Anaphora is a contemporary serif typeface designed by Francesco Canovaro with Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Andrea Tartarelli. It features a wedge serif design with nine weights from thin to fat, each with true italics style, for a full range of editorial and advertising uses.  Its wide counters and low x-height make it pleasant and readable at text sizes while the uncommon shapes make it strong and recognizable when used in display sizes. Four [...] Anaphora is a contemporary serif typeface designed by Francesco Canovaro with Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Andrea Tartarelli. It features a wedge serif design with nine weights from thin to fat, each with true italics style, for a full range of editorial and advertising uses.  Its wide counters and low x-height make it pleasant and readable at text sizes while the uncommon shapes make it strong and recognizable when used in display sizes. Four additional stencil weights provide options for fancy titling and logo creation. Anaphora features an extended character set that covers over forty languages using the latin alphabet, as well as Greek and Russian Cyrillic. Open type features include small caps, four sets of figures, fractions, superior & inferior figures, alternate forms and discretionary ligatures.

Barnum pays homage to Clarendon, the 1845 classic by Thorowgood and Co. of London. Rooted in the enduring appeal of nineteenth-century slab serif romans and embracing their robust structure and bold slab serifs, Barnum emphasizes a departure from tradition with a subtle brutalist approach in selected letterforms, mixing contemporary flair and timeless elegance.

Blacker mono was developed out of a brief by Isabella Ahmadzadeh by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Francesco Canovaro for the editorial project "A beautiful mistake" by OFFF Tlv in 2022. It is a monospaced version of our typeface Blacker, bringing its "evil serif" aesthetics in the realm of typewriter and coding typefaces. In designing these, usually the letterforms are deformed to better fill the space, but in Blacker Mono only the serifs are [...] Blacker mono was developed out of a brief by Isabella Ahmadzadeh by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Francesco Canovaro for the editorial project "A beautiful mistake" by OFFF Tlv in 2022. It is a monospaced version of our typeface Blacker, bringing its "evil serif" aesthetics in the realm of typewriter and coding typefaces. In designing these, usually the letterforms are deformed to better fill the space, but in Blacker Mono only the serifs are modified to balance letters, while letter skeletons are kept consistent with the ones of the original Blacker family. This gives the typeface an uneven, unexpected rhythm, underlined by the unusual choice of providing three optical sizes and some extreme display weights - both uncommon choices in monospaced fonts. The resulting typefamily is thought for use in editorial situations where readability must be married by a strong personality, and is complemented by all the wide array of Open Type features that are present in all Blacker variants, from positional numerals to small case letters and alternates.

Blacker Pro is the revised and extended version of the original wedge serif type family designed by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Andrea Tartarelli in 2017. Blacker was developed as a take on the style that Jeremiah Shoaf has  defined as the "evil serif" genre: typefaces with high contrast, oldstyle or modern serif proportions and sharp, blade-like triangular serifs. [...] Blacker Pro is the revised and extended version of the original wedge serif type family designed by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Andrea Tartarelli in 2017. Blacker was developed as a take on the style that Jeremiah Shoaf has  defined as the "evil serif" genre: typefaces with high contrast, oldstyle or modern serif proportions and sharp, blade-like triangular serifs. Due to the high contrast in the design - slightly reminescent of didone typefaces - Blacker has been developed in two optical subfamilies. The display version offers tighter tracking, higher contrast and sharper corners for maximum effect at big sizes, while the text variant offers better readability and screen rendering at smaller sizes, with lower contrast and looser spacing. In the pro version, two additional condensed variant families have been added (condensed display and condensed text) allowing for more freedom and versatility in typesetting where space constraints are present. Also, three titling uppercase-only variants have been added, with a slightly extended feel, and two decorative subfamilies (inline and diamond). Each of these seven variants has been developed in six weights from light to heavy, with matching italics, for a total of 69 styles covering a wide range of editorial and advertising uses. All Blacker Pro feature a revised and extended character set covering over two hundred languages using the latin, cyrillic and greek alphabets. Open type features include small caps, positional numerals, fractions, superior & inferior figures, alternate forms, and an extended set of standard and discretionary ligatures. With its bold personality, Blacker aims to be a modern classic used for bold statements and self-conscious brands, making your text look great both on paper and on the screens.

Blackest is an inverse contrast wedge serif typeface family, designed by Francesco Canovaro and Andrea Tartarelli as a development of the Blacker typeface designed by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini. The classical skeleton and sharp edges of the original have been kept while bringing the contrast of the typeface in the realm of the so called "italian" or reverse-contrast typefaces. The result is a typeface family that manages to be quirky but classical, [...] Blackest is an inverse contrast wedge serif typeface family, designed by Francesco Canovaro and Andrea Tartarelli as a development of the Blacker typeface designed by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini. The classical skeleton and sharp edges of the original have been kept while bringing the contrast of the typeface in the realm of the so called "italian" or reverse-contrast typefaces. The result is a typeface family that manages to be quirky but classical, and playful without losing elegance. With its exuberance and six weights of eye-catching proportions, Blackest is perfect for display use: editorial & magazine design, poster design and logo development - but to allow its usage as a for typesetting of longer texts a text variant in two weights has been developed, with less contrast, looser spacing, and high readability. Blackest features an extended character set that covers over 220 languages using the Latin alphabet, as well as Russian Cyrillic. Open type features include small caps, positional figures, alternate letter forms, stylistic sets, arrows and extra punctuation and discretionary ligatures.  

The design of new typefaces often involves a delicate dance between honoring tradition and embracing modernity. Mario De Libero's Claus stands as a testament to this artistic interplay, as it emerges as a reinvention of the classic Stunt Roman, a hand-lettering alphabet masterfully crafted by the penmanship virtuoso Ross Frederick George. First gracing the pages of the Speedball Text Book in 1929, this hand-lettered serif alphabet blended [...] The design of new typefaces often involves a delicate dance between honoring tradition and embracing modernity. Mario De Libero's Claus stands as a testament to this artistic interplay, as it emerges as a reinvention of the classic Stunt Roman, a hand-lettering alphabet masterfully crafted by the penmanship virtuoso Ross Frederick George. First gracing the pages of the Speedball Text Book in 1929, this hand-lettered serif alphabet blended the classical beauty of Old Style letterforms with the narrow proportions and fluid elegance of Art Deco. Inspired by its iconic proportions, Mario De Libero embarked on the design journey that birthed Claus. With a keen eye for harmonizing classic charm with a brutalist twist, De Libero introduced etched serifs and calligraphic quirks, subtly adapting the letterforms to a more contemporary, digital taste. The result is a festive typeface that effortlessly transitions between traditional and modern design landscapes. Claus comes with a full range of OpenType features, boasting quirky ligatures, design alternates, and a Small Caps version. This versatility ensures seamless integration into diverse projects, from editorial layouts to luxury branding. The contrasted texture of Claus invites designers to explore the timeless beauty of deco hand-lettering translated in a contemporary context, promising a harmonious blend of sophistication and functionality. 

Drawing on brutalist design principles and a keen sense of balance, Dialogue tries to reinvent the traditional roman Oldstyle letterforms with a digital language that is is at once elegant and rugged, with crisp, sharp edges and smooth curves. 

Designed by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Maria Chiara Fantini with the help of Solenn Bordeau, Erotique is an evolution of the original design by Zetafonts for Lovelace, that challenges its romantic curves with the glitchty & fluid aestethic of transmodern neo-brutalist typography. The seductive "evil serif" look of the Pheimester-like Oldstyle letter shapes is made edgier by the quirky connections and unexpected calligraphic twirls that marry [...] Designed by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Maria Chiara Fantini with the help of Solenn Bordeau, Erotique is an evolution of the original design by Zetafonts for Lovelace, that challenges its romantic curves with the glitchty & fluid aestethic of transmodern neo-brutalist typography. The seductive "evil serif" look of the Pheimester-like Oldstyle letter shapes is made edgier by the quirky connections and unexpected calligraphic twirls that marry digital distortions to traditional penmanship. Sensuous but sharp, Erotique speaks the language of teasing, and unrequited love, over-the-top and restrained like a show of japanese Kinbaku, and beautifully heartbreaking like a friendzone valentine.  Designed for display use, this high-contrast serif typeface is ready to take center stage in projects where a subtle elegance and an edgy, aggressive touch are required. For branding use it is paired by a Erotique Ornaments, a set of interlocking patterns based on the font letter-shapes, allowing for striking packaging, digital and ambient design. For editorial use it can add a sharp sensuality to logos and titles thanks to an impressive array of alternate glyphs, subtle ligatures and a set of whiplike fleurons, collected in the Erotique Flourishes pack. The typeface has been developed in the regular, medium and bold weight plus a monoline version, all of which have been paired with an Alternate version to give immediate access the more exotic alternate letterforms.  With a character set of over five hundred glyphs, all the the weights of Erotique cover almost 200 languages using extended latin, and include advanced Open Type features as Stylistic Alternates, Standard and Discretionary Ligatures, Positional Numerals, Swash and Case Sensitive Forms. If you are a typeface lover, be warned: Erotique could be your fatal attraction!

The project of Geppetto started as a revival of a condensed Tuscan typeface family appearing in the 1903 Tubbs Wood Type catalog. The design, probably derived from an 1859 typeface by William Hamilton Page, was used by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini as a basic frame on which to build a variable typeface expanding the design space on a width axis. Named after the character in Carlo Collodi’s notorious fibster Pinocchio, Geppetto is at the same time a [...] The project of Geppetto started as a revival of a condensed Tuscan typeface family appearing in the 1903 Tubbs Wood Type catalog. The design, probably derived from an 1859 typeface by William Hamilton Page, was used by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini as a basic frame on which to build a variable typeface expanding the design space on a width axis. Named after the character in Carlo Collodi’s notorious fibster Pinocchio, Geppetto is at the same time a love letter to wood type letterforms, and an exploration of the concept of "authenticity" in a typeface revival. What is kept and what is lost in the process of making wood shapes digital? Can the rich historical texture of wood type be translated in a font that is still readable, versatile and useful in the contemporary design panorama? And which of the two is a true typeface, making the other a mere ghost?

Designed by Francesco Canovaro with help from Andrea Tartarelli and Maria Chiara Fantini, Kitsch is a typeface happily living at the crossroads between classical latin and medieval gothic letterforms. But, rather than referencing historical models like the italian Rotunda or the french Bastarda scripts, Kitsch tries to renew both its inspirations, finding a contemporary vibe in the dynamic texture of the calligraphic broad-nib pen applied to the [...] Designed by Francesco Canovaro with help from Andrea Tartarelli and Maria Chiara Fantini, Kitsch is a typeface happily living at the crossroads between classical latin and medieval gothic letterforms. But, rather than referencing historical models like the italian Rotunda or the french Bastarda scripts, Kitsch tries to renew both its inspirations, finding a contemporary vibe in the dynamic texture of the calligraphic broad-nib pen applied to the proportions of the classical roman skeleton. The resulting high contrast and spiky details make Kitsch excel in display uses, while a fine-tuned text version manages to keep at small sizes the dynamic expressivity of the design without sacrificing legibility. Both variants are designed in a wide range of weights (from the almost monolinear thin to the dense black), and are fully equipped with a extended character sets covering over two hundred languages that use latin, cyrillic and greek alphabets. Special care has been put in designing Kitsch italic letterforms, with the broad-nib movements referencing classical italian letterforms to add even more shades to your typographic palette. The resulting alternate letter shapes have also been included in the roman weights as Stylistic Alternates - part to the wide range of Open Type features (Standard and Discretionary Ligatures, Positional Numerals, Small Caps and Case Sensitive Forms) provided with all the 32 weights of Kitsch. Born for editorial and branding use, Kitsch is fashionable but solid, self-confident enough to look classic while ironic enough to be contemporary.

Developed by Andrea Tartarelli as an extension to Calvino typeface family, Marcovaldo is a heavy condensed wedge serif, optimized for display design. The high contrast and rich texture of the old style letterforms marry digital aesthetics in a typeface that is at the same time impactful and refined. With its nod to the Elzevir and DeVinne tradition, it tries to translate typographically the value of Visibility that Italian writer Italo Calvino [...] Developed by Andrea Tartarelli as an extension to Calvino typeface family, Marcovaldo is a heavy condensed wedge serif, optimized for display design. The high contrast and rich texture of the old style letterforms marry digital aesthetics in a typeface that is at the same time impactful and refined. With its nod to the Elzevir and DeVinne tradition, it tries to translate typographically the value of Visibility that Italian writer Italo Calvino had described in his masterpiece Six Memos for the Next Millennium.

Noctis was originally born as a single weight display typeface, designed by Luca Terzo who took inspiration by the unusual wedge serifs of Aldo Novarese's 1972 typeface for H. Berthold A.G.,  Primate. The design was developed by the Italian Type team into a full family of five weights from thin, each with its own true italic, and with a complementary set of decorative patterns. [...] Noctis was originally born as a single weight display typeface, designed by Luca Terzo who took inspiration by the unusual wedge serifs of Aldo Novarese's 1972 typeface for H. Berthold A.G.,  Primate. The design was developed by the Italian Type team into a full family of five weights from thin, each with its own true italic, and with a complementary set of decorative patterns. The strong didonesque contrasts make this typeface both impressive at display sizes and easily readable in text size, while the sharp shapes of the triangular serifs and the distinctive letter shapes show their strength in logo design and impressive editorial use. Inspired by the elegant, self conscious and over-the-top aestethics of italian fashion scene of the eighties and nineties, Noctis finds its strength in its strong textural nature, that is explored in the Noctis Texturae subfamily, where each letter is used as a tile to produce seamless patterns that can be used to extend the branding capabilities of Noctis. Noctis features an extended latin character set of 481 glyphs covering over 190 languages, and includes advanced open type features like standard and discretionary ligatures, positional numerals, stylistic alternates and case sensitive brackets. Mixing versatility and personality, Noctis is ready to be like a top model on the design catwalk, making your projects looking classic but contemporary, finely tuned but assertive, and elegant as the best italian luxury fashion.  

Designed by Mario De Libero, Quark typeface takes the principles of flat nib calligraphy and mixes them with bold typographic experimentation. It blends serif sophistication and digital aesthetics, with its unique identity stemming from the letters' peculiar inner space, that transforms along the weight axis. Mixing traditional translation details with a contemporary serif structure, Quark aims for timelessness through a fusion of forms, where tradition and modernity harmoniously coexist.

Francesco Canovaro was inspired for the design of Quenta by the discovery of the handlettered masthead of Queenslander, a weekly magazine of news related to "society, sport, literature, theater and rural life", published in Queensland, Australia, during the first half of XIX century. [...] Francesco Canovaro was inspired for the design of Quenta by the discovery of the handlettered masthead of Queenslander, a weekly magazine of news related to "society, sport, literature, theater and rural life", published in Queensland, Australia, during the first half of XIX century. The condensed serif letterforms of the magazine title, embellished by a highlight effect, had been complemented by a vibrant cursive script. It was an eye catching combination typical of the so called "showcard" lettering style, widely used in advertising during the first half of last century. Looking for the same vintage vibes, Francesco's research moved to the books by penmasters like Ross F. George or Samuel Weld. In their showcard manuals, he found a peculiar ambiguity in the letterform treatments, halfway between calligraphic execution and contour drawing. This warm, human touch and the historical references gave the condensed shapes of Quenta a lively personality and a literary charme. To match a design so rich in vintage storytelling, Francesco choose for the typeface a name that comes from the writings of one of the master world-builders of the last century. "Quenta" is the Elven word for "story" used by J.R.R. Tolkien in the Silmarillion. To let you experiment with his vintage decorative layers, Quenta comes in four styles and different color font formats. It also includes Discretionary ligatures to allow you to use script elements to enrich its expressive range for editorial and logo design. 

Radcliffe is a typeface family designed in 2018 by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Andrea Tartarelli, as a reinvention of traditional clarendon design in search of a "contemporary classic" typeface look. Tailor made for elegance, Radcliffe features the strong bracketed serifs, vertical stress, and little contrast of clarendons, refined with a humanist touch and a calligraphic approach, obvious in the italics. [...] Radcliffe is a typeface family designed in 2018 by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini and Andrea Tartarelli, as a reinvention of traditional clarendon design in search of a "contemporary classic" typeface look. Tailor made for elegance, Radcliffe features the strong bracketed serifs, vertical stress, and little contrast of clarendons, refined with a humanist touch and a calligraphic approach, obvious in the italics. Primarily intended as a display typeface with a wide range of finely-tuned weights for editorial and logo-design uses, Radcliffe has been complemented by Radcliffe Text, developed in five weights with a taller x-height and slightly condensed proportions, allowing for maximum readablity in long texts on the web and at small size.  The family also includes the two funky weights of Radcliffe Casual, designed with a slight reverse contrast aestetics, perfect for your Country Club activities. All Radcliffe fonts include full open type features with stylistic alternates, discretionary ligatures, positional number forms, swash forms (in italics) and full language coverage fo +70 languages using latin and cyrillic alphabets.

Radcliffe Hand is a typeface family designed by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini with the help of Giulia Ursenna Dorati, re-inventing our Radcliffe family as a handwritten typeface. [...] Radcliffe Hand is a typeface family designed by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini with the help of Giulia Ursenna Dorati, re-inventing our Radcliffe family as a handwritten typeface. Each glyph of the original typeface has been lovingly traced by hand, interpreting every design quality as a calligraphic quirk, thus allowing Radcliffe Hand to live in the middle ground between type and writing. Thanks to its wide & highly legible humanist skeleton, imbued with the dynamic qualities of handwriting, the typeface works both in display and text sizes, balancing expressivity and readability, and excelling in editorial and packaging uses where you want the text to keep display quality without becoming too hard to read.   Radcliffe Hand has been developed in four weights plus an extra connected cursive version, Radcliffe Script, that can be used together with Radcliffe Hand or with the standard Radcliffe and Radcliffe Casual to add an extra touch of handwriting to your designs. All the Radcliffe Hand typefaces include over 400 glyphs with extended latin languages coverage, open type number positional forms and a set of twenty hand-drawn arrows that can be accessed through discretionary ligatures allowing easy creation of "fake handwritten" side notes to your text.  

Mario De Libero designed Swanstone while investigating XIX Century Old Style typefaces. Designs like Theophile Beaudoire’s Romana (1860) or Miller & Richard’s Modernized Old Style, that re-imagined the classical “Venetian” letterforms adding flared serifs and early Art Nouveau influences. In Italy, one of these fonts was Raffaello Bertieri’s Raffaello, which De Libero used as the starting point of his research in a contemporary [...] Mario De Libero designed Swanstone while investigating XIX Century Old Style typefaces. Designs like Theophile Beaudoire’s Romana (1860) or Miller & Richard’s Modernized Old Style, that re-imagined the classical “Venetian” letterforms adding flared serifs and early Art Nouveau influences. In Italy, one of these fonts was Raffaello Bertieri’s Raffaello, which De Libero used as the starting point of his research in a contemporary retelling of these exuberant and sexily unsettling letterforms. Developed as a single weight to be released in our Zetafonts Singularity line, Swanstone will be available for a limited time as a gift to all subscribers of Zetafonts Type Club. Don’t forget checking our next newsletters!