Kelvin

Two axes, two centuries of modernity

Kelvin is a type family by Thomas Bouville released in 2019, comprising two stylistic axes—Kelvin Avec (serif) and Kelvin Sans—each rooted in a distinct historical moment of modernity. Avec draws on early 18th-century precedents, with the Romain du Roi as its primary reference, while Sans is informed by early 20th-century geometric sans-serifs. Despite differing skeletons, both subfamilies share a philosophy of construction—building forms rather than plotting or drawing them. Each axis includes an italic and a titling version that amplifies its defining characteristics.

Set in Kelvin Avec, Kelvin Sans

Insights

The unifying principle across both axes is a constructive approach to letterform-making, explicitly contrasted with plotting or drawing.
Kelvin Avec references the Romain du Roi's two-stage creative process: conceptual study followed by size-specific adaptation during engraving.
Kelvin Sans was developed through close observation of typefaces by Erbar, Koch, Johnston, and Renner, supplemented by period promotional advertising documents.
Each axis ships with italic and titling cuts designed to exaggerate the subfamily's inherent formal characteristics.