Type Whose Time Has Come

In anticipation of a fresh new year we bring you three sleeper families who had their heyday long ago and are due for another. Stand out among the copycats and same-olds with these typefaces poised for a reawakening.

Throhand
In an age of pixel grids that demand plain, rugged type, and a busy advertising landscape with loud letters jostling for your attention, Throhand is a font of fresh air. David Berlow’s 1995 study has a delicate grace that shuns the dull stiffness of much of our contemporary vernacular for the fine printing sixteenth-century. Bestow elegant refinement to type at sizes large (Throhand Pen and Regular) and medium (Throhand Ink).

Constructa
Elizabeth Cory Holzman’s six Constructa weights are based on a single 1934 font by Morris Fuller Benton called Tower. It was an apt name for a typeface whose letters stand tightly side-by-side with strength and conviction. In fact, this kind of type in general was sometimes called “skyline” in reference to its stature — tall and tough, with straight sides for compact headlines. Skyline sans serifs are en vogue right now, popular for everything from infographics to glossy magazines, so it’s high time the underused slabs of Constructa peek through the clouds.

Avia
The ghostlike forms of Raphael Boguslav’s Avia cast a shadow of subtle intrigue on any words they set. With the two additional weights from Jill Pichotta you can fine-tune the tone, from stencilesque Bold to a Light that’s barely there. Avia’s disconnected letters are perfect for photographic overlays or laser-cut dies.

This is big news. Revised and expanded with more widths, more weights, and more possibilities, Matthew Carter’s famed fonts went pro, enabling more versatile use both on screen and on paper. Our web-based specimen shows the full range of the new families in context and more. Want to get started? Georgia Pro and Verdana Pro in OpenType format are available for license here at Font Bureau and web font versions are available from Webtype.

If you’ve missed any of our recent blog posts it’s not too late. Here they are: Read about ATypI’s Letter.2 competition with Tangier and Rocky among the winners. Hear David Berlow talk about his working methods and vision of coming trends in type design during his interview on Typeradio. Check out Cyrus Highsmith’s latest limited-edition poster “EEEEEE.” Now you’re all caught up.

Few major publications have yet been able to do what The Boston Globe did recently – mirror their brand typography in both print and digital editions. Stephen Coles’s recent post on Fonts In Use details the newspaper’s emphasis on maintaining its identity through the typography. At the heart of the design is the use of the screen versions of their brand fonts, Benton Sans and Miller Headline via Webtype. The result? The Globe still feels very much like the Globe.

We certainly couldn’t do what we love to do without all your support. So, thank you for another wonderful year. To all our clients, customers, and partners, who continue to inspire us to make great fonts: May you have a joyous holiday season and a prosperous new year, from all of us at Font Bureau.