The Fou typeface family was designed as an alternative to Trade Gothic condensed bold. During the design process of a normally wide font variant a system developed that responds to white space and changing proportions. Thus, round transitions become rectangular and vice versa, space is made and space is taken away. This system and the associated changes are continued on a model with semi-serifs. Fou can also be used as an alternative to Din or the wider Q-Type, but in comparison offers more room for emphasis with its italics, expert sets and numerous special characters.

Many times, when a new creative process is starting, it is triggered by an everyday action or item. In this case, the looks of a lady’s watch inspired Michael Herold to create his new typeface LUX. The sight of the chronograph sparked associations of the 1950s in Mr. Herold: While this decade was predominantly dominated by brush and feather scripts, there was also a bloom of strict and modern architecture. This special mix of strength and retro style is exactly what Michael Herold is trying to capture in his LUX. The result is a typeface which is perfectly suitable for use on book covers, posters and claims – thanks to its striking impression. The name LUX, Latin for light, is inspired by the high bright-dark contrast within the individual characters. Oft sind es alltägliche Gegenstände, die das Bestreben eines neuen kreativen Prozesses auslösen. So entspringt auch die Inspiration zur Erschaffung der LUX von Michael Herold dem Anblick einer Damenuhr. Der Chronograph löste bei Herrn Herold Assoziationen zu den 1950er Jahren aus: Während diese Zeit hauptsächlich von Schreibschriften aus Federn und Pinseln beherrscht wurde, nahm auch die streng und modern anmutende Architektur starken Einfluss auf die Epoche. Diese Mischung aus Strenge und 50er Jahre Retro-Stil soll in der LUX zum Ausdruck kommen. Das Ergebnis ist eine Schrift, die sich mit ihrer plakativen Wirkung perfekt für Buchumschläge, Poster und Claims eignet. Namensgebend war der starke hell-dunkel Kontrast innerhalb der Schrift – festgehalten in dem lateinischen Wort für Licht.

Stateside is a bold condensed serif with a vintage feel. It has an urban and, I like to think, urbane character which puts me in mind of classic Thirties architecture like the Rockefeller Centre or the Empire State Building. I did consider calling it Rockefeller, but the family might think it a bit of a liberty, and I can’t afford to get into a copyright battle with them!

Ultra Bold Condensed Stencil

North is an elegant Light Condensed that provides some interesting surprises to conventional condensed fonts. Ideal for fashion, cosmetics, editorials and premium packaging design.

In one of our yearly type hunts, we came across the ancestor of this font, much wider and more decorative, with fine outside shading. Condition was poor so we did the obvious, cutting out the excess decoration and condensing the face optically. It reeks of dancing girls and drunken sailors and other colorful attributes of Old San Francisco.

Ultra Bold Condensed Latin Serif

Hand Cut Stencil JNL is a condensed Roman typeface modeled from an antique tin stencil hand cut for shipping merchandise. The design is available in regular and oblique versions.