very influenced by our surroundings, outside the studio space. We absorbed the essence and the designer grime of where we were.” Process Jason began by drawing stems on-screen. “The key aspect of the font is the upward bend of the leading shoulder serif, the way it kind of ramps up and then plummets back down the stem. “The regular and light characters are quite narrow – great for text but the bold is quite wide and chunky – better for headlines. I think ‘y’ is quite different for a slab design. We call it the Fontsmith ‘y’.” Promotion Fontsmith were determined to get FS Clerkenwell noticed. To launch the font, Ian Whalley, a designer friend of Fontsmith, captured words heard on the streets of Clerkenwell, set them in the new font and crafted a small book of typographic conversations. It was a first for Fontsmith. “I think that’s part of why this font has been so successful,” says Phil. “It really does embody the spirit of the area, as a special place for design, arts and crafts. And designers love that.” Contemporary twist FS Clerkenwell, based on influences in and around this part of London with a rich tradition of printing and design, mixes tradition with creation. Old-fashioned values meet new-school trends. Its quirky, contemporary character lends an edge to headlines, logotypes and any large-size text.