Givry

To create Givry, Tom Grace researched the bâtarde flamande, a lively style of writing used predominantly in France and what is present-day Belgium in the 15th century. The style shares an ancestry with other writing styles traditionally grouped as blackletter: fraktur, textura, rotunda, and schwabacher. The bâtarde flamande, however, evolved into an aesthetic far removed from its relatives.

The bâtarde flamande is strikingly distinct in almost every way from its blackletter cousins. While high-contrast in nature, the bâtarde flamande is more delicate and dynamic than the austere and condensed fraktur and textura. Its quick curves also lack the rigidity of the schwabacher and rotunda. Calligraphic flair through swashes is thematic, as are the variations in letterforms.

The flowing rhythm, achieved through a slightly rightward lean, is most noticeable in the hallmark ‘f’ and long ‘s’ and is undergirded by round forms which are fused together for economy of space. The bâtarde flamande is technically a writing hand that, with its syncopation and fluidity, produces a vibrance uncharacteristic of other blackletters. Simply put, the bâtarde flamande is the most expressive and emotional of the blackletter options, and Givry plays to this strength.

While suitable as an elegant and energetic display face, Givry was created to set continuous text. Many refinements and adjustments were necessary to balance both the style’s irregular nature with the consistency that continuous text typography requires. Carefully researched and developed in OpenType format for a wealth of typographic features and support for more than forty languages, Givry is neither derivative nor experimental, but is historically accurate and textually enjoyable.

Givry comes in one weight, speaks multiple languages, and, along with our entire catalogue, has been optimised for today’s varied screen uses.