Industry: Design

Silvana Display

A printing error becomes a typeface's signature detail

Silvana Display is a contemporary serif typeface designed by Siri Lee Lindskrog, released in 2022. It draws on 19th-century transitional typeface research, combining Old Style pen influence with high-contrast modern refinement. A printing artifact spotted in a Schelter & Giesecke Pennsylvania specimen—excess ink on the lowercase 'a'—was formalised as a recurring ink-spur detail across standard and alternate glyph sets. Companion cut Silvana Text reduces contrast and widens proportions for extended setting.

Set in Silvana Display, Silvana Text

Insights

The ink-spur motif originates from excess ink on the lowercase 'a' in a Schelter & Giesecke Pennsylvania specimen; deliberately formalised and extended to G, S, and n in the standard set, and to E, T, Z, A, M, R in the alternate set.
The italic palette emphasises fluidity through energetic end strokes, deep junctions, and steep calligraphic turns.
Stacked ligatures such as 'www' and 'xxx' are included as playful additions to the glyph set.
Silvana Text offers a less contrasted style range with wider proportions, suited to long-form setting across all sizes.