Marlie Buchanan

A type designed in a grid, like on display panels

Type is not only printed. There were always and still are a number of forms of type versions which function completely differently. Even very early in the history of script there were attempts to combine a few single elements into the diverse forms of individual characters and also efforts to construct the forms of letters within a geometric grid system. The “instructions” of Albrecht Dürer are probably most well-known.

But although designers of past centuries assumed the ideal to basically be an artist’s handwritten script, the idea which developed in the course of mechanization was to “build” characters in a building block system only by stringing together one basic element — the so-called grid type was discovered, represented most commonly today by »pixel types.« But even before computers, there were display systems which presented types with the help of a mechanical grid display, like the display panels in public transportation (bus, train) or at airports and train stations.

In a streetcar, I met up with a modern variation of this display which reveals the name of each tram stop as it is approached. This system was based on a customary coarse square grid, but the individual squares were also divided again diagonally in four triangles.

In this way it is possible to display slants and to simulate round forms more accurately as with only squares. The displayed characters still aren’t comparable to a decent typeface — on the contrary, the lower case letters are surprisingly ugly — but they form a much more legible type than that of ordinary [quadrate] grid types.

DeDisplay from ingoFonts is this kind of type, constructed from tiny triangles which are in turn grouped in small squares. The stem widths are formed by two squares; the height of upper case characters is 10, the x-height 7 squares.

DeDisplay is available in three versions: DeDisplay 1 is the complex original with spaces between the triangles, DeDisplay 2 forgoes dividing the triangles and thus appears somewhat darker or “bold,” and DeDisplay 3 is to some extent the “black” and doesn’t even include spaces between the individual squares.

VTF Gladius is the latest typographic endeavor from VarsityType. Like many others, this display typeface began as an experiment of implementing characteristics that otherwise would be absent in a traditional chiseled athletic block face.

VTF Gladius implements a system of angles and junctions in its letterforms that generate a distinct clockwise visual rhythm. In circular characters, this sensation is demonstrated throughout the use of offsetting 45-degree corners and intersections built into the counters. This draws the eye through the letterform, left-to-right, making every word feel more dynamic.

Further reinforcing the dynamic, the southernmost horizontal in each letterform is 10% thicker than the others. This unconventional decision alludes to penmanship, with the lower strokes pooling the majority of the ink, creating a nice “bounce” that gives the letter that much more personality. This phenomenon is even more apparent in oblique styles.

Select letterforms also feature “speed cuts”, which are a customizable OpenType feature for the VTF Gladius family. By default, these angular embellishments are disabled for standard styles and enabled for oblique styles. Additionally, the family is packed with a set of 11 discretionary ligatures that can be used as ordinals, buzzwords, and more (These options can be found under “Stylistic Sets” and “Discretionary Ligatures” in the “OpenType” window respectively).

VTF Gladius supports most western languages including: Afrikaans, Basque, Breton, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Sami, Spanish, Swahili, and Swedish. 

With five weights, a stencil version, and oblique styles for each, this 12-font family is ready and capable for any project.