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Type Design

We are capable of undertaking a diverse range of type design projects, from the adaptation of a few characters in an existing font to the design of complete, original typefaces.
     
   
  1. Adapting / designing characters / expanding fonts
  2. Adapting complete fonts
  3. Digitalisation & making revivals
  4. Brands & monograms
  5. Original type designs

    References
   
   

1. Adapting / designing characters;
expanding fonts

Does a particular font you wish to use lack the right characters that you need? For example, an extra accent or character for foreign languages,
or mathematical or other symbols? We design these characters for you
and add them to your font.

Do you need new characters that do not exist anywhere yet? Have you thought up new symbols, but are unable to design or execute them yourself? We can do that for you in a professional way.

Example of accent-characters that are not included as standard in every font. Here, phonetic Osman characters we added to the Adobe Jenson (left)

Right: Original characters we designed that offer solutions to typographical problems, including for instance a clear indication of a ß in Small Caps (see article in Dutch Wikipedia)

 
 

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2. Adapting complete fonts

Many corporate identities use typefaces that are out-of-date or which have some defect: imperfect legibility, figures are too small, capitals too high etc. But despite all this you would prefer not to replace this typeface: it is inextricably linked with the identity of your company.

We can modernise and correct those typefaces for you so that you can make the best possible use of them again.

Example of an adapted typeface design: a new Helvetica, commissioned by Nationale Nederlanden, called “NN Sans”. Improved legibility and aesthetics due to adapted and additional symbols, including small caps and old-style figures (roman and italic in 6 weights, with a total of 25 fonts)

 
 

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3. Digitalisation & making revivals

Have you created a design but do not have the necessary knowledge
and skills to turn it into a digital typeface? Do you have a paper print available (for example, of old lead or wood letters, but also handwriting
or calligraphy) and would you like it to be proficiently interpreted into
a digital font?

We can do that for you at a superior level, either by machine or by hand, depending on your budget and requirements.

This is our Two Line English Body Rosart (made in collaboration with The Enschedé Font Foundry) designed in the 18th century by the Belgian die-cutter Jacques François Rosart (1714 – 1777). Based on letter proofs from the Enschedé collection

  

Staring: A digital interpretation of a worn out lead-printing letter next to a new application of the revived design.

We had to re-invent many characters that were missing in the original prints

  
 

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4. Brands & monograms

Would you like to have your brand in its own typeface? Have you always wanted a uniquely designed monogram? Designing a small number of characters or a special brand-name logo is less complicated for us than you may think!

The monogram for the book “Dürr-i Meknûn” designed using our own Kristal typeface

  

For this corporate identity we designed and digitalised exclusively these four characters

  
 

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5. Original type designs

Having your own, special typeface designed for you may sound a far
too expensive project that only large companies can permit themselves. But each typeface is different and the extent of such a project can be adapted to your budget, requirements and the time available.

Tell us what you need and we’ll provide a non-binding quotation.

A very short design project: MWS, the official letter of theatre festival Mooi Weer Spelen in Delft, we designed in just a few weeks...

  

...and the other extreme: our two flag-ships, Kristal and Joël, both the result of a design process that took many years

  
 

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References

Eyal Holtzman has designed letters for clients such as The Enschedé Font Foundry and Nationale Nederlanden. His work has been exhibited in many places, including in Meermanno - Museum van het Boek in The Hague.

In the book ‘Ha, daar gaat er een van mij!’ (‘Hey, there goes one of mine!’, a chronicle of graphic design in The Hague from 1945 to 2000, 010 Publishers, Rotterdam 2002) he is called “one of the most idiosyn­cratic letter talents from The Hague” and in Dutch Type (010 Publishers, Rotterdam 2004) expert Jan Middendorp describes his letters as being “among the most original alphabets produced in the Netherlands”, (...) “tapping into an idiom that no other type designer working in the Netherlands has ever used”.

Eyal has studied 4 years Graphic & Typographic Design at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague and completed there later the
1 year Post-graduate course Type Design & Typography.
   

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