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  1. The Penelope font, crafted by Dieter Steffmann, stands as a testament to the unique blend of artistic flourish and classical sensibility. This font is remarkably distinct, primarily due to Steffmann'...
  2. As of my last update in April 2023, there isn't a widely recognized or commercially available font specifically known as "Yodle." It's possible that "Yodle" could be a custom or a less-known typeface...
  3. PykesPeakZero - 100% free
  4. Prismatic Spirals Pro by MMC-TypEngine, $182.00
    PRISMATIC SPIRALS PRO FONT! The Prismatic Spirals PRO is a Decorative Type-System and ‘Assembling Game’, itself. Settled in squared pieces modules or tiles, embedded by unprecedented Intertwined Prismatic Structures Design, or intricate interlaced bars that may seem quite “impossible” to shape. Although it originated from the ‘Penrose Square’, it may not look totally as an Impossible Figures Type of Optical Illusions. More an “improbable” Effect in its intertwined Design, that even static can seem like a source of Kinetical Sculptures, or drive eyes into a kind of hypnosis. Prismatic Spirals Pro has two related Typefaces both more basic or easier to use versions, the Default Family plus its “bold” braided version Prismatic Interlaces… PRO provides a more advanced, complex, and twisted Design, plus requires to be typed alternating caps. Instructions: Use the Map Font Reference PDF as a guide to learn the 'tiles' position on the keyboard, then easily type and compose puzzle designs with this font! All alphanumeric keys are intuitive or easy to induce, you may easily memorize it all! Plus, often also need to consult it! *Find the Prismatic Spirals Pro Font Map Reference PDF Here! (!) Is recommended Print it to have the Reference or open the PDF to also copy and paste, when consulting is required or when it may be difficult to access, depending on the keyboard script or language. The 2 glyphs sets are separated in colors for facilitating. Also use the Map Font with key captions or switch to it for ensure that the characters are alternating between both uppercase and lowercase letters as other Keys as numbers, marks, and punctuation along the strings, holding Shift one by one or actually two by two. As a Tiles Type-System, the line gap space value is 0, this means that tiles line gaps are invisibly grouted, so the user can compose designs, row by row, descending to each following row by clicking Enter, same as line break, while advances on assembling characters. Background History: The first sketches of my Prismatic Knots or Spirals Designs dates back then from 2010, while started developing hand-drawn Celtic Knots and Geometric Drawings in grid paper, while engage to Typography, Sacred Geometry and the “Impossible Figures” genre… I started doing modulation tests from 2013, until around 2018, I got to unravel it in square modules or tiles from the grid, then idealized it as fonts, along with other Type projects. This took 13 years to come out since the first sketches and 6 months in edition. During the production process some additional tiles or missing pieces were thought of and added to the basic set, which firstly had only the borders, corners, crossings, nets, Trivets connectors or T parts and ends, then added with nets and borders integrations. Usage Suggestions: This type-system enables the user to ornate and generate endless decorative patterns, borders, labyrinthine designs, Mosaics, motifs, etc. It can seem just like a puzzle, but a much greater tool instead for higher purposes as to compose Enigmas and use seriously. As like also to write Real Text by assembling the key characters or pieces, this way you can literarily reproduce any Pixel Design or font to its Prismatic Spirals correspondent form, as Kufic Arabic script and further languages and compose messages easily… This Typeface was made to be contemplated, applied, and manufactured on Infinite Decorative Designs as Pavements, Tapestry, Frames, Prints, Fabrics, Bookplates, Coloring Books, Cards, covers or architectonic frontispieces, storefronts, and Jewelry, for example. Usage Tips: Notice that the line-height must be fixed to 100% or 1,0. In some cases, as on Microsoft Word for example, the line-height default is set to 1,15. So you’ll need to change to 1,0 plus remove space after paragraph, in the same dropdown menu on Paragraph section. Considering Word files too, since the text used for mapping the Designs, won't make any literal orthographical sense, the user must select to ignore the Spellcheck underlined in red, by clicking over each misspelled error or in revision, so it can be better appreciated. Also unfolding environments as Adobe Software’s, the Designer will use the character menu to set body size and line gap to same value, as a calculator to fit a layout for example of 1,000 pts high with 9 tiles high, both body size and line gap will be 111.1111 pts. Further Tips: Whenever an architect picks this decorative system to design pavements floor or walls, a printed instruction version of the layout using the ‘map’ font may be helpful and required to the masons that will lay the tiles, to place the pieces and its directions in the right way. Regarding to export PNGs images in Software’s for layered Typesetting as Adobe Illustrator a final procedure may be required, once the designs are done and can be backup it, expanding and applying merge filter, will remove a few possible line glitches and be perfected. Technical Specifications: With 8 styles and 4 subfamilies with 2 complementary weights each (Regular and Bold) therefore, Original Contour, Filled, Decor, with reticle’s decorations and 2 Map fonts with key captions. *All fonts match perfectly when central pasted for layered typesetting. All fonts have 106 glyphs, in which 96 are different keys with 2 versions of each of both caps and shift keys, plus a few repeated for facilitating. It was settled this way in order for exchanging with its Prismatic relative fonts which has only 48 different keys repeated twice. Concerning tiles manufacturing and Printed Products as stickers or Stencils, any of its repeated pieces was measured and just rotated in different directions in each key, so when sided by other pieces in any direction will fit perfectly without mispatching errors. Copyright Disclaimer: The Font Software’s are protected by Copyright and its licenses grant the user the right to design, apply contours, plus print and manufacture in flat 2D planes only. In case of the advent of the same structures and set of pieces built in 3D Solid form, Font licenses will not be valid or authorized for casting it. © 2023 André T. A. Corrêa “Dr. Andréground” & MMC-TypEngine.
  5. As of my last knowledge update in April 2023, the font "Kellnear-Italic" does not exist in the widely recognized catalogues of typefaces or within mainstream typographic resources. This doesn't mean ...
  6. The KG Shadow of the Night font, designed by Kimberly Geswein, stands as an emblem of creativity that gracefully bridges the gap between whimsical charm and gothic elegance. Kimberly Geswein, known f...
  7. Alas, my dear friend, it appears we've dipped our toes into the vibrant and imaginary sea of typographic creatures, only to fish out the elusive "StingRay" – a font so mysteriously absent from the ma...
  8. As of my last update, there isn't a widely recognized or standard font named "Karyna Feet." However, the wonderful world of typography often embraces new creations and names, so let's explore the art...
  9. As of my last update in April 2023, I don't have specific data on a font named "Yum" created by Yum Productions, suggesting that it might not be widely recognized or it might be a newer, niche creati...
  10. Tabaiba wild ffp, crafted by the talented Spanish type designer deFharo, is a distinctive display font that encapsulates the spirit of adventure and the wildness of nature. With its unique design, th...
  11. As of my last knowledge update in April 2023, Architect by Altsys Metamorphosis is not widely recognized as one of the mainstream fonts, and detailed information specifically referencing a font named...
  12. As of my last update in April 2023, "The Haine au Carré!" by TN2 isn't a widely recognized or documented font within mainstream typography resources. Since it's not a part of the commonly known font ...
  13. As of my last update in 2023, the font named "Avatar" could refer to one specifically designed or inspired by the visual and textual elements associated with the media franchise of the same name, suc...
  14. As of my last update in April 2023, the SF Obliquities Outline font, crafted by ShyFoundry, stands as an intriguing selection in the realm of typography, known for its distinctive appearance and vers...
  15. As of my last update, the Damage™ Maim font by Clearlight Fonts stands as a striking example of typographic design that embodies a certain level of intensity and emotional expression rarely captured ...
  16. Mistress Script is a distinctive font crafted by Apostrophic Labs, a collective known for their innovative and diverse typeface designs. While I can't provide real-time or very specific details about...
  17. The font Antelope H, created by Tom Murphy 7, is an intriguing and distinctive typeface that carries a unique personality within its design. Like many of Murphy's works, Antelope H is not just a font...
  18. The "i-hearts" font, as its delightful name suggests, is a charming and whimsical typeface that embodies playfulness and affection. Designed to capture the heart of whimsical and creative projects, i...
  19. "GoodDog Plain" is a font that exudes a playful charm and an unpretentious simplicity, much like the delight one might find in watching the joyful antics of a beloved pet. Its design is rooted in a c...
  20. As of my last update in April 2023, the font "Mahamaya" by Rajan M. Vasta might not be widely recognized within mainstream font databases or among popular font collections. Fonts, as a form of artist...
  21. Imagine a font that decided to throw on a tuxedo, sip a glass of exquisite wine, and then, mid-sip, dash off to join a carnival. That, my friend, is Reprise Script by Avid Technology. It's like the h...
  22. Addict is not a font that I have specific knowledge of, as my database does not contain proprietary or niche fonts that might not have widespread recognition or use by 2023. However, based on its evo...
  23. The font named SpideRaY, created by the designer or entity known as SpideRaY, embodies a distinctive blend of creativity and character that sets it apart in the realm of typography. At its core, Spid...
  24. As of my last update in early 2023, Canuth may not be among the most recognized or widely discussed typefaces within the vast and eclectic world of typography. However, let's embark on a creative jou...
  25. As of my last update in 2023, "Drebiek" isn't a widely recognized or established font within major typographic collections or font libraries. However, the imaginary essence of "Drebiek" allows us to ...
  26. As of my last update in April 2023, I can provide a general analysis of a font named "Magnificent Serif" by Imagex, based on common attributes of serif typefaces created by this foundry and the typic...
  27. As of my last update in April 2023, "Divlit" is not a widely recognized or documented font in the realms of typography commonly discussed or published in well-known typographic resources, databases, ...
  28. The "Turok" font, created by Neale Davidson, is a fascinating and distinctive typeface that captures the essence and spirit of adventure often associated with its namesake. Neale Davidson, known for ...
  29. As an AI developed by OpenAI, I don’t have direct access to real-time updates or specific databases of fonts including those that might have been created or named after my last update. However, I can...
  30. As of my last update in early 2023, there is no widely recognized or mainstream font specifically known as "Veruca." It is possible that Veruca could be a custom or less widely distributed typeface, ...
  31. AdamGorry-Lights - Personal use only
  32. AdamGorry-Inline - Personal use only
  33. Reina Neue by Lián Types, $29.00
    Hey! See Reina Neue in action here! INTRODUCTION When I designed the first Reina¹ circa 2010, I was at the dawn of my career as a type designer. The S{o}TA, short for the Society of Typographic Aficionados, described it as complex display typeface incorporating hairline flourishes to a nicely heavy romantic letterform². And it was like that; that’s what I was pursuing at that time since I was very passionate about ornaments and accolades of Calligraphy. Why? I felt that Typography, in general, needed more of them. These subtle flourishes could breathe life into letters. Maybe, I thought it was the only way I could propose something new into the field of type. However, after some years, I came across a very interesting quote: –Beautiful things don’t ask for attention– Wow! What did this mean? How could something be attractive if it’s not actually showing it. Could this be applied to my work? Sure. I think every type-designer goes through this process (aka crisis) regarding his or her career. At the beginning we love everything. We are kind of blind, we only see the big picture of a project. And that’s not because we are lazy. We actually can’t see the small mistakes nor the subtleties that make something simpler beautiful. We are not able. But, the small subtleties… They are actually everything: With experience, one puts more attention into the details and learns that every single decision in type has to be first meticulously planned. Here I am now, introducing a new Reina, because I felt there was a lot of it that could be improved, also the novelty of Variable Fonts caught my attention and I had to take that to my type library. THE FONT A thing of beauty is a joy forever Now, a decade later, I’m presenting Reina Neue. This font is not just an update of its predecessor: –A thing of beauty is a joy forever– is the first line of the poem ‘Endymion’ by John Keats, and despite the meaning of “beauty” may vary from person to person, and even from time to time (as read in the last paragraph), with Reina I always wanted to bring joy to the eye. In 2010, and now, in 2020. I believe the font is today much better in every aspect. It was entirely re-designed: Its shapes and morphology in general are much more clean and pure. The range of uses for it is now wider: While the old Reina consisted in just one weight, Reina Neue was converted into a big family of many weights, even with italics, smallcaps and layered styles. The idea behind the font, this kind of enveloping atmosphere made out of flourishes, is still here in the new Reina. This time easier to get amazing results due to the big amount of available alternates per glyph and also more loyal from a systemic point of view. However, and as read in the introduction -Beautiful things don’t ask for attention-, if none of the flourishes are activated the font will look very attractive anyway. Reina Neue is ready to be used in book covers, magazines, wedding cards, dazzling posters, storefronts, clothing, perfumes, wine labels and logos of all kind. Like it happened with the previous Reina, I hope this new font satisfies every design project around the world if used, and can be a joy forever. SOME INSTRUCTIONS Before choosing the right style for your project, hear my advice: -Reina Neue Display was meant to be used at big sizes. If you plan to print the font smaller than 72pt, I suggest using Reina Neue, not Display. Otherwise, if the font will be BIG or used on a digital platform, Reina Neue Display should be your choice. For even smaller sizes, use Reina Neue Small. This style was tested and printed in 12pt with nice results. (Note for variable fonts: Print them in outlines) -Reina Italic is not a slanted version of the roman, and this means some flourishes are different between each other. The Italic version has other kind of swirls. More conservative, in general. -All the styles of Reina Capitals have Small Capitals inside. -Reina Capitals Shine should be used/paired ONLY with Reina Capitals Black. The engraved feeling can be achieved if Reina Capitals Black and Reina Capitals Shine are used as layers, with the same word. Variable fonts instructions: -For more playful versions, choose Reina Neue VF, Reina Neue Italic VF or Reina Neue Capitals VF: With them you can adjust between 3 axes: Weight (will change the weight of the font) – Optic Size (will thicken/lighten the thin strokes and open/close the tracking) – Accolades (will modify the weight of the active flourishes). SOME VIDEOS OF REINA NEUE VF https://youtu.be/8cImmT5bpQM https://youtu.be/1icWfPmKAkg https://youtu.be/YC9GkJDL1a8 NOTES 1. The original Reina, from a decade ago: https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/argentina-lian-types/reina/ 2. In 2011, Reina received an honourable mention by S{o}TA. “Great skill is shown in the detailing, and an excellent feel for the correct flow of curves and displacement of stroke weight.” https://www.typesociety.org/catalyst/2011/ Reina was featured in the “Most Popular Fonts of the year” in MyFonts in 2011 https://www.myfonts.com/newsletters/sp/201201.html In 2012, the font was also selected in Tipos Latinos, the most prestigious competition of type in Latinoamerica. https://www.tiposlatinos.com/bienales/quinta-bienal-tl2012/resultados Also, chose as a “Favorite font of the year” in Typographica. https://typographica.org/typeface-reviews/reina/
  34. Ganymede3D - Personal use only
  35. Vendetta by Emigre, $69.00
    The famous roman type cut in Venice by Nicolas Jenson, and used in 1470 for his printing of the tract, De Evangelica Praeparatione, Eusebius, has usually been declared the seminal and definitive representative of a class of types known as Venetian Old Style. The Jenson type is thought to have been the primary model for types that immediately followed. Subsequent 15th-century Venetian Old Style types, cut by other punchcutters in Venice and elsewhere in Italy, are also worthy of study, but have been largely neglected by 20th-century type designers. There were many versions of Venetian Old Style types produced in the final quarter of the quattrocento. The exact number is unknown, but numerous printed examples survive, though the actual types, matrices, and punches are long gone. All these types are not, however, conspicuously Jensonian in character. Each shows a liberal amount of individuality, inconsistency, and eccentricity. My fascination with these historical types began in the 1970s and eventually led to the production of my first text typeface, Iowan Old Style (Bitstream, 1991). Sometime in the early 1990s, I started doodling letters for another Venetian typeface. The letters were pieced together from sections of circles and squares. The n, a standard lowercase control character in a text typeface, came first. Its most unusual feature was its head serif, a bisected quadrant of a circle. My aim was to see if its sharp beak would work with blunt, rectangular, foot serifs. Next, I wanted to see if I could construct a set of capital letters by following a similar design system. Rectangular serifs, or what we today call "slab serifs," were common in early roman printing types, particularly text types cut in Italy before 1500. Slab serifs are evident on both lowercase and uppercase characters in roman types of the Incunabula period, but they are seen mainly at the feet of the lowercase letters. The head serifs on lowercase letters of early roman types were usually angled. They were not arched, like mine. Oddly, there seems to be no actual historical precedent for my approach. Another characteristic of my arched serif is that the side opposite the arch is flat, not concave. Arched, concave serifs were used extensively in early italic types, a genre which first appeared more than a quarter century after roman types. Their forms followed humanistic cursive writing, common in Italy since before movable type was used there. Initially, italic characters were all lowercase, set with upright capitals (a practice I much admire and would like to see revived). Sloped italic capitals were not introduced until the middle of the sixteenth century, and they have very little to do with the evolution of humanist scripts. In contrast to the cursive writing on which italic types were based, formal book hands used by humanist scholars to transcribe classical texts served as a source of inspiration for the lowercase letters of the first roman types cut in Italy. While book hands were not as informal as cursive scripts, they still had features which could be said to be more calligraphic than geometric in detail. Over time, though, the copied vestiges of calligraphy virtually disappeared from roman fonts, and type became more rational. This profound change in the way type developed was also due in part to popular interest in the classical inscriptions of Roman antiquity. Imperial Roman letters, or majuscules, became models for the capital letters in nearly all early roman printing types. So it was, that the first letters in my typeface arose from pondering how shapes of lowercase letters and capital letters relate to one another in terms of classical ideals and geometric proportions, two pinnacles in a range of artistic notions which emerged during the Italian Renaissance. Indeed, such ideas are interesting to explore, but in the field of type design they often lead to dead ends. It is generally acknowledged, for instance, that pure geometry, as a strict approach to type design, has limitations. No roman alphabet, based solely on the circle and square, has ever been ideal for continuous reading. This much, I knew from the start. In the course of developing my typeface for text, innumerable compromises were made. Even though the finished letterforms retain a measure of geometric structure, they were modified again and again to improve their performance en masse. Each modification caused further deviation from my original scheme, and gave every font a slightly different direction. In the lower case letters especially, I made countless variations, and diverged significantly from my original plan. For example, not all the arcs remained radial, and they were designed to vary from font to font. Such variety added to the individuality of each style. The counters of many letters are described by intersecting arcs or angled facets, and the bowls are not round. In the capitals, angular bracketing was used practically everywhere stems and serifs meet, accentuating the terseness of the characters. As a result of all my tinkering, the entire family took on a kind of rich, familiar, coarseness - akin to roman types of the late 1400s. In his book, Printing Types D. B. Updike wrote: "Almost all Italian roman fonts in the last half of the fifteenth century had an air of "security" and generous ease extremely agreeable to the eye. Indeed, there is nothing better than fine Italian roman type in the whole history of typography." It does seem a shame that only in the 20th century have revivals of these beautiful types found acceptance in the English language. For four centuries (circa 1500 - circa 1900) Venetian Old Style faces were definitely not in favor in any living language. Recently, though, reinterpretations of early Italian printing types have been returning with a vengeance. The name Vendetta, which as an Italian sound I like, struck me as being a word that could be taken to signifiy a comeback of types designed in the Venetian style. In closing, I should add that a large measure of Vendetta's overall character comes from a synthesis of ideas, old and new. Hallmarks of roman type design from the Incunabula period are blended with contemporary concerns for the optimal display of letterforms on computer screens. Vendetta is thus not a historical revival. It is instead an indirect but personal digital homage to the roman types of punchcutters whose work was influenced by the example Jenson set in 1470. John Downer.
  36. Hawkes by Kimmy Design, $15.00
    Hawkes is an extensive handmade typeface family that comes with a bundle of weights, widths and styles, all designed to work cohesively. Here is a breakdown of the Hawkes family. Hawkes Sans: The primary subfamily is a sans-serif typeface that includes nine fonts: three weights (light, medium and bold) and three widths (narrow, regular and wide). Within this set are an array of stylistic features; including small capitals, character style alternatives, discretionary ligatures and contextual alternatives. See details below for more information on OpenType Features. Hawkes Variable Width Sans: The secondary subfamily is the same base sans-serif fonts but combined in variating widths. Essentially, it takes all three widths of each weight and randomly mixes them together. This creates a funky and creative alternative to the more traditional sans-serif set. The variations are for the uppercase, lowercase, small capitals, ligatures and numbers. Hawkes Script: The last subfamily is the script typeface. It’s a quirky script with variations of its own, including ligatures, swashes and contextual alternatives (again, see below for further details.) The script font works great as a complimentary style to the sans-serif, or on it’s own. FEATURES Alright, let’s get into all the extra goodies this typeface has to offer. Small Capitals: Small caps are short capital letters designed to blend with lowercase text. These aren’t just capital letters just scaled down but designed to fit with the weight of both the lowercase and capitals. With Hawkes, small caps can either sit on the baseline (in line with the base of the capital and lowercase) or to be lifted to match the height of the capital letters by applying the discretionary ligature setting in the OpenType panel. These small capitals have a dot underlining them that sit along the baseline. The feature offers a unique display affect that is great for logos, titles and other headline needs. Discretionary Ligatures: A discretionary ligature is more decorative and unique combination than a standard ligature and can be applied at the users discretion (as the name indicates.) The specific styling for these ligatures varies for different fonts. With Hawkes, they are used as an all capital styling feature, or to lift the small capitals to align with the height of the capitals. In the former setting, both lowercase and uppercase letters are first changed to all capitals, then a specialized set of letter combinations are transitioned so small characters are positioned within a main capital letter. These combinations only happen with main characters that include an applicable stem, such as C F K L R T Y. Some of these combinations include two or three characters. When Small Caps is turned ‘on’, this feature will lift the small caps to the height of the capital letter. For more information, please check out the user guide! Stylistic Alternatives: Stylistic alternates are a secondary form of a character, often used to enhance the look or style of a font. For Hawkes, these alternatives provide a slightly more handmade feel. A - the capital and small capital A will lose its pointed apex and become rounded. Think of it more as an upside-down U than an up-side-down V ;-) Oo, G, Ss, Cc- these characters’ topmost terminal becomes a loop. The O is applied automatically, the G S and C need to be turn on individually. Titling Alternatives: This feature does sort of the opposite of what it intends. Instead of being used for titling purposes, this feature makes the text look better in paragraph text settings. Kk Rr h n m - curved terminals on the are straightened e - the counter stroke also gets straightened from a more looping motion y - the shape of y is changed from a rounded character to a sharper apex (think more like a ‘v’ than ‘u’) Contextual Alternatives: Contextual alternates are glyphs designed to work within context of other adjacent glyphs. With Hawkes Sans, there are three slightly different variations per character. The feature rotates the application of each variation. This helps with organic authenticity, so if you have two e’s next to each other, they won’t look identical (reflecting the natural variations in handwriting and lettering.) With Hawkes Variable width fonts, I have created a contextual pattern that randomizes the widths of each character. So, when the feature is turned ‘on’ in the OpenType panel, the widths would alternate in a pattern such as: Narrow, Wide, Regular, Narrow, Regular Wide, Narrow, etc. It happens automatically so the user doesn’t have to think or worry about getting a random seed. With Hawkes Script, contextual alternates allow strokes to connect properly from one character to the next while maintaining a believable, natural flow. Connecting strokes are present for two letters next to each other but are replaced by a shorter stroke when located at the end of a word or sentence. Some characters have in-strokes when located at the start of a word. When a character is preceded by a capital letter that doesn’t connect, it too needs an in-stroke or altered spacing. This feature is complicated and messy, but luckily you don’t really have to think about it! I’ve done all the coding so all you have to do is turn ‘on’ the feature in the OpenType panel and you are off to the races! I’m just letting you know what’s happening behind the scenes. Swashes: These are just for Hawkes Script and provide tail swashes to the start and ends of letters. There are three different options. You can pick the basic option by turning ‘on’ the swash feature in the OpenType panel, or you can pick using the Glyph panel. Stylistic Sets: This feature work in new versions of Illustrator CC and InDesign CC. You can pick specific styling sets instead of turning on an entire feature. For example, let’s say you want to have a loopy S, but not a loopy C or O, you can just turn on the S in the Style Set. It also helps create the little drop box that pops up when you hover over a character, showing you the alternates associated with that character. This makes it easy to pick and choose specific styles you want in a word or headline. ---------- And there it is folks! That’s all the basic info on Hawkes, I know it’s been a lot and I appreciate you hanging on. If you are like me and need more of a visual reference to accessing all these goodies, I’ve made a user guide to help navigate Hawkes and everything it has to offer. Altogether this extensive family boasts 14 total fonts in a wide array of styles, weights and widths, making it a great addition to any handmade type collection. Enjoy!
  37. Antique by Storm Type Foundry, $26.00
    The concept of the Baroque Roman type face is something which is remote from us. Ungrateful theorists gave Baroque type faces the ill-sounding attribute "Transitional", as if the Baroque Roman type face wilfully diverted from the tradition and at the same time did not manage to mature. This "transition" was originally meant as an intermediate stage between the Aldine/Garamond Roman face of the Renaissance, and its modern counterpart, as represented by Bodoni or Didot. Otherwise there was also a "transition" from a slanted axis of the shadow to a perpendicular one. What a petty detail led to the pejorative designation of Baroque type faces! If a bookseller were to tell his customers that they are about to choose a book which is set in some sort of transitional type face, he would probably go bust. After all, a reader, for his money, would not put up with some typographical experimentation. He wants to read a book without losing his eyesight while doing so. Nevertheless, it was Baroque typography which gave the world the most legible type faces. In those days the craft of punch-cutting was gradually separating itself from that of book-printing, but also from publishing and bookselling. Previously all these activities could be performed by a single person. The punch-cutter, who at that time was already fully occupied with the production of letters, achieved better results than he would have achieved if his creative talents were to be diffused in a printing office or a bookseller's shop. Thus it was possible that for example the printer John Baskerville did not cut a single letter in his entire lifetime, for he used the services of the accomplished punch-cutter John Handy. It became the custom that one type founder supplied type to multiple printing offices, so that the same type faces appeared in various parts of the world. The type face was losing its national character. In the Renaissance period it is still quite easy to distinguish for example a French Roman type face from a Venetian one; in the Baroque period this could be achieved only with great difficulties. Imagination and variety of shapes, which so far have been reserved only to the fine arts, now come into play. Thanks to technological progress, book printers are now able to reproduce hairstrokes and imitate calligraphic type faces. Scripts and elaborate ornaments are no longer the privilege of copper-engravers. Also the appearance of the basic, body design is slowly undergoing a change. The Renaissance canonical stiffness is now replaced with colour and contrast. The page of the book is suddenly darker, its lay-out more varied and its lines more compact. For Baroque type designers made a simple, yet ingenious discovery - they enlarged the x-height and reduced the ascenders to the cap-height. The type face thus became seemingly larger, and hence more legible, but at the same time more economical in composition; the type area was increasing to the detriment of the margins. Paper was expensive, and the aim of all the publishers was, therefore, to sell as many ideas in as small a book block as possible. A narrowed, bold majuscule, designed for use on the title page, appeared for the first time in the Late Baroque period. Also the title page was laid out with the highest possible economy. It comprised as a rule the brief contents of the book and the address of the bookseller, i.e. roughly that which is now placed on the flaps and in the imprint lines. Bold upper-case letters in the first line dramatically give way to the more subtle italics, the third line is highlighted with vermilion; a few words set in lower-case letters are scattered in-between, and then vermilion appears again. Somewhere in the middle there is an ornament, a monogram or an engraving as a kind of climax of the drama, while at the foot of the title-page all this din is quietened by a line with the name of the printer and the year expressed in Roman numerals, set in 8-point body size. Every Baroque title-page could well pass muster as a striking poster. The pride of every book printer was the publication of a type specimen book - a typographical manual. Among these manuals the one published by Fournier stands out - also as regards the selection of the texts for the specimen type matter. It reveals the scope of knowledge and education of the master typographers of that period. The same Fournier established a system of typographical measurement which, revised by Didot, is still used today. Baskerville introduced the smoothing of paper by a hot steel roller, in order that he could print astonishingly sharp letters, etc. ... In other words - Baroque typography deserves anything else but the attribute "transitional". In the first half of the 18th century, besides persons whose names are prominent and well-known up to the present, as was Caslon, there were many type founders who did not manage to publish their manuals or forgot to become famous in some other way. They often imitated the type faces of their more experienced contemporaries, but many of them arrived at a quite strange, even weird originality, which ran completely outside the mainstream of typographical art. The prints from which we have drawn inspiration for these six digital designs come from Paris, Vienna and Prague, from the period around 1750. The transcription of letters in their intact form is our firm principle. Does it mean, therefore, that the task of the digital restorer is to copy meticulously the outline of the letter with all inadequacies of the particular imprint? No. The type face should not to evoke the rustic atmosphere of letterpress after printing, but to analyze the appearance of the punches before they are imprinted. It is also necessary to take account of the size of the type face and to avoid excessive enlargement or reduction. Let us keep in mind that every size requires its own design. The longer we work on the computer where a change in size is child's play, the more we are convinced that the appearance of a letter is tied to its proportions, and therefore, to a fixed size. We are also aware of the fact that the computer is a straightjacket of the type face and that the dictate of mathematical vectors effectively kills any hint of naturalness. That is why we strive to preserve in these six alphabets the numerous anomalies to which later no type designer ever returned due to their obvious eccentricity. Please accept this PostScript study as an attempt (possibly futile, possibly inspirational) to brush up the warm magic of Baroque prints. Hopefully it will give pleasure in today's modern type designer's nihilism.
  38. Open-Dyslexic - Personal use only
  39. FarHat-Quintas - Unknown license
  40. FarHat-Acordes - Unknown license
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