Caslon French Antique
Reverse contrast, without the circus
A revival of the reverse-contrast display genre known as Italian in Britain and French on the Continent, designed by Paul Barnes and Hannes Famira under Commercial Type's Classics programme. It takes a more conventional approach to weight distribution than more extreme relatives in the genre, using thick horizontals at bowl tops and bottoms with heavy slab serifs, making it useful across a wide range of sizes.
Set in Caslon French Antique
Insights
- Weight concentrates in thick horizontals at tops and bottoms of bowls—opposite to conventional roman construction but less extreme than the Italian subtype.
- Heavy slab serifs accompany the reverse-contrast structure; the source credits this combination with broad size versatility.
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