5 minute read
GT Super Display
SDesigned By Noël Leu
The newspaper clipping that started it all!
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Overview
GT Super is a high contrast serif type family. There is a text subfamily with slightly lower contrast and ink-traps to make it more legible at smaller sizes, as well as a display subfamily with high contrast and sharper serifs. Each subfamily has 5 weights, each with their own set of italics, creating a total of 20 styles within the type family. The display subfamily weights are light, regular, medium, bold, and super. The light and super weights of the display subfamily offer a broader range of extremes for being set at larger sizes. The goal in designing this typeface was to create a type family, inspired by the expressive display typefaces of the 1970s and ’80s, but with a broader range of weights and usages (body text and display text). (GT Super.)
The Story
GT Super Display was developed after an extensive study of display serif typefaces from the 1970s and ’80s. It all started with the lower case a from a newspaper clipping that Swiss designer Urs Lehni showed to Noël Leu (see above). “With pointed terminals instead of the usual serif at the top, Noël began drawing the typeface. This idea of opulent curves and a constant flow was carried throughout the entire design.” (GT Super.) The designers found out that the typeface used in this advertisement was some version of Perpetua Super, which is where the name GT Super originated.
Trooper Roman, designed by Dave Trooper in the late ’60s, was also another influence in the design of GT Super. This can be seen very clearly in the alternate versions of the lowercase g, y, and a. (GT Super.)
Times Modern, with it’s tall x-height and shorter descenders, specifically inspired the proportions for the display subfamily of GT Super. These characteristics allow for extremely tight leading in titling. (GT Super.)
Lucerne, Switzerland
Grilli Type
Noël Leu
GT Super was designed by Noël Leu in 2018 with help from Mirco Schiavone & Reto Moser. Along with working at Grilli Type, Noël Leu travels across East Asia, North America, and Europe doing design workshops and lectures.
“I still don’t like so much the notion of graphic design being just a manager of content, I feel that as a graphic designer you can also be a creator of content and if you don’t learn how to design typefaces you’re always dependent on using someone else’s typeface without really properly understanding it.” — Noël Leu
Grilli Type
Grilli Type
Grilli Type is an independent type foundry that was founded by Noël Leu and Thierry Blancpain in 2009. The rest of their team consists of Reto Moser, Lind Haugaard, and Tobias Rechsteiner. They also collaborate with other designers, artists, and developers such as Josh Schaub, Pieter Pelgrims, Refurnished+, XXIX, and David Elsener. The foundry creates both custom typefaces and retail typefaces available for purchase on their website. They are based out of Lucerne, Switzerland. (“Information.”) Their customers include the Swiss government, GQ Magazine, Google, New York City’s promotional organization NYC & Company, and agencies like Sid Lee, Wolff Olins, and Arnold Worldwide. (Hassell, Lisa.)
GT Super
Display
The Design
The design began with the super weight of the display subfamily. Due to its roots in display typefaces of the 1970s and ’80s, the designers took an unique route and based the text subfamily off of the display letter forms.
aThe lower case a of GT Super Display is a particularly unique character. Instead of the typical serif, the letter has pointed terminals, allowing for one swift stroke from nose to tail. The entire form has a swooping, almost gestural quality. Additionally, there is very high contrast, which can be seen clearly in the bowl, tapering off at the start and end of the stroke. The entire typeface family was based off of this letter form and its “expressive and idiosyncratic nature of calligraphic motions, compelled into stable, typographic shapes.” (GT Super.)
The Italics
aThe italics do not follow many historical models and take their inspiration from broad-nib pen calligraphy. The italics “compel the rhythm and speed of handwriting into typographic form.” (GT Super.)
The Flow
The fluid, calligraphic nature of the lower case a is also very evident in the uppercase letter forms, especially curved ones such as S and C. Instead of the flow being interrupted by a serif, the stroke ends in a smooth, curved point. When there is a serif, it is very gradual to minimize the disruption of the stroke.
CK
I love type.
The stress is horizontal, which maintains the structural integrity of the letters. The display subfamily also has a very tall x-height, and short descenders & ascenders.
GGGGG GGGGG
Weights: Light Regular Medium Bold Super
Lineto.com, lineto.com/typefaces/circular.
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Prospectus
Bailey, Dave. Dave Bailey: Letter-Centric Design. Dave Bailey | Letter-Centric Design, davebailey.xyz/. Accessed 09 March 2020.
Cheney, Danelle. The Making of Prospectus. Prospectus, A New Typeface from Lost Type.
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Gill Sans Nova
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Druk
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Type.today, 2014, http://www.type.today/en/druk, Accessed March 3, 2020.
Raposo, Tânia. “Druk.” Typographica, Mar. 2019, http://www.typographica.org/typeface-reviews/druk/, Accessed March 3, 2020.
Shoaf, Jeremiah. “Druk Font Combinations & Free Alternatives–Typewolf.” Typewolf, http://www.typewolf.com/site-of-the-day/fonts/druk, Accessed March 3, 2020.
Abreu, Rui. “Grifo.” R-Typography, 2020, r-typography.com/10_grifo/.
Abreu, Rui. “Grifo.” Vimeo, 28 Feb. 2020, vimeo.com/160855252.
Abreu, Rui. “Making Grifo.” I Love Typography, 14 June 2016, ilovetypography. com/2016/06/14/making-fonts-designing-grifo/.
“Rui Abreu: Adobe Fonts.” Adobe Fonts, fonts.adobe.com/foundries/rui-abreu.
“Rui Abreu.” Myfonts, www.myfonts.com/foundry/Rui_Abreu/.
Narziss
Jocham, Hubert. “Hubert Jocham on Behance.” Behance, Adobe, 2014, www.behance. net/hubertjocham. Accessed 3 March 2020.
Jocham, Hubert. “Me.” Hubert Jocham, 2009, https://www.hubertjocham.de/me/. Accessed 3 March 2020.
Jocham, Hubert. “Narziss Display.” Hubert Jocham, 2009, www.hubertjocham.de/shop/ type/display/Narziss/. Accessed 3 March 2020.
Bureau Grot
Black, Roger. “Making Type.” David Berlow, 2014, davidberlow.fontbureau.com/.
Typedia. Typedia, typedia.com/explore/typeface/bureau-grotesque/.
“Type Network.” Font Bureau on Type Network, 2020, fontbureau.typenetwork.com/.
GT Super Display
GT Super. Grilli Type, 2018, www.gt-super.com.
“Information.” Grilli Type. www.grillitype.com/information.
Hassell, Lisa. “Swiss Graphic Designer and Grilli Type Cofounder Noël Leu.” Inkygoodness, Inkygoodness, 2019, inkygoodness.com/features/grilli-type-cofounder-noel-leu/.
Bibliography
Mady McNeill
Abigail Tate
Runar Schmidt
Cayley Nickerson
Shahla Prouty
Mia Scibelli
Noah Sharp
Adi Saaf
Prospectus
Gill Sans Nova
Druk
Grifo
Narziss
Bureau Grot
GT Super Display
Contributors
Designed by Shahla Prouty
A collaborative project with the Cal Poly students of Typography II during Winter Quarter of 2020. Typeset in: Barlow
