Sporting Grotesque
Font Review Journal · Lucas Le Bihan · 2016
A free, open-source grotesque from Velvetyne with pronounced calligraphic character, wide squarish letterforms and aggressively tight apertures drawn from the Victorian Stephenson Blake tradition.
About
Distributed by Velvetyne Type Foundry, Sporting Grotesque draws directly from Stephenson Blake's Grotesque No. 6, inheriting the droopy arm on the 'r', long spur on the 'a' and irregular terminals on the 'C'. Its characters feel compressed downward, giving them an unusually wide, squat stance with apertures that verge on closing entirely. Two weights, a set of alternate capitals and small caps offer a surprising amount of flexibility for a free family, though the irregular rhythm and closed counters make it poorly suited to extended text.
Classification
An old-school grotesque with pronounced calligraphic influences, tight apertures, thick-to-thin contrast and pinched bowls — firmly in the Victorian grotesque tradition, referencing Stephenson Blake's Grotesque No. 6.