Typeface Design for Francesco

Every glyph shaped individually—like a Renaissance punchcutter

Francesco is a typeface by Franck Jalleau drawing on Venetian Renaissance sources, particularly the work of Francesco Griffo, who lends the design its name. Rather than replicating historical letterforms, Jalleau studied classical process—giving each glyph an individually crafted shape, including serifs, to produce typographic variety analogous to hand-cut steel punches. Obstructed counterforms in the 'a' and 'e' evoke 15th-century printing without pastiche. Numerous ligatures and alternates extend its utility in titling and short-text settings.

Set in Francesco