Zaft²
Céline Hurka Type Foundry · Céline Hurka, Jacob Wise · 2021
A variable reverse-contrast display type by Céline Hurka and Jacob Wise, rooted in French Clarendon tradition and reframed through a contemporary geometric lens.
About
Drawing on the 19th-century French Clarendon genre – an advertising style that parodied Didone types by inverting stroke contrast – Zaft² condenses these forms and softens them with rounded corners. Three variable fonts each expose a distinct axis: Variable A shifts weight distribution from bottom to top, Variable B adjusts serifs symmetrically in relation to counter-space, and Variable C does so asymmetrically. Contextual alternates swap in unserifed letterforms where needed, tightening word spacing for a more compact typographic image.
Classification
Zaft² employs reverse stroke contrast and condensed proportions characteristic of the French Clarendon genre – a 19th-century advertising display style that inverted the typical thick-thin relationship of Didone types. The geometric grid and bold slab serifs with rounded corners place it firmly in the display category.