Typeface Design for Capitolium 2
From Roman wayfinding to newspaper press
Capitolium 2 is a three-series newsface designed by Gerard Unger, expanding his 1998 wayfinding typeface created for a Rome Jubilee pilgrim information system into a family suited to newsprint. The original design was too fragile for newspaper production, prompting Unger to develop sturdier letterforms, a taller x-height, and more characters per line of text. The family comprises five styles in Capitolium 2, six in Capitolium News 2, and eight in Capitolium Headline 2, with over 350 additional glyphs per weight, four numeral sets, and refined kerning.
Set in Capitolium 2
Insights
- The original Capitolium's wayfinding brief made its forms too delicate for newsprint; the redesign added structural sturdiness and increased x-height to meet newspaper production demands.
- The three sub-families are differentiated by x-height, serif sharpness, and tracking; Capitolium Headline 2 is engineered for compact, large-size setting with narrower letterforms and high stroke contrast.
- Each weight gained more than 350 glyphs, adding small caps, ligatures, four numeral sets, arbitrary fractions, and superiors/inferiors for full Latin A language support.
- The family received recognition including Letter.2 2011, Typographica's Best Typefaces 2011, and ES Awards Finalist 2012.
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