Salmanazar
A 1922 French display specimen updated for contemporary use
Salmanazar is a sans-serif type family designed by Juliette Collin, released in 2018 by 205TF. It draws from nineteenth-century French type design, specifically the Antique Warnery No. 1 specimen of 1922, a display face originally set no smaller than 20pt. The family spans 4 weights with corresponding italics, updated for contemporary use while preserving belle-époque structural character.
Set in Salmanazar
Insights
- The source typeface, Antique Warnery No. 1, was strictly a titling face with a minimum body size of 20pt; Salmanazar updates its vigorous strokes for contemporary use while retaining strong belle-époque details.
- Asymmetrical counters and heavier weights introduce a darkness unusual in the grotesque genre, with references to American Gothics such as Franklin Gothic and the German humanistic sans serif Ludwig.
- Each of the four weights is described as behaving subtly differently, allowing differentiated use across the family.
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