TYPE DESIGN INFORMATION PAGE last updated on Sun May 19 06:03:49 EDT 2013

Op-art Typefaces



[Op art painting by Victor Vasarely.]

Luc Devroye
McGill University
Montreal, Canada
lucdevroye@gmail.com
http://luc.devroye.org
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Alvin Koh

Graphic design student in Singapore in 2012-2013. Creator of a beautiful op-art poster for Air Icon 2013. He also made an ornamental typeface called Origami Cubism (2013). [Google] [More]  ⦿

Andrea D'Antonio

Milan-based creator of typefaces such as Antigua Ferreteira (2013, a heavy grotesk based on old railroad lettering) and OpArt (2013, an op-art typeface). [Google] [More]  ⦿

Anna Aksionova

Vilnius, Lithuania-based designer of the prismatic op-art and art deco typeface Aks Font. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Anne-Cécile Manfré

Parisian designer. Creator of a commissioned typeface, Uni Type (2012) for the annual report of Unicancer. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Anton Scholtz
[Scholtz Fonts]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Art deco faces by Nick Curtis: II
[Nick Curtis]

Commercial art deco faces by Nick Curtis.

  • Bessie Mae Moocho NF (2002). An art deco font based on handlettering found on a travel brochure for IMM Steamship Lines, circa 1927.
  • Blitzkrieg NF (2011). A Lufthansa Airlines baggage label from 1936 provided the inspiration for this genuinely German typeface, with strong art deco influences.
  • Blue Jay Way NF (2011). An art deco face inspired by Ross F. George. This face was used on the Beatles' original Magical Mystery Tour album.
  • Boeuf au Joost (2003). Art deco based on work by comic book artist Joost Swarte.
  • Boho à Gogo NF (2007): a multiline (op art?) typeface inspired by Bauhaus.
  • Chalk and Cheese NF (2004). This art deco uppercase is based on 1930s lettering by French poster artist Charles Loupot (based on this art deco poster), and the non-art deco lowercase is based on 1910s lettering by German plakatmeister Ludwig Hohlwein.
  • Chemin de Fer NF (2005). An art deco shadowed outline face.
  • Chi Town NF (2008) is a heavy art deco creation that is based on a 1931 poster for the film The Man from Chicago.
  • Coochie Nando NF (2011). An art deco shadow caps face, after a face called Kitchen by Milton Glaser.
  • Dooijes Deco NF (2010). A 3-style art deco family in the style of Broadway, based on the Dick Dooijes tryptich, Carlton, Bristol (1929) and Savoy (1936).
  • Duck Soup (2003, after a 1928 poster by Italian designer Neri Nanetti for Snob Cognac).
  • Elektromoto NF (2011). This family takes its inspiration from two early Art Deco faces from Germany. The Normal version is based on Dynamo, designed by K. Sommer for Ludwig&Mayer in 1930, while the Narrow version is based on Stadion, designed by Erhard Grundeis for Die Schriftguß AG in 1929. Their common design motifs epitomize the Age of Streamline.
  • Humpty Dumpling NF (2010). A fat art deco face based on an offering from the irrepressible M. Draim, seen in La Lettre dans le Décor&la Publicité Modernes, published by Monrocq Frères of Paris in 1932).
  • Dusty Rose (2008) is an art deco face based on the logotype for the Dutch magazine Geillustreerd Schildersblad in 1940.
  • Edgewise (2007), a quirky well-rounded post-art deco and pre-psychedelic face, uses ideas from Ryter Night (VGC).
  • Ege Schrift NF (2011). a faithful revival of Ege-Schrift (1921, Eduard Ege), a mix between Mexican party lettering and art deco.
  • Engel Stabenschrift NF (2008). In 1927, Ernst Engel created an art deco face which was revived by Nick Curtis as Engel Stabenschrift NF.
  • Gotham Rail Company NF (2002). Art deco based on an Italian travel poster from 1931.
  • Great Lakes Shadow (2008) is an art deco face based on a 1930s travel poster for the Canadian pacific Railway.
  • Jazzfest NF and Tinseltown NF (2009). Based on the 1932 art deco typefaces Newport and Hollywood, respectively, both designed by Willard T. Sniffin for ATF.
  • Kharon Ultra (2009). An art deco face based on Ludlow Stygian.
  • Kinkajou Stew (2003). Image of Kinkajou NF.
  • Kirschwasser NF (2005). A bubbly art deco face.
  • Korner Deli NF (2006, art deco).
  • Kymmera Deco NF (2011). Revival and redesign of Rainbow Bass (1982, saul Bass).
  • La Reyna Catalina NF (2006). An art deco face based on Aragón, designed by Enric Crous-Vidal.
  • Linea Nera NF (2011). Based on Wolf Magin's Black Line (1976, Berthold).
  • Luben Tunen (2008) is another art deco face.
  • Madison Squared NF (2012).
  • Mighty Ditey (2007): a mix between art deco and Peignot, this elegnat face is based on a 1970s Photolettering face by Richard Nebiolo called Aphrodite.
  • Mogzilla NF (2007) is an ultra fat art deco face.
  • Monte Carlo Script NF (2002). An art deco font based on a font called Médicis from a Deberny and Peignot catalog, circa 1920.
  • Nip&Tuck.
  • Odalisque NF (2008, +Stencil, 2010) are art deco fonts based on Morris Fuller Benton's Chic (1927).
  • OK Chorale (2003). An art deco face based on Carl Holmes' ABC of Lettering book.
  • Orchard Street NF (2011, +Inline). A pair of art deco caps faces inspired by one of many posters produced by the WPA by anonymous artists during the 1930s.
  • Pentaprism NF (2011). Part Futura, part Bauhaus, this 5-style family has multiline, inline, and other variants.
  • Raconteur NF (2006-2008) is a wonderful art deco typeface that shouts gin fizz and high heels: it takes its inspiration from a 1923 ad for Piera Nova, designed by Hernando G. Villa.
  • Quoi Chou NF (2006). An elegant and quite original beefed-up version of Bernhard Fashion by Lucian Bernhard.
  • Radio Days (2008). An art deco face based on 1930s logotype lettering for Crosley Radios.
  • Rassetta NF and Rassetta Swash Caps NF (2005). An art deco pair of faces originally designed by Willard T. Sniffin for American Type Founders in 1931 under the name Rosetti.
  • Renard Moderne NF (2010). An art deco face inspired by Sol Hess's 1940s face Twentieth Century Poster.
  • Resolute NF or USA Resolute NF (2009). An all caps fat headline face based on Morris Fuller Benton's Eagle, ATF, 1934.
  • Salzmann Deco NF (2011) and Salzmann Deco Deco NF (2011), art deco and Mexican-themed faces, modeled after Max Salzmann's Dolmen (1921-1922) and Zierdolmen (1922), respectively.
  • Secret Agent (2003). A pure art deco beauty based on this Loupot poster from 1919.
  • Smart Frocks NF (2008). A Peignotian face, after a shop sign in London, ca. 1930. Designer unknown.
  • Stony Island NF (2011). Based on an Alf R. Becker face from 1935 called Chicago Modern Thick and Thin.
  • Suave Sam NF (2010). An art deco face after a 1930 alphabet by Samuel Welo.
  • Tasneem (2007) is the ultimate art deco face, originally drawn by Gustav Jensen in 1931.
  • Tiny Bubbles NF (2008). An art deco face inspired by an alphabet in Pen&Brush Lettering and Practical Alphabets (Blandford Press, Ltd., London, 1929).
  • Top Kick NF (2011). Based on Concentra, a geometric marvel with several parallel and concentric lines making up the letters. Concentra was originally published in Schriftatlas: Alphabete von A bis Z .
  • Turista Gorda NF (2009). Based on Baltimore Type Foundry's Airport Tourist, which in turn was influenced by Futura Display.
[Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

B2302
[Simon Becker]

Berlin-based designer Simon Becker (aka B2302) created Legere (2012, HypeForType) together with Jose Cunyat. It has Light, Regular and Deco styles.

In 2013, with Federico Neeva Orrù, he created a versatile octagonal multiline display family, Vasarely, named after optical artist Victor Vasarely.

Behance link. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Bruno Roda

Designer from Lisbon. He created the modular experimental face Pista (2010), which is based on sections of model car race tracks, and could be considered prismatic or op-art. Behance link. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Büro für Gestaltung Janssen
[Daniel Janssen]

Büro für Gestaltung Janssen, or Janssen Design, is located in Hamburg. It is involved in print, screen, animation, corporate and type design, and was founded in 2002 by Sylvia and Daniel Janssen. Together, they designed these typefaces:

  • Bias Regular (2008, T-26). An experimental pixel-based face.
  • Gretel (2005, Fountain), a cross-stitch pattern font.
  • Loop (2005, T-26).
  • Kaa, a multilined hypnotizing face. This and some other faces are also available at T-26.
  • Engel (2003, At T-26). See also here.
  • Vitus (2003, Fountain: Vitus is a bold face with occasional delicate strokes. It'a based on a typeface found on one of the million mark notes released during the inflation in the 1920's). See also here.
  • Emily, a connected script font, with some borders. Designed in 2003 with Sylvia Janssen, it is similar to Monte Carlo Script NF (2002, Nick Curtis), and both are based on a font called Medicis by Deberny and Peignot, ca. 1920.
  • AF Nitro, a techno/LED collection of faces.
  • Diavolo, a fifties diner face.
  • Unovis, a minimalist squarish face with hard to distinguish u, n and v lower case characters.
  • Sektor, a sans face.
  • Sonar, a display sans.
  • Masina, a simple geometric sans.
  • Cash (no idea whta this looks like).
  • Initialen, a 21st century initial caps face.
  • EF Gigant, a 96-weight techno family (Elsner and Flake, 2006).
  • Emily: a conected upright script available from T26.
  • Atlantik: six sets of line elements, sold by Veer and Fountain. The Atlantik typeface is a result of a poster design made for the Habour Museum Hamburg.
  • Diago (2008, T-26): a striped op art sans.
  • Oceane (2009, T-26). An avant-garde face.

FontShop link. Klingspor link.

View Daniel Janssen's typefaces. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Cocijotype
[Elí Castellanos Chávez]

A 2004 graduate of Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi. As a student at CEAD in Mexico, Elí Castellanos Chávez (b. 1980) is the director of Cocijotype, a foundry located in Oaxaca. He teaches editorial design and typography in Loma Bonita, Mexico. Cocijotype was earlier called Sexytype.

Behance link. Flickr page.

Their typefaces:

  • Koch's Neuland inspired Elí to create Barrilito (2009). This face won an award at Tipos Latinos 2010 in the script category.
  • Barricada (2008, Sudtipos) is a fat rounded signage face that was awarded in the Tipos Latinos 2008 competition in the non-text category.
  • Lucecita (2009) is a dot matrix LED font. It won an award at Tipos Latinos 2010 in the screen face category.
  • Barronegro (2009) is a text family on which he has been working between 2006 and 2009. Barronegro is based on the cultural heritage of Oaxaca, as found on local posters, menus, shops, clothing, and art.
  • Miniblock (2009, by Manuel Guerrero) is created to stack letters next to each other to look like labyrinths. It won an award in the Tipos Latinos 2008 competition for best text family.
  • Optica (2008, Manolo Guerrero) is a tribute to Colombian artist Omar Rayo's optical art.
  • Block02 (2009, Manolo Guerrero) is a FontStruct font that is part pixelized, part stencil.
  • Optica (2008, Manolo G) is an optical experiment.
  • Chicha (2012, Diego Sanz) is based on Peruvian market signs.
  • Quincha (2009, Diego Sanz) is the quechua word for stone wall. Letters can be packed together in a way that reminds one of ancient Inca art.
  • Casiopea (2010) is a corporate or signage type family that comes in six weights including Bold and Thin.
  • Zipolite (2011). A mix of grotesk and humanist.

Klingspor link. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Daniel Janssen
[Büro für Gestaltung Janssen]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Davide Zomer

Student of Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna, who was born in Trento, Italy. He is heavily into sup-fitting geometric experimental typefaces that flirt with the optical limits. One example is his NMTCS typeface. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Deniart Systems
[Jan Koehler]

Great fonts for astrology, hieroglyphics, alchemy and the occult, by Toronto's Jan and Denise Koehler, mostly designed between 1993 and 1995. They moved to Litomerice, the Czech Republic, recently. MyFonts sells the fantastic Meso Americano dingbats, Hypnotica, AlchemySymbols (two fonts), BlackMagick, Border Twins (2010), CastlesShields, Curly Jane (2010), Cubista Geometrica (2010: op art), DaggersAlphabet, Dendera (ancient Egyptian Zodiac symbols), Dragons, Eggnog (2010), Fontazia Floradot (2012), Fontazia Papilio (2009), Fontazia Pop62 (2011, dingbats of flowers), Fontazia AquaFlorium (2010, fishtank dingbats), Fontazia Mazzo (2010, vases), Fontazia Stiletto (2011), Fontazia Y3K (2009, aliens), the Hieroglyph family (dingbats, really), Jolly Jester (2010, curly hand), MagiWriting, Meandros (2010, a paperclip design inspired by the Greek Key, or Fret, motif), Phaistos, Pocket Wrench (2010, octagonal), Polka Dot Wrench (2010), PowersofMarduk, Praha Deco (2010, inspired by the Prague art deco movement), the RongoRongo family (Easter Island script), SkeletonAlphabet, Sublimina, Superchunk, WhiteMagick, Yenda (2010, bold and angular).

List of font packages: Aglab, Alchemy Symbols, American Sign Alphabet, Ancient Writings Vol. 1, Ancient Writings Vol. 2, Angelica, The Astrologer Bundle, Astrologer, Aztec Day Signs, Black Magick, Braille Alphabet, Castles&Shields, Celestial Writing, Celtic Astrologer, Certar, Chinese Zodiac, Coptic Alphabet, Daggers Alphabet, Dendera, Dinosauria, Dragons, Egyptian Deities, Enochian Writing, Egypt. Hieroglyphics Vol 1, Egypt. Hieroglyphics Vol 2, Egypt. Hieroglyphics Vol 3, Egypt. Hieroglyphics Vol 4, Futhark, Greco, Hebrew Basic, Hypnotica, Magi Writing, Magick&Mystic, Malachim Writing, Masonic Writing, Maya Day Names, Maya Month Glyphs, Meso Americano, Meso Deko, Morse Code, Old Persian Cuneiform, Passing the River, Phaistos, Pike's Alphabets, Powers of Marduk, Sanskrit Writing, Semaphore Code, Signals&Signs, Skeleton Alphabet, Sublimina, Tengwanda Gothic, Tengwanda Namarie, Theban Alphabet, The Egyptologist, Tolkien Scripts, WhiteMagick, Skeleton Alphabet, Hebrew Basic, Sanskrit Writing. Note: I cannot find an entry for Jan Koehler at MyFonts, where all Deniart fonts are said to have been made by Denise Koehler. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Elí Castellanos Chávez
[Cocijotype]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Ellen Stoehr

Wall Street Sans was created in 2012 by Ellen Stoehr (Minneapolis, MN). She writes: Similar to ability that con artists have to reveal what they want the viewer to see, optical illusions can usually be exposed or unveiled. I paired the mystery of optical illusions with the deceit of greedy modern day con artists, producing a typeface where the viewer can't quite determine if the letterform is receding into the background or coming forth into the foreground. I call it Wall Street Sans. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Elsner&Flake
[Manfred Klein]

Manfred Klein's fonts at Elsner&Flake: Birds EF (1992), EF Aliens (great tribal masks), EFBeforeTheAlphabets (primitive dings), EF Bloxx, EF Brushable, BuchZeichen EF (2001), EFDeconStruct, EF Ethno (1991), EF Flying Objects, Flying OpArt EF (1994), EF Gois, EF Gutenbergs Traces, EF Kleins Sketch (1995), EF KLTypeFaces, EF MoreKaputt, Poet Concrete EF (1994), SuetterlinEF (1992), EF RememberImreR (1995), Stars N Spirals EF (1998), EF Tokay-MK (1992, after an idea of Imre Reiner), EF WhyNot (a lovely crazy handwritten character font, oozing originality and style), EF WitchesBrood (1994). [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Erik Bertell
[Erik Jarl Bertell]

Erik graduated from Lahti Institute of Design. His fonts include Neon, Mama and Mama Round. Born in Helsinki in 1980, Erik is a type designer for Fenotype, which was founded by his brother Emil Bertell. He holds an MA in graphic design from aalto University in Helsinki. Around 2012, he set up his own foundry, Erik Bertell.

Erik's fonts EB Base Mono (2009, monospaced), EB Futuretro (2002, bilined art deco techno face), EB Neon (2002), EB Boogie Monster (2002, multiline prismatic op art family), EB Vintage Future and EB Humboldt (2002, ultra fat).

EB Martin (2010) is, in his own words, a post modern take on several traditional blackletter types. EB Bellissimo Display (2010) is a rounded monoline geometric sans typeface family. EB Jessica (2011) is part typewriter, part cemetery.

Typefaces from 2013: Steamer (which he calls a grimy grotesque), EB Vintage Future, EB Martin (blackletter), EB Jessica Condensed Book. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Erik Jarl Bertell
[Erik Bertell]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Erken Kagarov

Designer of the op art font Opticum at Paratype in 2009. Klingspor link. Fontshiop link. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Eurotypo
[Olcar Alcaide]

Institute in Benalmadena, Spain (was: Santa Severa), where one can take 4-week courses at 1450 Euros a shot on the Etruscan alphabet, Trajan, Cuadrata and Rustic Roman Capital letters, and related subjects. They also organize lettering tours in Italy and guided tours in various musea. The teachers are Alberto Di Santo (Professor of the visual communication, Tor Vergata University, Rome; Professor of Graphic Design, Istituto Europeo di design, Rome; Professor of editorial design, La Sapienza University, Rome; Professor of Typography, C.F.P. Sinalunga, Siena) and Olcar Alcaide (b. 1952, Argentina, Professor of Graphic and Typography Design, University of Buenos Aires; Professor of Typography, University of Lanús, and Professor of Graphic Design, Marbella Design School, Spain). Type link jump page.

Eurotypo is also the foundry of Olcar Alcaide.

Catalog of Olcar Alcaide's typefaces.

In 2010, he published the text family Antium and the warm signage faces Mijas Ultra and Lila Pro Heavy.

Typefaces from 2011 include Lila pro, Atenea (a humanist sans family), Agerola Script (a fat flowing signage face), Teja (signage face), Zalea (yet another signage face), and Nabu Pro (a connected signage script). Equalis (2011M, with Juan Lavalle) is a monoline slab face with a huge x-height and wide open counters. It was followed by Equalis Stencil (2011). Ravel (2011) is a fat signage script face. Atenea Egyptian (2011) is a solid slab serif family. Berta (2011) is a signage brush face with connected and unconnected versions. Optic Art (2011) is an ornamental face with building blocks that can be used for overlays. Creator of Eurotypo Bodoni Bold (2011).

Typefaces from 2012: Cubus (dingbats), Saxo Deco (art deco), Moliere (2012, an elegant didone family with outspoken ball terminals), Melon Script (a fat curvy signage script family), Riky (comic book family), Chipa (a signage and package design script), Heket (an expressive curly script), Lenga (a slab serif typeface family), Mikal (brush script). Duktus is a 1940s style script in the style iof Donatello (1935, Wagner & Schmidt), Troubadour (1927, Wagner & Schmidt), Liberty Script (1927, Willard T. Sniffin), Trafton Script (1933, Howard Allen Trafton), and Coronet (1937, R.H. Middleton).

Picture.

Typefaces from 2013: Brittes (copperplate script), Talis (contrast-rich sans family), Fiesole (display family with an awkward back-curled lower case d), C Duflos (after a bâtarde coulée by Claude Duflos, a French engraver who was acitve around 1690).

Klingspor link. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Federico Neeva Orrù

Designer in Cagliari, Italy. In 2013, with Simon Becker, he created a versatile octagonal multiline display family, Vasarely, named after optical artist Victor Vasarely.

Behance link. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Fontek (Letraset Fontek)

Collection of typefaces at Letraset. Newest faces include Donaldson Hand (Tim Donaldson), La Gioconda (based on letters from Giovanni Francesco Cresci, done by Richard Dawson and Dave Farey), Spidercave (Michael Gills), Locomotiv (Phill Grimshaw), Bobbysox (Alan Dempsey), Bouchon (Roselyne and Michel Besnard), Eplica (Yvonne Diedrich), Uffington (Tim Donaldson). The collection is now also sold at Veer. The names: Aachen Bold, Aachen Medium, Academy Engraved, Agincourt, Algerian Condensed, Ambrose, Aquinas, Aquitaine Initials, Aristocrat, Arriba, Arriba-Arriba, Artiste, Augustea Open, Avalanche Script, Avenida, Axis Bold, Balmoral, Bang, Banner, Becka Script, Belwe Mono, Belwe Mono Italic, Bendigo, Bergell, Bertie, Bertram, Bible Script, Bickley Script, Bitmax, Blackmoor, Bluntz, Bobbysox, Boink, Bordeaux Display, Bordeaux Family, Bordeaux Italic, Bordeaux Roman, Bordeaux Roman Bold, Bordeaux Script, Bouchon Bold, Bouchon Light, Brighton Bold, Brighton Light, Brighton Medium, Bronx, Burlington, Buzzer 3, Cabaret, Cabarga Cursiva, Campaign, Cancellaresca Script, Carlton, Carumba, Caslon 540 Ital/Swash, Caxton Light Italic, Caxton Roman Bold, Caxton Roman Book, Caxton Roman Light, Chalkline Bold, Challenge Bold, Challenge Extra Bold, Champers, Charlotte Bold, Charlotte Book, Charlotte Book Italic, Charlotte Family, Charlotte Medium, Charlotte Sans Bold, Charlotte Sans Book, Charlotte Sans Book Italic, Charlotte Sans Family, Charlotte Sans Medium, Charlotte Sans Small Caps, Charlotte Small Caps, Chiller, Chipper, Choc, Chromium One, Citation, Claude Sans, Claude Sans Bold Italic, Claude Sans Italic, Collins, Comedy, Commercial Script, Compacta, Compacta Bold, Compacta Italic, Coptek, Corinthian Bold, Corinthian Bold Condensed, Corinthian Light, Corinthian Medium, Crillee Bold Italic, Crillee Extra Bold Italic, Crillee Italic, Crillee Italic Inline Shadow, Cult, Dancin', Data 70, Dave Farey Display Fonts, David Quay Display Fonts, David Quay Scripts, Demian, Demian Bold, Design Font Attitudes, Design Font Calligraphic Ornaments, Design Font Celebrations, Design Font Commercials, Design Font Delectables, Design Font Diversions, Design Font Diversities, Design Font Eclectics, Design Font Energetics, Design Font Expressions, Design Font Incidentals, Design Font Industrials, Design Font Inspirations, Design Font Journeys, Design Font Mo' Funky Fresh Symbols, Design Font Moderns, Design Font Naturals, Design Font Organics, Design Font Organics II, Design Font Primitives, Design Font Radicals, Design Font Urbans, Design Font Well Beings, Design Font Wildlife, Digitek, Dolmen, Donaldson Hand, Doodlebug, Dynamo Shadow, Edwardian Medium, Elysium Bold, Elysium Book, Elysium Book Italic, Elysium Family, Elysium Medium, Elysium Small Caps, Emphasis, Enviro, Eplica Bold, Eplica Bold Italic, Eplica Book, Eplica Book Italic, Eplica Family, Eplica Medium, Eplica Medium Italic, Epokha, Equinox, Etruscan, Faithful Fly, Fashion Compressed No. 3, Fashion Engraved, Figural Bold, Figural Book, Figural Book Italic, Figural Family, Figural Medium, Figural Small Caps, Fine Hand, Flamenco Inline, Flamme, Flight, Fling, Follies, Forest Shaded, Frances Uncial, Frankfurter, Frankfurter Highlight, Frankfurter Inline, Frankfurter Medium, Freestyle Script, Freestyle Script Bold, Gigi, Gilgamesh Bold, Gilgamesh Book, Gilgamesh Book Italic, Gilgamesh Family, Gilgamesh Medium, Gilgamesh Small Caps, Gilgamesh Titling, Gill Display Compressed, Gill Kayo Condensed, Gillies Gothic Extra Bold Shaded, Glastonbury, Globale, Globale Bold, Globale Bold Italic, Globale Family, Globale Italic, Goo Goo Gjoob, Gravura, Green, Greyton Script, Hadfield, Hand Drawn, Harlow, Harlow Solid, Harvey, Hazel, Heliotype, Helvetica Bold Condensed, Helvetica Medium Condensed, Highlight, Hollyweird, Ignatius, Impakt, Indy Italic, Informal Roman, Inscription, Iris, Isis, Jazz, John Handy, Jokerman, Kanban, Katfish, Katytude, Klee, La Bamba, La Gioconda, La Gioconda Bold, Lambada, Laser, Laser Chrome, Latino Elongated, Laura, LCD, Le Griffe, Lexikos, Lightnin', Limehouse Script, Lino Cut, Locarno Italic, Locarno Light, Locomotiv, Magatama, Malibu, Marguerita, Martin Wait Display Fonts, Martin Wait Scripts, Mastercard, Mekanik, Mekanik Italic, Milano, Mistral, Mo' Funky Fresh, Montage, Neo Neo, Oberon, Odessa, Old English, One Stroke Script, One Stroke Script Bold, One Stroke Script Shaded, Orange, Orlando, Pablo, Papyrus, Party, Pendry Script, Phill Grimshaw Display Fonts, Phoenikia, Pink, Plaza, Pleasure Bold Shaded, Pneuma, Potato Cut, Prague, Premier Lightline, Premier Shaded, Princetown, Pristina, Pritchard, Pritchard Line Out, Pump, Pump Demi Bold, Quadrus, Quixley, Rage Italic, Ragtime, Rapier, Refracta, Regatta Condensed, Retail Script, Retro Bold, Retro Bold Condensed, Riva, Robotik, Robotik Italic, Romic Light, Romic Light Italic, Roquette, Ru'ach, Rubber Stamp, Rundfunk, Santa Fe, Savoye, Scratch, Scriba, Scriptease, Scriptek, Scriptek Italic, Scruff, Shaman, Shatter (op-art), Sinaloa, Skid Row, Slipstream, Smack, Smudger, Spidercave Bold, Spidercave Book, Spidercave Book Italic, Spidercave Family, Spidercave Ornamented, Spooky, Spotlight, Squire, Squire Extra Bold, Strobos, Superstar, Synchro, Tag, Tannhauser, Teknik, Telegram, Tiger Rag, Tim Donaldson Display Fonts, Tim Donaldson Scripts, Tiranti Solid, Trackpad, Tropica Script, Twang, Uffington, Ulysses, University Roman, University Roman Bold, University Roman Italic, Van Dijk, Van Dijk Bold, Varga, Vegas, Vermont, Victorian, Victorian Inline Shaded, Vienna Extended, Vivaldi, Wade Sans Light, Wanted, Waterloo Bold, Westwood, Wild Thing, Willow, Xylo, Young Baroque, Zaragoza, Zennor, Zinjaro. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Harold Lohner
[Harold's Fonts]

[More]  ⦿

Harold's Fonts
[Harold Lohner]

Harold Lohner was born in upstate New York in 1958. He received an MFA in printmaking from the University at Albany and is Professor of Visual Arts at Sage College of Albany. He began making fonts in 1997 and starting distributing them the next year through Harold's Fonts. He lives in Albany, NY, with his partner, Al Martino. Originally, most of his typefaces were freeware or shareware, but gradually, he started selling most on his site or via FontBros. His typefaces:

  • Famous fonts: Auteur (2007, after the handwriting in the opening titles of Jean Cocteau's The Beauty and the Beast, 1946), 12 to the Moon (2000, runes based on the Columbia Pictures movie "12 to the Moon"), Aardvark Café (2000, extrapolated from the famous Hard Rock Café logo), BENSFOLK (2000, adapted from the work of Ben Shahn, in turn adapted from "folk or amateur" alphabets. Font originally developed for The Arts Center of the Capital Region.), BENSFOLK CONDENSED (2000), Bensgothic (1998), BensgothicLigatures (1998), CALAVERAS (2002, a take on Daisyland), Comet Negative (2000, based on the logo of Country Music Television (CMT)), Comet Positive (2000), HonestJohns (2000, based on the lettering in the classic Howard Johnson's restaurants logo), METRODF (2000, based on the Mexico City subway's lettering), Radio (2002, derived from the old NPR (National Public Radio) logo).
  • Handlettering: Frank the Architect (2004, +Bold, 2009: after the lettering of architect Frank Ching), National Archive (2009, calligraphic), Rough Draft (2009, sketched font), Greg's Hand (2009), Rudland Hand (2007, inspired by the work of the British artist and designer Peter Rudland), Gamera (2006), Directors Script (2006, based on a film credits script from the 1940s), National Archive (2005, based on the lettering of Timothy Matlack, who wrote the Declaration of Independence), Frank the Architect (2004, based on Frank Ching's lettering, which also gave rise to the Tekton family), Imitation (2003, inspired by the handlettered titles of the film Imitation of Life (1959), directed by Douglas Sirk and artdirected by Richard H. Riedel), Imitation Two (2004), antiestablishment (2000), Christmas Card (2000, based on the handlettered opening titles of the film "It's a Wonderful Life", Art Director: Jack Okey. This font was retired and replaced in 2006 by Testimonial), Espangle (2002, as the lettering for El Corte Ingles), Dad's Recipe (2000, based on his dad's handwriting), Greg's Hand (2001, Greg Smith's writing), Greg's Other Hand (2002), Kaela (1998, reshaped and extended in 2006), Marker Man (1999), Synch (2000, with Phil Campbell, inspired by the work of the artist Stuart Davis), Synchronous (2000, based on Syncopated Script, again made with Phil Campbell), Syncopated Script (1999).
  • Blackletter: Waldorf Text (2011, after a 1914 original), Waldorf Heavy Illuminated (2011), Manucrypt (2011), Rude Goth (2007, grunge blackletter), Alsace-Lorraine, Benighted, Chinese Gothic, Christmas Card II, Kombine Regular, Kombine Kursiv (2000), Olde Chicago.
  • Woodtype: Blacktops (caps, 1999), Blacktop Small Caps (1999), Cinderella (1998). The Western font Cattle Annie (2006) is an unauthorized digital interpretation of the analog font "Les Catalanes." According to ABZ: More alphabets and other signs by Rothenstein and Gooding, it was designed in 1952 by Enric Crous-Vidal (1908-1987) but was never produced.
  • Stencil fonts: JJ Stencil, JJStencilLight (2000, inspired by the work of Jasper Johns), JJStencil Wet, JJStencilMedium, Sideshow (2000, based on the stencilled lettering on a vintage Ouija board), JJStencilSolid (2003), StencilFour (2001, inspired by the logo of Channel 4 (UK); reworked in 2006 into Oaktag), StencilFourReversed (2001).
  • Western: Oklahoma (2006, based on the title of the film by that name), Captain Howdy (1999, 2000, Western font based on the lettering on a Ouija board).
  • Fraktur fonts: Benighted (2002), AlsaceLorraine (2000), Chinese Gothic (2000), Kombine Regular (2000), Kombine Kursiv (2000).
  • Revived Letraset fonts: BLOCK UP family (2000, based on the font family by the same name by Sally Ann Grover (1974) for Letraset), Good Vibes (2001, based on the analog font "Good Vibrations" by Trevor Hatchett for Letraset, 1973), GoodVibesBackbeat (2001), ObliqueTextBold (2000, based on a Letraset font called Obliq, 1984), ObliqueTextLight (2000), ObliqueTextMedium (2000), Wireframe (2000, based on the Letraset font Bombere designed by Carla Bombere (or Carla Ward)).
  • Art deco fonts: Cartel (2005, simply gorgeous), based on the lettering of the 1936 movie by that name), Crazy Harold (2009), Road Jester (2009), Onion (2003), Roberta (2003, based on a font of Bob Trogman, 1962), Roberta Raised Shadow (2003), Boomerang family (1998-2000), LeFilmClassic family (2000, based on the classic Art Deco font of the same name, originally designed by Marcel Jacno and released by Deberny&Peignot, 1927), LeFilmLetters (2000), LeFilmShadow (2000), PopUps (1998, a 3-d art deco font for signboards), Tapeworm (1998, based on the work of artist Ed Ruscha), Farouk (2001, a five-line art deco font, based on an analog font of the same name, as illustrated in Paul E. Kennedy's "Modern Display Alphabets"; in fact, the original source should be Fatima, a font designed by Karl Hermann Schaefer in 1933 at Schriftguss, and a copy of it at FT Française was called Atlas (1933). Lohner renamed Fatima to Atlas at some point, and added Atlas Solid, still in 2001).
  • MICR fonts: CMC7 (1998).
  • Dingbats: Bingo Dingo (2011, inspired by the classic Mexican game, Loteria), Essene Dingbats (2005), Chapeau (2005, inspired by the 1902 Sears Catalog), Corset (2005, inspired by the 1902 Sears Catalog), Harold's Pips (2004), Alpha Bravo (2003), Rebus, AmericanCheese (1999), Candide Dingbats (1999, a reclinming women dingbat face based on decorations designed by Rockwell Kent for "Candide," circa 1928), Maritime Flags (2000), New Year Dingbats (1999: Japanese patterns).
  • Monospace fonts: Chica Mono (2000, based on Apple's Chicago; not really monospaced, by the way), Queer Theory Black, Bold, Regular and Light (1999).
  • Arabic simulation faces: Alhambra (2006), Alhambra Deep (2006).
  • Oriental simulation fonts: Bruce Mikita (+Solid) (after a metal font by the same name; Dan Solo calls it Lantern), Pad Thai (2006), Mystic Prophet (2002, inspired by Ouija boards), Chines Gothic, Font Shui (inspired by a style of hand-lettering illustrated in Alphabets: Ancient&Modern, compiled by J. B. Russell (Padell, 1946), Rubaiyat Shadow and Inline, Seoul (Korean font simulation), Shazi, Twelve to the moon, Chow Fun (2001, an oriental simulation face based on a sample of hand lettering identified as "Crooks' Stencil Designed Alphabet" in Alphabets: Ancient&Modern, compiled by J. B. Russell and published in 1945 by Padell Book Co), Quasi (1998).
  • Cartoon fonts: Laughtrack (2009, based on the work of the cartoonist Jerry Robinson), CokerOne (2000, based on the work of cartoonist Paul Coker Jr), Coker Two (2000) (note: therse fonts were erroneously named. They were renamed to Denney because of this: "The lettering in the fonts you have was developed by Alan Denney at Hallmark in the late 1950s. He also worked for American Greetings Hi Brows from 1960 - 1966 and then returned to Hallmark.... And he later went to a different lettering style when Shoe Box cards became Hallmark's funny card line replacing Contemporary Cards. Alan retired from Hallmark in 1993 and died two years later."), ZITZ (2000, based on the hand lettering in the King Features daily strip "Zits" by Jim Borgman and Jerry Scott), Ohmigosh (2007: 12 styles of comic book lettering).
  • Dot matrix fonts: Fortuna Dot (2001).
  • Pixel fonts: Larcher (based on a modular font designed by Jean Larcher).
  • Medieval script fonts: Sonnet Italic&Swash (2009), Galathea (2000, based on a classic analog font of the same name, "Originalerzeugnis von J. S. Schelter&Giesecke, Leipzig").
  • Fonts made in 2012: Humerus (Halloween font inspired by the opening credit sequence of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948), Retrospace (inspired by the hand-lettered opening credits of the film Some Came Running (1958)), Toynbee Idea (free font based on Toynbee tiles), Hymn (scanbat).
  • Fonts made in 2011: Institute Stamps (grunge), Magic Carpet, Shoemaker (shoe stitch face).
  • Fonts made in 2010: Salmagundi (grunge), Dynamotor (like Dynamo, which was designed by K. Sommer and first released in 1930), Poignant (inspired by the hand-lettered film titles of certain mid-1900s films from Twentieth-Century Fox, including "All About Eve", "Gentleman's Agreement" and "No Way Out."), Pharmacy MMX (unicase), Karta (3d face), Flores MMX.
  • Fonts made in 2009: Wexley (revival of a VGC font called Wexford), Sonnet (based on the printed text of Shakespeare, 1609), Fashion Brush, Fashion Script, Imitation One, Two, and Three, Generation B (all at Font Bros), Gainsborough (2009, an art deco face inspired by the hand-lettered titles of an Alfred Hitchcock film, The Lady Vanishes (1938)), Comfy (FontBros: inspired by an example of "Pinselschrift" (brush lettering) by Wilhelm Dechert), Sirena (FontBros: inspired by the hand-lettered opening titles of the film I Married a Witch).
  • Fonts made in 2008: Alumino (inspired by Saul Bass's design for the aluminum company Alcoa), République (four fonts inspired by Paris Metro signs---not the familiar Art Nouveau "Metropolitain" signs, but the later Art Deco design by Adolphe Dervaux), Handbill (based on rubber stamps), Flash Mob, Pen Script Monograms, Royal Wedding (commercial set at Font Bros), 2 Clover Monograms, 4 Heart Monograms, Silverliner (based on the opening titles of the 1951 Hitchcock movie Strangers on a Train), Tricot (lettering as done on a sweater, after a design by Nancy Stahl), Silverliner (based on the opening titles of the 1951 Hitchcock movie Strangers on a Train), Tricot (lettering as done on a sweater, after a design by Nancy Stahl), Carbon Copy, Bracelet Mongrams.
  • Fonts made in 2007: Aeolian, Pub Bites, Barril and Barril Doble (a digital interpretation of the 1970s Neufville font Barrio), Circle Monograms, XOXO (grunge), Safety Pin (inspired by the cover of the June 1946 Ladies Home Journal), Swizzle Script (a script based on Stylescript, 1940, Sol Hess: compare with Coronet and Trafton), New England (script), Madfont (after MAD magazine's logo), Quince (a brush version of Klumpp's Murray hill), Plumber's Gothic, Gamera.
  • Fonts made in 2006: Humdinger (comic book lettering), Stella Dallas (a Koch Antiqua style face based on he hand-lettered titles of the film Stella Dallas), Foam Light, Mean 26 Sans, Mean 26 Serif, Gaudi, Lapis Lazuli (3 calligraphic fonts based on Dan X. Solo's Papyrus), Garden, Boston Line and Philadelphia Line (inspired by Boston Line Type, developed in the 1830s by Samuel Gridley Howe for use in raised-letter printing for the blind; the Philadelphia Line fonts were inspired by another raised-print font, this one developed by Julius Friedlander and adopted in 1837 by his Philadelphia school, now the Overbrook School for the Blind), Honeymoon (a script based on the Holiday Inn lettering), Blooper and Bloop Script (after Cooper Black and Brush Script), Roman monograms.
  • Fonts made in 2005: Don Semiformal, Fabulous Prizes, Valentin (inspired by the work of Valentin Haüy, creator of the first books for the blind), Chelt Press (a grungy Cheltenham), National Debt, Pub Smooth (followed in 2007 by Pub Bites), Baronial Monograms, Vine Monograms, Thaleia (revival of Thalia), Harold's Monograms Bold, Blockograms, CarmenMonograms, Profiler, Goya, Jest, Chaser, Rebus (dingbats), Dilemma, The Birds, CVelestial Alphabet.
  • Fonts made in 2004: Snowflake Monograms, Upbeat Demi, Pessima, White Birch, Artistamp, Entwined Monograms, Project, Dirty Finger, Koch Dingbats, Yard Sale, Shield Monograms, Gainsborough (inspired by the hand-lettered titles of the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Lady Vanishes", 1938), Jim Dandy (an interpretation of the 19th century face Jim Crow), Gaumont (based on the hand-lettered titles of the film The 39 Steps (1935), a Gaumont-British Picture, directed by Alfred Hitchcock), Imitation2, Sunset, Bend It, Pretz, Cantabile, Echo, Skidz, Columbia Stamp, Trudeau Sans (a companion of his architectural face Trudeau), Frank the Architect (2004, a Frank Ching-inspired face not unlike Tekton).
  • Fonts made in 2003: Card Characters, Pieces, Harlequin, Hexagrams&Octograms, Popstars, Level, Peace, Collegiate Monograms, Bead Chain, Marquee.
  • Fonts made in 2002: Level, Backhand Brush, Joggle, Script Monograms, Brickletter, Font Shui (oriental simulation), Heartland (for Valentine's day), Melodymaker (for music), Antiestablishment, Penmanship, RingTV, Cabaletta (now called Roosevelt), Graceful Ghost (caps based on an 18th century French design by Pouget&fils), the Ixat family (grunge fonts), PalimpsestBlack (grunge font), PalimpsestDark, PalimpsestLight, PalimpsestRegular, Pearlie, Repent (based on the work of American folk artist Jesse Howard), WillingRace (upper and lower case together).
  • Fonts made in 2001: Carmen Caps, Crazy Harold (2001, based on a font of the same name, as illustrated in Paul E. Kennedy's "Modern Display Alphabets"; extended to 8 weights in 2006), Easter Parade (brush script), Famous Label (pen lettering), FLORES (based on a florist's sign in Valencia, Spain), FONT ERROR, Guadalupe (Mexican simulation face), GuadalupeDos, HMBlackDiamondThree, HMBlackDiamondTwo, HMBlackOvalThree, HMBlackOvalTwo, HMWhiteDiamondThree, HMWhiteDiamondTwo, HMWhiteOvalThree, HMWhiteOvalTwo, Handmedown, Hymn, KaffeehausNeon (based on Kaufmann), PubSmooth (a variant of the classic font Publicity Gothic), Roselyn (a script font based on a font in "Lettering and Alphabets" by John Albert Cavanagh), RubaiyatDoubleLine, RubaiyatEngraved, RubaiyatInline, RubaiyatOutline, RubaiyatShadow, RubaiyatSolid, SanitaryBoldCaps, SanitaryDemi, SanitaryRegular, Shazi, ShaziGhost, Subtext (grunge font).
  • Fonts made in 2000: Arrobatherapy, Barbeque, Black Oval Monogram, Bruce Mikita (oriental simulation), Bruce Mikita2, Cantabile, CantabileAlternate, Celestial Alphabet, the Goya family (extrapolated from the logo of the GOYA food products company), King Harold (inspired by the lettering on the Bayeux Tapestry), KingXmas, KingXmasStars, KochQuadratFill, KochQuadrat, KochQuadratGuides, KochQuadratInline, KochQuadratOutlines, Koch Rivoli, Lab Rat, Law School (based on the architectural lettering at Albany Law School, Albany, NY, now named Trudeau, after a design by architect Robert Louis Trudeau), Milky Way (based on a style of hand lettering by Ross F. George included in 1930s Speedball lettering books), MilkyWayTwo (2001), Neurotoxin, Pharmacy, Punchhappy (holes in letters, influenced by Apostrophe's Toolego?), Punchhappy Shadow, Quarterround, Quarterround Tile (a kitchen tile font), RedCircle (based on the lettering on Eight O'Clock brand coffees), Ringpin, ScarletRibbons (inspired by a Speedball lettering book from the 30s by Ross F. George), Screwball (font in memory of Madeline Kahn), Solemnity (an uncial font modeled on the analog font SOLEMNIS by Günter Gerhard Lange, 1952), ThreePartySystemA, ThreePartySystemB, ThreePartySystemC, Vasarely (named in honor of Op artist Victor Vasarely; based on a modular font by Jean Larcher).
  • Fonts made in 1999: BrideOfTheMonsterStencil, Bubble Gum Rock A and B (1999-2002), CheltPressDark, CheltPressDarkVariegated, CheltPressLigh, CheltPressLightVariegated, CheltPress, Esquivel, EsquivelEngraved, Fulton Artistamp, MADFONT, Smellvetica, SmellveticaOutline, Vedette Blanche (movie roll font), VedetteNoire.
  • Fonts made in 1998: BrideOfTheMonster (caps and numbers are based on Rudolph Koch's Neuland), Cheapskate family, Dominican (coffee bean bag font), Landmark, OldeChicago (based on the Apple Chicago font), Ricecakes, SavingsBond extended in 2006 to National Debt, National Debt Hilite and National Debt 3D), StampAct, StampActJumbled, Thanksgiving, Virile Open, Virile Solid.
  • Typefaces from 2011: Bingo Dingo (dingbats inspired by the classic Mexican board game, Lotería), ManuCrypt (blackletter), Waldorf Text (blackletter).
  • Typefaces from 2012: Curator (a compact handwriting font), Seafare (circus style face), Hardline (op art prismatic style), London (inspired by London, Susan Kare's bitmap-style Olde English designed for Apple in the early 1980s. Variations include cross-stitch, harlequin (black and white diamonds), and shaded (diagonal lines)).

Link at Dafont. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Heike Nehl

German Face2Face designer who made mainly grunge faces in the late 1990s such as F2F LoveGrid, Starter Kid, Lego Stoned, F2F Twins, F2F Monako Stoned (1995, a halftone texture face, almost op art). [I wonder if Lego stoned was renamed to Monako Stoned for legal reasons...] LoveGrid and Twins are now also Linotype fonts. In 2003, F2FLovegridCaps LT Std and F2FTwins LT Std appeared as part of the Linotype Taketype 5 collection.

FontShop link. Klingspor link. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

James Grieshaber
[Typeco.com]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Jan Koehler
[Deniart Systems]

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Jim Marcus

American type designer at [T-26]. Catalog of Jim Marcus's typefaces: ABS, Acetone, Aeos, Aerator, Airflo, AlbanyTelegram, AlquitoCCCP, Ambex (2004, futuristic, with nice dingbats), Aquabus (2004, multilined, op art), Aquiline (2007), Aquiline Master (renaissance script), Arete-Mono, Aviator, Axiom, BonGuia, CalculusRegular, Carnival, CartographersWheel, Coaxial, Detailles, Django-Bold, Dumaigne, Echoplex, Entelliant UK Bit (2004, dot matrix face), Eraser, Eremaeus (used for the movie Underworld Evolution), EscalidoStreak, FGrooveSeventyNine, FedorovAnglo, FgrooveEighty, GeistBold, Geminix (2004), Generator, Glue, GlueStix, Grenoway, Guerilla Dub (2004), HelterSkelter, HypercellHelix, InAscorbicAcid, InAspartame, InPotassiumCarbonate, InSodiumBenzoate, InXanthumGum, Innocence, IsoOpto-Regular, JuliaBook, Kode, Krane, Kurusu (1994, Japanese dingbats), LaFigura, LassigueDMato (1996, handwriting in the style of Treefrog, 1996), LexigraphA, LexigraphB, LexigraphC, Liefendre, MagyarPosta, Masoch-Dirach, MaxiGroove, Milagro, Montenegro, Octopus84, OctopusCentennial, Opaque (1996, T26, artistic letters!), Oscillator, Pacific, Phlax, PhlaxCyrillic, PolytoneReliant, Prophecy, PulsarGClass, PulsarNClass, QuadChannelTwo, QuadEq, QuadPolyphony, RegalloAPlaya, Registration (1995, a beautiful cross-hair dingbat face), Resbaloso, Retcon-SquareTwentyFiveOblique, RolandTR909, SW7, Scorpio, Seppuku, SerapisCaps, SkreechCaps, TaserRound (pixel font), TempoCCCP, Tempus Gothic (2004), TenkoQualgeist, Thessaly, Tiraso-AndanteThin, Toreador, TruStarImperial, VariatorTwo, Vishido, VoiturePlat, ZavTone, DigitalWaste, IDE, Uniglow, Velocity, Zavtone (2005, fifties style). At Plazm, he published EscalidoGothico (1994), EscalidoStreak (1994).

View Jim Marcus's typefaces. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Lance Wyman

Creator of the identity, logos, fonts, and design elements for the Mexico 1968 Olympics in the op-art or prismatic style. The multilined font, called Mexico Olympic, is due to Photoscript Ltd (I think). A digital font inspired by it is Olio Inline (2012, Max Little). Wyman, who is a branding specialist based in New York City, is known for his many excellent icons and logos for companies and events. Born in Newark, NJ, he is a graduate of Pratt in Brooklyn with a degree in Industrial Design. He made the Tipo Metro font in 1969 for Mexico City's subway, an adaptation of Eurostile. That font was revived later as Metro DF by Harold Lohner. A pixel version of this (by Kemie, is called Balderas).

Bio. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Little Fonts
[Max Little]

Little Fonts is a type foundry in Norwich, UK, run by Max Little (b. London, 1986). Max Little studied graphic communication at Norwich University.

Inspired by the work of Wim Crouwel, he designed the massive mechanical octagonal super-heavy stencil typeface Mass (2012). Loop and Loopo Stencil (2012) are circle-based stencil typefaces.

Decode (2012) is a gorgeous art deco triplet of typefaces.

Olio Bold (2012) is a geometric retro sans, while the multiline version, Olio Inline (2012) was inspired by the op-art of Lance Wyman's Mexico 1968 Olympic identity.

In 2013, Little designed Spika (a straight-edges geometric monospace typeface).

Behance link. Home page. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Manfred Klein
[Elsner&Flake]

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Mauro De Donata

Roman designer of the striped optical illusion font Kwerk (2010). [Google] [More]  ⦿

Max Little
[Little Fonts]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Max Phillips
[Signal Type Foundry]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

MyFonts: Op art fonts

Op art fonts use optical effects to achieve an artistic ideal. They include hypnotic fonts, and are often arched or multilined. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Nick Curtis
[Art deco faces by Nick Curtis: II]

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Niia Frost

Saint Petersburg, Russia-based creator of several Latin typefaces in 2013. She also made some op-art designs. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Olcar Alcaide
[Eurotypo]

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Op art

Op art, or optical art, is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions. John Lancaster defines it as follows in 1973: Optical art is a method of painting concerning the interaction between illusion and picture plane, between understanding and seeing. But Op art works are not restricted to paintings. Most are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made in only black and white. The pieces offer optical illusions, an impression of movement or vibration, or a vision of something warped or impossible. Important names are Victor Vasarely, Josep Albers (Bauhaus), Richard Anuszkiewicz, and Bridget Riley.

In type design, the op-art style refers to patterned or strangely prismatic typefaces. Checkered patterns are prevalent (as in many of Manfred Klein's typefaces), but also trompe l'oeil creations in the spirit of M.C. Escher could fit in. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Patrick Seymour

Very talented Montreal-based illustrator and digital artist. Home page. He created several modular typefaces in 2011.

In 2012, he created Muse, Gotham Streets (a prismatic typeface), Slinky, Stencil, Tulipe (counterless), Bad Billy (multilined, art deco), The Great Carnival (beveled caps), Web Font (prismatic), Jump Jump Font (octagonal), Fashion (a horizontally striped typeface), OK (prismatic), The Aviator (horizontally striped poster face), La Bonne Aventure (prismatic and slightly art deco), the rope-themed typeface Noeud Marin, the shadowed boat name typeface Bleu Marine, the multiline caps face Origami, the moustache-inspired caps face Mous Type (ornamental moustache-shaped capitals), the multilined display face Empire, the handdrawn Une Typo Faite A La Main, and the prismatic typeface Anabelypster. After a bout of salmonella, he created Intestino, still in 2012. In Motion (2012) is an awesome prismatic art deco typeface.

Images of his stunning work from 2011: i, ii, ii, iv, v, vi, vii, viii, ix, x.

His Cathédrale project (2011) starts from a squarish face and transforms it gradually into one that contains the features of a cathedral.

Creations in 2013: Spot Light Font (prismatic), Flora, Bright Diamond, Incandescent, XVII (multilined display face), Konga (a multiline script), Shiny Diamond, Splash (paint font), Chicago (prismatic neon tube face), Taxi (a wonderful multiline typeface), Papale (religious symbology alphabet made to mock the papal system), Empreinte (pure op-art), Broken Arrow Font (multiline caps face), Liquid Paper Font, Sunset (prismatic), Boogie (Broadway-style art deco family), New Art Deco (prismatic art deco face), Poule de Luxe, Burnout (a prismatic typeface), Marble Maze Font, M Gagnon (ornamental caps influenced by the design work of Denis Gagnon).

FontStruct fonts: Test3 (2012), Jump Jump 2 (2012).

Behance link. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Photoscript Ltd.

Photo-era foundry located in London. Their house fonts include Blackfriars, Chin Century 2000 (computer simulation family in Nr 1, 2 and 3 versions), De Vinne Ornamented, Granby Elephant, Mexico Olympic (multilined op-art font) and Nova. Fonts are shown in Berthold Headlines E3 (1982). [Google] [More]  ⦿

Quan Payne

Design director at Frost Design in Sydney and South Africa since 2007. Global Brand Design and Art Director for the London 2012 Olympic Games for Nike. Designer of quite a few (unnamed) typefaces in 2009-2012. These include several modular or experimental designs, a 3D face for Mr. Muz in Tasmania, an Escheresque typeface, a prismatic typeface, a didonbe typeface, and an op-art experimental typeface. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Raihan Nizar

Raihan Nizar (b. 1977) is the Indonesian FontStructor who made Cubos (2011, squarish and geometric), Pixelized Handwriting (2011), Lost in Future (2011, sci-fi face), Valdero (2011), Simplicity (2011, kitchen tile face), Bold Type (2011, octagonal), Fat Cribbo (2011, gridded), Block Out (2011, in the style of the commercial face Pincoya), Smooth (kitchen tile face), Quadro, Minimal (geometric, gridded, almost a kitchen tile face), Zkratchy (scratchy face), Retro Mania (almost a Western face), Techno Light, Blockz, Box Building (3d outline face), Metropol (outline techno face), Space Adventure, Electric City, Cubix, Revolution, Pixel, High Volume, and Letters In The Blocks in 2011. Many of these faces are pixelish.

Typefaces from 2012: Dequatrion (fat stencil face), Konnekto (electrical circuit font), Devoltas, Forsid (cubist painting font), Etnis (squarish), Electro (counterless and octagonal), Mr. Ken (very fat face), Squadlest (squarish), Neonize (dot matrix face), Simplicity (kitchen tile face), Sound System (squarish), High Volume, Bajaj Sans (gaspipe sans), Bulat (fat counterless typeface), Elektro (blocky, counterless), Elektro Forest, The Slabbers (Egyptian), Kotakisme (counterless and geometric), Bhekhathe (thin geometric typeface), Insomnia, Siliko (metal band logo font), Motakku (labyrinthine, op-art).

Typefaces from 2013: Luikeza, Gerobak (fat, counterless).

Aka cablecomputer. Fontspace link. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Ralph Michael Unger
[RMU (Ralph Michael Unger Typedesign)]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

RMU (Ralph Michael Unger Typedesign)
[Ralph Michael Unger]

Ralph M. Unger (b. 1953, Thuringia, East Germany) says this about himself at MyFonts: Typesetter from the composing stick via Linotype setting machines to the Mac. Jobs in various Thuringian printeries. Barred further education by Communist authorities due to political reasons. Imprisoned in East Germany. Since 1988 in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, former West Germany. Jobs in several newspaper printing houses as advertisement compositor. Own office since 1995, in Aalen, Baden-Wuerttemberg. He lives in Schwaebisch Gmuend, and was a freelance type designer for Profonts and URW++, where he contributed frequently to these libraries between 2002 and 2009. In 2009, he founded RMU. MyFonts link. I split his contributions into two groups, the URW / Profonts group, and the RMU group. The prefix FontForum refers to a subseries of URW++ fonts. Unless specifically mentioned, all the following fonts are at URW++ and/or Profonts:

  • FontForum Admiral Script (2005): revival of Middleton's Admiral script from 1953.
  • Amitié (2009): a garalde family.
  • Arabella Pro (2006): after the script by Arnold Drescher from 1936, published at Joh. Wagner.
  • Fontforum Atrament (2006): architectural lettering. Do not confuse with a Suitcase Type Foundry font from 2003 by the same name.
  • Atze (2010): a comic book family.
  • Behrensschrift D (2007): after the jugendstil face Behrens Schrift, 1902, by Peter Behrens.
  • FontForum Bernhard Script (2005): after Bernhard Script from the 1920s.
  • Bradley (2005): blackletter, after the original by William H. Bradley.
  • Breite Kanzlei (2007).
  • Breitkopf Fraktur (2003): after the original by Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf, done in 1793.
  • Brocken (2011) is a signage face inspired by a design of Volker Küster (1960s).
  • Profonts Bureau (2010, Profonts): a minimalist rounded sans family.
  • FontForum Calypso (2005): a revival of Roger Excoffon's Calypso (1958).
  • Card Pro (2006): a decorative display based on lettering by Sjoerd Hendrik de Roos.
  • Chaweng (2006, Profonts): an oriental all caps simulation face.
  • Civilite URW (2005).
  • Compliment (2004, casual script).
  • Cranach (2007): a blackletter face modeled after Kuenstler Gotisch from the Krebs Foundry.
  • Dominante (2007): a serif family based on Johannes Schweitzer's font by that name, 1959.
  • Dominique (2010, profonts): an informal typeface.
  • FontForum URW Ecsetiras (2005): revival of Ecsetirás (Zoltan Nagy, 1967, a brush face).
  • Edda Pro (2008): an art nouveau face that revives a Heinrich Heinz Heune face from 1900.
  • Energia Pro (2008, Profonts): connected monowidth script, based on Arno Drescher's Energos from 1932.
  • Estro (2003, Western lettering). Seems close to Nebiolo's Estro from the 60s.
  • Eurobrush Pro (2007, Profonts): handwriting.
  • EuroSans (2008).
  • Euroscript Pro (2006, Profonts): school script face.
  • Flashes (2007): a revival of Crous-Vidal's Flash, 1953.
  • Fox (2007): a brush script based on W. Rebhuhn's original from the 1950s.
  • Gamundia (2010): a calligraphic copperplate script inspired by Excoffon's Diane.
  • Ganz Grobe Gotisch (2006): a fat blackletter modeled after the original by F.H.E. Schneidler.
  • Gmuender Elan Pro (2011) is a 1950s style script face.
  • Gradl Nr 1 (2008): based on hand-drawn art nouveau upper case characters by M. J. Gradl, ca. 1900.
  • Graphique Pro (2008): shadowed caps face, based on Graphique, which was originally created by Swiss designer Hermann Eidenbenz in 1945, and issued as hot metal font by Haas'sche Schriftgießerei. See also New Graphique Pro (2011).
  • Handel Slab (2009): a 6-style extension of Trogram's 1980 face Handel Gothic.
  • Hanseat (2010): a grotesque family done at Profonts. It was heavily inspired by Germany's official DIN 1451 Engschrift.
  • Iova Nova (2007): based on Jowa Script, designed by J. Wagner in 1967.
  • Profonts Impression (2008): art deco.
  • Jessen Schrift (2004): after the Rudolf Koch blackletter face by that name.
  • FontForum URW Konzept Pro (2005): revival of Konzept (1968, Martin Wilke's handprinting face).
  • Legende (2002): a script face based on the original typeface of Friedrich Hermann Ernst Schneidler (1937).
  • Leipziger Antiqua. The original Leipziger Antiqua by Alfred Kapr at Typoart dates from 1971-1973. The digital version of Leipziger Antiqua was developed by Ralph M. Unger in 2005.
  • Manuskript Antiqua (2005): after Oldrich Meinhart's Manuskript Antiqua.
  • The Maszynysta family of heavy industrial sans faces (2010) have a textured style (Struktura), a Shadow, and a plain Roman.
  • Maxim (2003, Profonts): The heavy brush face Maxim was originally designed by Peter Schneidler in 1956 for the Bauer foundry.
  • New Bayreuth (2008): after Friedrich Hermann Ernst Schneidler's Bayreuth from 1932.
  • Old Borders and Lines (2010). A free font.
  • Ornella (2008): Jugendstil.
  • Peter Schlemihl (2008, Profonts): a revival of a blackletter by Walter Tiemann.
  • Pedell (2009): a casual script.
  • Polo (2002): a brush face modeled after Carl Rudolph Pohl's Polo (1960).
  • In 2012, Ivana Koudelkova codesigned the grungy headline face Retroactive Pro with Ralph M. Unger at Profonts.
  • Fontforum Rhapsody (2006): a revival of Ilse Schüle's rotunda face.
  • Roberta (2003): art nouveau face after obert Trogman's face for FotoStar.
  • FontForum Signs and Symbols (2006).
  • Splendor (2009): a revival of a brush script face by Wilhelm Berg, Schriftguss, 1930.
  • Sportowy (2009): an outline face.
  • Stanford (2011). A sports lettering face.
  • Stiletto (2006): a medieval script.
  • Fontforum Stripes (2007): a multistripe op art display face based on a Letraset font from 1973 by the same name.
  • Fontforum Thalia (2006): retro font.
  • Tintoretto (2006): shadow display face.
  • Tip Top Pro (2008): a Julius Klinkhardt art nouveau face revival.
  • FontForum Unciala (2005): a revival of Oldrich Menhart's face Unciala (1953, Grafotechna).
  • Unger Chancery (2005).
  • Unger Script (2003): based on H. Matheis' Slogan typeface designed for Ludwig&Mayer in 1957.
  • Veltro (2007): after a 1931 original by G. da Milano at Nebiolo.
  • Profonts Woodpecker (2008).
The list of RMU fonts:

Klingspor link. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Roger Excoffon

Born in Marseille in 1910, Roger Excoffon died in Paris in 1983. Co-founder of the Urbi et Orbi advertising agency in Paris, he was a graphic artist and type designer. Porchez mentions that he lived from 1911-1984, not 1910-1983.

Books about him:

  • David Rault: Roger Excoffon, Le Gentleman de la typographie (2011, Atelier Perrousseaux, Paris).
  • Sandra Chamaret, Julien Gineste and Sébastien Morlighem: Roger Excoffon et la Fonderie Olive (2010, Ypsilon, Paris).
  • Jean-Philippe Bertin: Roger Excoffon, l'homme de la griffe et du paraphe (2008: thesis at Ecole Estienne).

Visual hommage by Peter Gabor. Picture. Signature. Some drawings by him: i, ii, iii. His typefaces include

  • Antique Olive (1962-1966, for Fonderie Olive). Bitstream's digital version in Incised 901. See also Chalfont by Alan Meeks, and URW Antique Olive. Poster by Alexandre carre (2013).
  • Banco (1951, Fonderie Olive). Digital remakes include ITC Banco (1997) by Phill Grimshaw, Bnko by Damien Gosset, and Bandit by Softmaker.
  • Calypso (1958, Fonderie Olive): a sexy curvy experimental display face that could be considered as op art. Revived by Ralph M. Unger at URW++ as FontForum Calypso (2005), by Brendel as Calypso (1994), and by Martin Pfeiffer at Scooter Graphics as Calypso Boy (1996). A 2013 revival called Calypso PF by Joep Pohlen is based on the original matrices which Pohlen acquired from Stempel AG. Discussion at Typophile where Pohlen tells the story: Marcel Olive, owner of Fonderie Olive saw Excoffon experimenting with an enlarged print of a half-tone screen at Olive studio. He was rolling it up and looked through it like a kaleidoscope. A metal type with half-tone dots was not done before and a technical challenge to achieve. Marcel Olive saw the chance to profile the technical capabilities of his foundry and earn a worldwide reputation and gave Excoffon permission to execute the design proposal. After establishing the angle and size of the dots by Olive Studio each character was drawn dot by dot using a pair of compasses. According to José Mendoza y Almeida, who lead the team at the studio, Excoffon made sketches of the outlines of each character and in the studio shading was added by airbrush. The airbrush shading was converted to a dot-screen that went from deep black to white. It was quite a challenge to transfer the drawings with a pantograph and to scale this complex drawings in different type sizes to the matrices. Then it had to be milled, retouched and casted in lead reproducing all the dots of the dot-screen. Calypso was cast in four sizes: 20, 24, 30 and 36 pt and had 26 capitals, a period, an apostrophe (used a lot in French), and a hyphen..
  • Chambord (1945, Fonderie Olive): a Peignotian sans serif family. Deberny&Peignot published Touraine in 1947, after a design of Guillermo Mendoza (the father of José) in 1943. Chambord is a face published by Fonderie Olive in Marseille, which was headed by Roger Excoffon. The four basic weights of Chambord were designed by François Ganeau and published by Olive in 1946/1947. Legend has it that Roger Excoffon said he saw proofs of Touraine on Charles Peignot's desk, took the next train to Marseille, drew Chambord at Olive and beat Deberny&Peignot to market. Olive also had a better marketing machine at the time. By the end of the 40's, Charles Peignot tried to go to court over the Chambord/Touraine affair because the fonts were just too similar, but they settled financially out of court. José Mendoza also claims, as reported by Porchez, that Ganeau changed Vendôme after having seen an exhibition of Guillermo Mendoza's type in 1943. All of this may to some extent explain Peignot's initiative to create ATypI to protect typefaces.
  • Choc (1954- 1955, Fonderie Olive), an iconic brush face. Bitstream called its digital version Staccato 555. ITC commissioned Phil Grimshaw to create ITC Choc Light in 1997. Softmaker calls its version Chandler Pro. Sold by URW, Linotype, ITC, Monotype Imaging, Mecanorma and letraset under the name Choc.
  • Diane (1956, Fonderie Olive): a calligraphic script. Diane was digitally revived in 2008 by Mark Simonson and Mark Solsburg as Diane Script. It also inspired Ralph Unger's Gamundia (2010).
  • Mistral (1953, Fonderie Olive), the beautiful but overused connected script that resembles Excoffon's own hand.
  • With François Ganeau, he designed Vendôme (1951-1954). But read the remarks above regarding Chambord.

Linotype link. FontShop link.

View Excoffon's typefaces. View Roger Excoffon's type designs and all digital revivals. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Scholtz Fonts
[Anton Scholtz]

Scholtz Fonts was started by Anton Scholtz (b. Durban, 1941) in 1997. This South African design company is located in Durban, where the Zulu culture of the region has greatly influenced Anton's font design. Klingspor link

Scholtz sells a fine selection of display types that ooze African themes. An alphabetical list:

  • A: Assegai (2007), Amanzi (1999), African Gold (2007), Asakire (2006), Afrimod-Black, African Textile (2007), Afrimod-Normal, African Elegance, African Pattern Font-01 (2004), African Pattern Font-02 (2004), AfroFlare, African Jungle (2007), Aarde (2005), Aarde-Black, Aarda-Brush, African Jazz (2005), Amaboxi (2007, white on black background), Art Nouveau SCF (2008), Affable (2008, calligraphic), African Patchwork (2008), Aplomb (2008), Arabesque SCF (2009, a flowing calligraphic face), Archivo (2011), Always (2010, a fantastic swashy calligraphic face, and its multiline sister, Filigree, 2010), Amabhokisi, African Pattern (2008), Aqua Casual (2008, script), Ability (2009, calligraphic), African Shield (2005, patterned after the cow-hide shields of the Zulu tribe; made by Anton and Merle Scholtz).
  • B: Bongo, Baobab, Black Tie (2007), Baluba, Baluba-snake, Bakuba, Brillig (2008, informal hand), Blackout SCF (2008), Button (2008), Bad Girl (2008, grunge), Bongani (2008), Banquet SCF (2007, brush script), Brazza (2008, brush), Buzz (2008), Blythe (2009, connected script).
  • C: Collette (2007, after an art deco font called "Independant" designed in 1930 by Collette and Dufour), Centric (2007, zebra-striped, or op art), Camy (2009, handprinted), Carve (2008, chiseled look), Catholic Girls (2008, script), Certificate (2008, calligraphic), Comic SCF (2007), Coral (2008, handwriting), Coral Pro (2012).
  • D: Debs (2013, hand-printed), Deco Doni Fat (2011), Delikat (2010, script). Doorn (1998), Doorn Body, Doorn Display, Dragon Fyre (2008, calligraphic), Dufour (2011, after an art deco font called "Independant" designed in 1930 by Collette and Dufour), Dusktil Dawn (2012, art deco).
  • E: Elegance SF Diamond (2005, art deco), Excalibur SCF (2007, beautiful rough-edged hand).
  • F: Fable (2007, a type family for wizards), FadedRose, Figment (2008), Fracture (2008, like GlazKrak).
  • G: Gossamer (2011, a wedding script), Grunge Piazza (2007), Genial (2009, flowing connected script), Giraffe Skin (2007), Genevieve (2007, calligraphic), Girl Script (2008, curly hand), Girltalk (2008, curly script), Greek (2008, chiseled), Groom (2007, brush script), Groom (2007, connected brush script), Grunge Standard (2009).
  • H: Hobi (2008, ghastly), Honeybird (2011), Hard Rain (2007).
  • I: Iliad (2007), Inja.
  • J: Josephine (2007, art deco), Jazz.
  • K: Klatter (2007), Kuba (2007, a tribal stencil of sorts), Kassena (2006), Kunjani (2008, African look).
  • L: Leah (2008, handwriting), Leopard Skin (2005), Lovers Pro (2011, a fantastic calligraphic hand---ready for red carpet treatment...), Lualaba Snake (2007), Lumina (2008), Lagos.
  • MN: Madrigalle (2011, calligraphic; wedding script), Martini Script (2011), Maypole (2007), Makonde (2007), Mafuta (2006), Melodica (2012), Mtwane (2009), Miss Donna (2009, script family), Nocturne (2012: an art deco family based on work from the 1920s by Paul Carlyle and Guy Oring.
  • O: Oxamu (2009, a wonderful angular African-themed font).
  • PQ: Pacific Script (2011, a font inspired by an alphabet created by Howard Trafton in the 1930s), Palm Court (2007, a Bauhaus face by Merle Scholtz), Parchemin (2008, parchment look), Phat Chance (2008, organic), Piazza (2007), Proper (2008), Qotho (2010, an almost architectural sans family, done with Merle Scholtz), Queen (2008, nice handwriting).
  • R: Refresh (1950s script), Riposte (2009, a dynamic script), Romi (2008, thin calligraphic), Rondalia (2008).
  • S: Scrittura Moderna (2011, calligraphic; +Antiqua, +Fantasia), Shapely (2010, swashy calligraphic face), Spaza (2007, African look), Scratch SCF (2007, scratchy hand), Sangoma (2007), Siyabonga, Sondela (2007), Sand Writing (2007), Silken (2009, calligraphic), Silver Dagger (2007), Smart Casual (2007, an artsy architectural face by Merle Scholtz), Sprig (2010, signpainting face), Stoan (2008), Stone Wash (2008, grunge), Sage (2008, brush script).
  • T: Thystle (2010), Tshikona (2005), Tsotsi (2007), Tamboti, Tabwa (2007, inspired by Koch's Neuland), Tertius, Tertius Romantic and Tertius Crenellated (2008, scripts based on the Carolingian hand), Thought (2009, script family), Tokoloshe (2008), Toulouse (2007, art nouveau handlettering), Tshikona (2005, handprinted).
  • U: Umkhonto (2003), Ubuvila (2004), Utshani (2000, African theme), Umoya (2009, organic).
  • VW: Wild Song (2010, calligraphic script), Woodcarve, Write Now (2008, connected script), WriteHand (2008).
  • XY: Yseult (2009, script).
  • Z: Zim (2007, octagonal), Zebra Skin (2007), Zulu Shield, Zest (2007), Zaire SF (2007), Zulu-Ndebele Pattern (2007).

View the typefaces designed by Anton Scholtz. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Signal Type Foundry
[Max Phillips]

Signal Type Foundry & Drawing Office is a type foundry in New York City, est. 2012 by Max Phillips (b. 1957, New York City), a typographer, graphic designer, toy designer, creative director and novelist who developed FF Spinoza (2011, FontShop), his first type design, over a period of eleven years. FontShop: With the goal of readability in mind, Phillips named the typeface after 17th century rationalist and lens-grinder Baruch Spinoza, a man whose job it was to help people see clearly. The type family is meant as an elegant workhorse, a classic text family with just enough individual character to hold its own in display sizes. It was inspired by mid-century German book faces like Trump Mediaeval and Aldus, and by the types of Nicolas Kis. The forms are narrow and economical, with open counters. The line is firm and distinct. Strong, thick strokes and serifs help it grip the page.

He also made the prismatic / hypnotic multilined typeface Vibro (2011), an op-art font that received the Type Directors Club Certificate of Excellence in 2012.

Klingspor link. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Simon Becker
[B2302]

[MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Tsveta Velcheva

Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, Tsveta Velcheva created an unnamed op-art Bulgarian Cyrillic typeface in 2013 as a school project. [Google] [More]  ⦿

Typeco.com
[James Grieshaber]

James Grieshaber earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Rochester Institute of Technology. Based first in Rochester, NY, and now in Chicago, IL, Grieshaber ran Typeco, a typographic services and solutions company established in 2002. James Grieshaber (b. Detroit, 1967) most recently was on staff of P22 Type Foundry, where he designed many type families and helped establish International House of Fonts. He has been honoured with an award of Excellence in Type Design from Association Typographique International (ATypI) for his Gothic Gothic (2004, blend of blackletter and English style), and by TypeArt'05 (for Operina Cyrillic). Designer and Co-editor of the Indie Fonts book series, Grieshaber now teaches typography at RIT and runs Typeco. MyFonts sells his fonts now. YouWorkForThem sells the Super Duty family (stencil), Glyphic Neue, the Trapper families, Chunk Feeder, Gothic Gothic and Cusp. Identifont page. FontShop link. Behance link. Details on some of his faces:

  • Gothic Gothic (2001), an extended blackletter codesigned with Christina Torre. In 2004, he received an award of Excellence in Type Design from Association Typographique International (ATypI) for his Gothic Gothic type design.
  • The Glyphic Neue display family was inspired by the Op Art style of lettering in the United States that ran rampant in many photo type houses in the 1960's and 1970's---I like to call it the "piano key style".
  • Chunkfeeder (2002) is a beautiful monospaced octagonal OCR-like family.
  • Cypher (2003, an LED/LCD family) has 24 weights. Of these, Cypher7 is free.
  • Duty (2002) is a sans face codesigned at T26 with Lee Fasciani.
  • The stencil family Super Duty (2004) has 8 variations. There are also techno variant called Superduty Condensed, Superduty Regular, Superduty Narrow and Superduty Text.
  • Cusp (2001-2005): a techno display family with 18 weights, including an LED style, art deco styles and Cusp De Stijl.
  • Trapper (2004) is an 8-weight exaggerated ink trap font family which comes in Trapper Round and Trapper Sharp versions.
  • Zaftig (2008, Typeco) is a super-fat face.
  • P22 Operina (2003, in Romano, Corsivo and Fiore versions) is based on Vicentino Ludovico degli Arrighi's calligraphy used in his 1522 instructional lettering book La Operina da Imparare di scrivere littera Cancellarescha. This book contains what is considered to be the earliest printed examples of Chancery Cursive. P22 Operina won an award at TypeArt 05. Operina Pro contains over 1200 glyphs. In 2010, Paulo Heitlinger compared P22 Operina favorably to another digital chancery font, Poetica (by Robert Slimbach, Adobe), which, according to him [and I agree], lacks vigor and dynamism.
  • P22 Posada (2003, with Richard Kegler): based on lettering of Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada (1851-1913) that was used for some of his posters and broadsides.
  • P22 Arts and Crafts Tall (1995, art nouveau), P22 Arts and Crafts Hunter (1995). Both based on alphabets by Dard Hunter, 1908-1910.
  • P22 Art Deco Chic (2002), based on the Art Deco hand lettering of Samuel Welo, ca. 1930. P22 Art Deco Display (2002) is a Broadway style face.
  • Churchy (2002).
  • He offered (offers?) a handwriting font service for 100 USD. Free trial face Reenie Beanie (2002). Signature font service for 50 USD. Reenie Beanie (2002) is now offered (as a joke, I assume) as part of the Google open font directory (for free web fonts).
  • P22 Garamouche (2004, with Richard Kegler). Comes with Garamouche Ornaments (2004).
  • Segoe Print (2006, Monotype Imaging). [Isn't this Googlee's competition?] This is an informally handprinted face co-designed with Brian Allen, Carl Crossgrove, James Grieshaber and Karl Leuthold at Ascender.
  • P22 Cezanne Pro (2006). Has over 1,200 glyphs.
  • P22 Yule (2005; Heavy, Inline): a stone chisel family with a hint of Neuland.
  • P22 Numismatic (2005): originally offered by the Devinne Press, and based on ornaments and letters used by 15th and 16th century engravers of seals and coins; however it looks very much like Otto Hupp's Numismatisch (1900, Genzsch&Heyse).
  • Black Ops One (2011) is a military stencil face, available at the Google Font Directory.
  • Short Stack (2011) is Grieshaber's free contribution to the Comic Sans genre. It was published by Sorkin Type and can be downloaded from Dafont.
  • Atomic Age (2011) is a free font at Google Font Directory. It was inspired by 1950s era connected scripts seen on nameplates of American cars.
  • Supermercado One (2011, Google Font Directory) is a low contrast semi geometric typeface inspired by naive industrial letters. More a signage face than a web font.
  • Typeco Grecian (2012, FontStruct) is loosely based on a Wells & Webb Grecian style woodtype circa 1846.
  • Typeco De Stijl (2012, FontStruct) is based on Van Doesburg's De Stijl magazine's name plate in 1923. Typeco Topaz Serif Tall (2012, FontStruct) is a pixel typeface. Typeco New Wave (2012, FontStruct) is an op art party font.
  • Metamorphous (2012, Sorkin Type) borrows its arches from Gothic cathedrals---it was inspired by Jonathan Barnbrook and by the free font Morpheus.

Klingspor link. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿

Viktor Kharyk

Ukrainian designer, b. Kiev, 1957. Graduated from the Senior College for Print and Design in Kiev in 1982, and became art director at Sphera in Kiev. Main type designer at Düsseldorf-based company Unique GmbH since 1998. He designs Armenian, Greek, Georgian, Devanagari, Hebrew, Cyrillic and Arabic fonts. His work:

  • At Elsner and Flake, he published EF Bilibin (2004, uncial), EF Abetka (2004), EF Gandalf (2004, uncial), Bilbo (2004-2008, an uncial family), Kiev EF (2002), Lanzug EF (2002, letters as zippers), Rose Deco EF (2001), EF Elf (2002, imitating Tolkien's writing), EF Deco Uni (2001-2004), EF Deco Akt Light (2001-2004), EF Fairy Tale (2003-2008, caps face), EF Varbure (2004, an experimental family), Rose Garden EF (2001, initial caps ornamented with roses; the text is uncial), and Viktors Raven EF (a spectacular caps font with letters made out of a raven).
  • At MasterFont: Abetka MF (1999, with Alexeev), Kiev MF (1976-2003), and Netta MF (1999, text family). These fonts have Latin and Hebrew components.
  • At Paratype, he published Uni Opt (2007, Op Art letters based on free brush technique similar to experimental lettering of the early decades of the 20th century; for instance to Graficheskaya Azbuka (Graphic ABC) by Peter Miturich and works by Victor Vasareli), Joker (1978, a subtractive font---since 2000, also in Cyrillic, Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Georgian, Armenian and Arabic), Blooming Meadow (2007, flowery ornaments), Bogdan Rejestrowy and Bogdan Siczowy (2006, based on Ukrainian Skoropis (fast handwriting) of the 16th and 17th centuries, and named after Ukrainian Getman Bogdan Khmelnitsky. The character set contains Cyrillic, Old Slavonic, Glagolitic, Latin and Greek alphabets), Lidia (2006, a lined engraving face based on a 1967 font by Iraida Chepil for Polygraphmash).
  • At 2D Typo: Florentin 2D (2011, angular family), New Hotinok 2D (2010, with Henadij Zarechnijuk).
  • Other work: Simeon 2D (2011, 2D Typo), some fonts at Face Typesetting (1970s), Getto (1970s), White Raven (2002), Handwritten Poluustav Ioan Cyrillic (1999-2001), Letopis (1983), New Zelek (1980s), UniAkt (2001, based on Unifont, an erotic caps face, done with Natalia Makievska).
  • Free fonts at Google Web Fonts, published via Cyreal: Iceberg (2012, octagonal).
  • Cyrillizations by Viktor Kharyk: Data 70 (1976; original from 1970 by R. Newman), ITC American Typewriter, Bullion Shadow (1984; of the shadow font Bullion Shadow (1978; original from 1970 by Face Photosetting), Calypso (1984; of Excoffon's 1958 original), Lazybones (1980s; of a 1972 Letraset font with the same name), Glagolitic (1983, Elvira Slysh, digitized in 2003), Augustea (1947, Allessandro Butti), Stencil (after a 1938 face by R.H. Middleton called Stencil), Columna (1980s; after Max Caflisch's original from 1955), Sistina (1951, Hermann Zapf), Weiss Kapitale (1935, Emil Rudolf Weiss), Vivaldi (1965, Friedrich Peter), ITC Tiffany (1974, Ed Benguiat, digitized in 1995), ITC Bookman Herb Lubalin (1974, digitized in 1980s), Berthold Cyrillic Helvetica Cyrillic (1980), Churchward Galaxy (1970s, J. Churchward, digitized in 1980s), Olive Bold Condensed (1980s, original of Roger Excoffon in 1962-1966), Motter Ombra (1980, original by O. Motter in 1975), Sinaloa (1981, original by Odermatt and Tissi in 1972), Serif Gothic (1990, original by Herb Lubalin and Tony DiSpigna in 1974), Dynamo (1980s, original of K. Sommer in 1930), EF Gimli and EF Gloin (2004-2010, mediaeval faces done at Elsner&Flake together with Marina Belotserkovskaja).

At TypeArt 01, he won first prize with Varbur Grotesque (1999-2001, with Natalia Makeyeva), third prize with Joker (1970-2000), and honorable mention with Abetka. At TypeArt 05, he received awards for UniOpt (2002, Kafkaeqsue Op Art display style) and Blooming Meadow (dingbats). In 2009, his 2006 digitization of Anatoly Shchukin's 1968 face Ladoga (+Text, +Display, +Ladoga Armenian) won an award at Paratype K2009.

At ATypI 2005 in Helsinki he spoke about Ukrainian fonts. At ATypI 2007 in Brighton, his talk is entitled Old Slavic alphabets and new fonts. At ATypI 2009 in Mexico City, he spoke (well, was supposed to speak) on Old Roman Styles and Cyrillic.

MyFonts page. Victor's friends: a Ukrainian/Russian news blog. FontShop link. Author of Non-Latin Fonts Cyrillic and Other (2004, Düsseldorf).

Klingspor link. [Google] [MyFonts] [More]  ⦿