New Additions: July 2024
30th July 2024
From the hundreds of fonts we add to the Identifont database every month we chose a selection of the most interesting recent additions, and interviewed the designers about their approach to each design:
Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini – Groot (Zetafonts)
Groot is similar to a classic gothic typeface such as News Gothic, but has some quirky features, such as the top-heavy ‘C’, ’S’, and ‘8’, and the straight vertical strokes of the ‘W’. What was the inspiration for these?
The inspiration for Groot came from the idea of finding a new voice for the so-called “industrial grotesque” model, which mixes functionality with modular design and geometric simplicity. The quintessential industrial grotesque typeface is DIN 1451, which was introduced in Germany in the early 20th century for use in engineering, administration, and traffic signs. This design prioritized clarity, legibility, and ease of reproduction, with clean lines and minimal contrast between thick and thin strokes.
Groot keeps these key characteristics of industrial grotesques but embraces a brutalist design philosophy, akin to brutalist architecture that emphasizes raw structural elements, by including gravity-defying and top-heavy elements. These design details, which highlight the constructed and mechanical aspects of the glyphs, have been explicitly included in the uppercase letters only, to maintain high readability of the typeface in body text while making all-caps text more impactful and distinctive.
The Groot family includes the Groot Bau subfamily in which the inner curves are more square-shaped, giving square counters in the heavier weights such as Groot Bau Heavy, and strokes that thin to nothing in Groot Bau Thin. What gave you the idea of creating this variant?
The Holy Grail of typeface design is finding the sweet spot where display personality and text readability converge. To make the design of Groot more interesting, we began experimenting with the concept of “superness” in the curves, making the inner contours of the round letters slightly more squared than the outer ones. This technique has traditionally been used to enhance readability in small point sizes, prompting us to explore various curvature values to see their effects. By defining a variable space for superness, we were able to maximize the effect, resulting in squared counterspaces in heavy weights or, conversely, intersecting the outer contour in thin weights. We realized that these extremes aligned with the brutalist aesthetic we envisioned for the typeface, leading us to create the Bau family, envisioned as the more display-oriented side of the variable spectrum.
Groot Bau Heavy is surprisingly similar to Freeman Craw's classic typeface Ad Lib. Is that a curious coincidence, or were you previously aware of Ad Lib?
The interplay between an external round curve and an internal angle can occur naturally when drawing with a flat nib pen and applying translation logic. We had previously experimented with this effect in our typeface Hagrid, which, while adhering to grotesque characteristics overall, features squarish inner spaces. Groot is distinctly more aligned with this aesthetic than with the whimsical, modern cartoon feeling of the 1961 font by Craw. This connection underscores Groot’s design philosophy, emphasizing structured forms and geometric clarity over playful or decorative elements.
You’ve also made Groot available as a variable font. Does the variable font include the Bau variants, and if so, can you vary the Bau-ness from 0 to 100%?
Yes! Actually, having a “Bau Axis” was one of the reason to develop Groot as two related families. A lot of care has been put in the design by Nicolas Sondre Billout to make sure the normal family interpolates correctly with the complex design of the Bau one. Since we were aware that there are various existing typefaces that play on the superness, or square look, of the inner space, we absolutely wanted the variable version to be a way for designers to choose their preferred superness value.
Groot is part of your Beats section of fonts where typefaces are presented as works in progress. Are there new developements planned for Groot?
We are already working on an italics family, where once again we will introduce slightly brutalist elements, mixing the slanted italics aesthetics with some “rotalic” elements. This will add one more element of peculiarity to Groot, which can be used as a fairly transparent industrial grotesque or, by playing with Bau and italics, can become a very quirky and distinctive font.
Mott Jordan – Big Tiki (Mysterylab)
Big Tiki is a font with a distinctive Polynesian flavour; what inspired you to design it?
I often begin new font ideas with a structural idea that forms the foundation to build the font. Big Tiki builds on the fact that you can create a quasi-slab serif appearance simply by shaving out an oval-shaped scoop from a simple vertical stroke. Doing this on just one side of the stroke, and closer to the bottom, was the structural basis for this design. From that point, it really seemed to cry out to become a whimsical Tiki style font. Those artisans who carve Tiki god sculptures use a set of chisels that shave and scoop out the wood, and that just seemed like a parallel that I couldn’t ignore. So I went full steam ahead to give it a South Pacific/Oceania vibe.
I’m finding it hard to find similar fonts on Identifont to compare with Big Tiki; the closest I can find is Friki Tiki designed in 2001 by Jason Walcott. Was that an influence on its design?
As this idea took shape, I did a quick scan through of other fonts that are thought to be Tiki-style, and I don’t remember seeing any that used the same fundamentals to build the letters. In that regard, I like to think that it’s quite unique. The other influence is from mid-century semi-condensed kitschy sans serifs, like might have been used on 1950s or 1960s magazine layouts or on sign painters’ display showcards. This style seems to be in constant revival, because these fonts have a lively bounce and are really fun and eye-catching.
Big Tiki includes several ligatures that are automatically used if you have OpenType Standard Ligatures selected, including two that feature in its name “Big Tiki”, and three in “Big Tiki Italic”. Presumably there is a huge number of possible letter combinations; how did you choose which ligatures to provide?
In my view, ligatures have become almost de rigeur in the modern typography marketplace, at least for offbeat and vernacular styles, and certainly for bold script fonts. There’s a value-added aspect to this, in the same way that offering outline versions, extruded shadow versions, different widths, etc. adds extra appeal for buyers. But the downside – if there is one – is that many new font releases are just overflowing with mediocre ligatures. Some designers are really over-reaching on this point, pushing things to a place where a ligature might be clever and inventive, but can cause words to become dramatically less legible. There is a moderate number of ligatures in Big Tiki, and I even decided to kill a few of them before releasing the final version; the litmus test was always: “Is this word still legible at a glance?” If not, the ligature was not worth including.
Big Tiki looks ideal for publications and products related to surfing, skateboarding, and beach parties; are these applications you had in mind when you designed it?
Absolutely, yes. I live in Santa Cruz, a coastal California surfing town that also features a seaside amusement park. There are also several surfboard manufacturers who are based here in town. I very recently completed a surfing-oriented mural design on the side of a building that is a block or two from this amusement park, and couldn’t resist using this font for the acknowledgements text block at the bottom of the mural. I hope to see it start cropping up on souvenir t-shirts, hoodies, surf/skate gear, etc. I think it would be a perfect fit.
Nazareno Crea – Adriano (ABC ETC)
You’ve written that Adriano is inspired by the 1934 Olivetti logo, designed by Bauhaus artist Xanti Schawinsky. What inspired you to use this as the basis for a slab-serif typeface family?
I remember seeing that logo for the first time on an old Olivetti typewriter. I never knew that logo existed, and I went on to research more about it; this was around 2006 or 2007, just when I was graduating from ECAL.
The anachronistic nature of that logo is the main insipiration for this project. Even though it was drawn and used in 1934, it is somehow extremely modern and contains most of the strength of the Bauhaus approach to typography. Bauhaus design has become very popular again thanks to digital type design software, and to the general taste of the times where we favour more geometric constructed faces. So to answer your question I wanted to expand that feeling of modernity into a slab-serif typeface.
The Olivetti logo contains only six lower-case letters; how did you set about extrapolating a whole character set from these characters?
For the design process we used some basic principles. The first principle was to maintain the contrast as low as possible. We started with no contrast at all in the hairline weight, and as we expanded to the other weights we modified the contrast to allow a natural progression of shapes from hairline to bold. The second principle was to operate under the Bauhaus ideas of drawing typefaces with modularity and a lot of geometric shapes. A third principle was to dig out all the existing typewriter or slab-serif fonts that would seem similar or as modern as possible. From that point we began to experiment and come up with the rest of the alphabet.
Adriano has some similarities to classic slab-serif typefaces, such as Serifa. Were you influenced by this, or any other classic slab-serifs, when designing it?
Yes, as mentioned before one of the key factors for the creation of this typeface was to study a series of existing slab-serif or typewriter typefaces and select and improve where possible. Obviously a lot of it is driven by personal taste; we didn’t intend to have a scientific approach to this, because designing typefaces I believe is always very subjective and very personal. We looked at Serifa, Stymie, Memphis, ITC American Typewriter, Ionic No. 2 by Miller and Richard, but also the font designed for the Centre Pompidou in Paris by Frutiger, as well as many sketches from Paul Rand, just to mention a few. I worked with Baptiste Lecanu, Antonio D’Elisiis, and Alberto Malossi to handpick details or proportions from these typefaces that we then transformed and redrew under our set of rules.
In general the slab-serif universe is vast and uneven. I always saw two main extremes: at the one end Clarendon and at the other ITC Lubalin Graph, and in between there’s a vast array of typefaces that vary in contrast and typographic proportions. Adriano aims to sit almost midway, not being entirely a display, and not being a body type. For years I tried to find something similar, but each time there were some glyphs that made me unhappy: sometimes too geometric or sometimes too nostalgic grotesque. Adriano is almost like a modern sans serif with slabs.
The italic is not just a slanted version of the roman, but many of the lowercase characters have cursive exit strokes. Why did you decide on this approach?
For the italic the process has been very unique and laborious. Baptiste Lecanu and I were extremely busy trying out all avenues before ending up with this hybrid slanted-italic. Our initial approach was just to slant it directly from the roman. But soon we thought that was maybe a little simplistic, so we tried to create a cursive (still in works as we speak), but that required more attention and time than we expected. We ended up applying italic endings only to certain characters which we thought created an interesting mix.
Having said that, we are developing a geo-cursive which will be almost completely linked together like a real cursive, but designed with a geometric parametric approach.
Yulia Gonina – Schrifted Serif (Schrifteria)
Schrifted Serif is a legible serif typeface family in eight weights and three optical sizes: text, subhead, and display. What inspired you to design it?
I designed Schrifted Serif as a companion to my earlier typeface, Schrifted Sans. The inspiration for both typefaces comes from the city of Stockholm, which has a unique blend of historical and modern elements. I wanted to capture the city’s architectural precision and elegance in a serif typeface that would work seamlessly with Schrifted Sans.
The forms and graphics of Schrifted Serif are influenced by Stockholm’s character, reflecting both its classic charm and contemporary style. The different optical sizes were developed to ensure that the typeface remains legible and visually appealing across various uses, from body text to headlines. Additionally, the concept of font pairing was crucial in the design process, ensuring that Schrifted Serif and Schrifted Sans could be used together harmoniously in design projects, providing versatility and a cohesive visual identity.
Do you envisage Schrifted Serif being used alongside Schrifted Sans in design projects?
Yes, they were designed to be used together. They share a design language, creating a cohesive look and allowing for dynamic layouts with clear hierarchy, enhancing readability and visual interest.
For example, Schrifted Serif can be used for headings in editorial design, adding a classic touch, while Schrifted Sans works well for body text, captions, and sidebars. In web design, Schrifted Serif highlights titles and key sections, while Schrifted Sans is ideal for navigation menus, buttons, and longer texts.
Alternatively, in a corporate report, Schrifted Sans can be used for modern headings, while Schrifted Serif offers a traditional look for the main text.
I’ve noticed that Schrifted Serif has some similarities to ITC Bookman Light (compare Schrifted Serif Text and ITC Bookman Light). Is that accidental, or was the older typeface an influence on its design?
ITC Bookman Light is indeed a beautiful typeface, and while it wasn’t a direct influence on Schrifted Serif, I can understand the comparison. Schrifted Serif wasn’t based on any specific typefaces; rather, its design was influenced by its goal of pairing seamlessly with Schrifted Sans and the visual environment of the city of Stockholm.
Do you plan to extend the Schrifted family further; for example, with a slab-serif companion?
Yes, I am currently working on a narrow poster version of Schrifted Serif. This version will have fewer weights but will be even more expressive, designed specifically for use at large sizes. Additionally, I plan to add a softer, rounded version to Schrifted Sans. I already have sketches, and they look very promising. While a slab-serif companion isn’t in my immediate plans, it’s certainly a possibility for the future development of the Schrifted family.