Mercurius
Mercurius font specimen Designed by Matteo Finozzi
Mercurius Mercurius is a serif font based on Romulus italics which has been modified and personalized It is strongly influenced by the calligraphic pen strokes for that reason its axis are oblique and serifs are designed to follow and adapt themselves to this kind of feature Curves are made to emphasize this feature especially oblique ones that are connecting main and secondary strokes In the same way also secondary straight lines are made to increase the sense of the calligraphic style of the font as well as serifs which are designed to mimic pens stroke These are also designed to follow and enforce the perception of dynamism of the italics fonts Some of the features above resemble old style fonts which influenced the way Mercurius was designed but the effort was also made to obtain a different looking font which is also strongly influenced by modern serif fonts
CH AR AC TE
abcdefg hijklmn opqrstu vwxyz
Lowercase letters
The x height is shorter than modern fonts and resemble first typographic characters used in the fifteenth century
General features
mnh
Strokes are based on calligraphic brushes which are used to make sharper transitions between main and secondary ones rather than defined a more classical curve
The same feature influence rounded letters as b c d p and q which have a strongly modulated secondary stroke
Serifs are unbracketed and oblique to enforce the dynamic appearance of the font and guide the reader through the text
General features
Serifs resemble calligraphic strokes Almost 90o angle
Dots are deformed to mimic ink and pens on paper
Ascender line Capitals line x height
Baseline
Descender line
Positive stress angle
Inclined crossbar increase calligraphic perception
The set of serifs used to design Mecurius Uppercase and lowercase are designed to fit the different weights and shapes and adapt themselves to strokes and curves They play a central role defining the fonts aesthetic Serifs are tapered used more in recent typefaces to convey a modern style to the font which is both strongly connected with old and new serifs fonts
Tapered terminals
Positive stress angle and overshoot
Strokes have strong contrast
Comparison between uppercase and lowercase characters whit respective serifs
Uppercase letters
ABCDE FGHIJK LMNOP QRSTU VWXYZ
Numbers
A room without books is like a body without a soul A room without books is like a body without a soul A room without books is like a body without a soul A room without books is like a body without a soul
40 pt
30 pt
24 pt
20 pt
A room without books is like a body without a soul
14 pt
A room without books is like a body without a soul
12 pt
A room without books is like a body without a soul
10 pt
A room without books is like a body without a soul
8 pt
40 pt
30 pt
24 pt
20 pt
A body without a soul is like a room without books A body without a soul is like a room without books A body without a soul is like a room without books A body without a soul is like a room without books
14 pt
A body without a soul is like a room without books
12 pt
A body without a soul is like a room without books
10 pt
A body without a soul is like a room without books
8 pt
A body without a soul is like a room without books
24 pt
Fonts and Typefaces
1013 pt
Designers including Erik Spiekermann Dan Mayer and Jessica Hische have been known to compare choosing fonts for design projects to choosing an outfit to wear And its an apt analogy Think about what your clothes might say about you based on what you wear people might rightly or wrongly make assump tions about your style your personality your socioeconomic background your age or the age you wish you were or the kind of impression you want to make And different occasions and sit uations call for different apparel You wouldnt wear a bathing suit to a job interview then again you wouldnt want to wear a suit and tie during your vacation on the beach either Theres an element of appropriateness to consider Now what your clothes do for you font choices serve the same purpose in a design Typography often provides that at a glance first impression that people gauge and judge the rest of the design by so your font choices need to be purposeful and appropriate Is your font saying beach vacation when it should be saying job interview Do the elements of your font outfit clash or do they complement each other Are they effectively communicating the qualities you want to project These considerations are part of what makes choosing fonts such an important part of the design pro cess one that should be approached thoughtfully
810 pt
Font choices often set the tone for the whole design and can influ ence viewers feelings toward and iteractions with your design just like how if you were to show up at a blacktie party in your favorite threadbare tshirt and sweatpants people would judge you on your ap pearance Dont be that guy with your design and give viewers an e
cuse to make incorrect assumptions about your brand or business bad ty pographic choices always distract from your designs message and intentions Not sure where to start This next section will get down to the nit tygritty of choosing and using fonts with easytounderstand ex planations and practical tips
D
o not go gentle into that good night Old age should burn and rave at close of day Rage rage against the dying of the light
Though wise men at their end know dark is right Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night Good men the last wave by crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay Rage rage against the dying of the light Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight And learn too late they grieved it on its way Do not go gentle into that good night Grave men near death who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay Rage rage against the dying of the light
Faculty of Design and Art Free University of Bolzano Bozen Typeface designed by Matteo Finozzi WUP 1819 Prof Antonino Benincasa Gian Marco Favretto Maximilian Boiger Calligraphy Workshop by Mag Art Eva Pöll Font created with Illustrator Fontself