Hello everyone!

michele casanova

I’m a font enthusiast, particularly drawn to typefaces under the Open Font License (Github).

In my spare time, I enjoy reviving historical fonts, focusing mainly on designs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some examples include DisSenso and Vulnus, as well as various decorative drop caps like Capo Bicolore. Since these aren’t exact replicas of the originals, I give them unique names.

I’ve also experimented with creating new fonts to explore specific features. For instance, Alma Virgo and Cane Nero were designed to test ligatures, while Mala Tempora Currunt delves into OpenType features to apply Meyer’s rules for Gothic script.

Cane Nero (means "Black Dog" in Italian, but means "Sing, Nero!" in Latin) with 'dlig' feature:

Mala Tempora Currunt with 'ss03' (r and d rules) and 'ss04' (overlapping rule) features:

While these projects are primarily experimental, I hope you’ll find something of interest in them.

Yves Michel

Hi Michele,
I looked at some of your fonts. Nice work even if still in progress.
Some questions:

• what is exactly Open Font Licence on Github?
• which software do you use for your creations?

One difficult part of the job is to find a name for your font. I must say your choices are original.

michele casanova

@Yves Michel

what is exactly Open Font Licence on Github?

See The SIL Open Font License: "The widely used, community-approved, free, libre, and open source license specifically designed for fonts and related software: a solid legal framework for worldwide development, sharing, and improvement of fonts and related software in a collaborative manner."

which software do you use for your creations?

Fontlab 8

One difficult part of the job is to find a name for your font. I must say your choices are original.

In most cases I think of them as jokes: "In die busillis" as a medieval mistake; "DisSenso" (in Italian it means "Dissent") since the font was used by anti-fascist publications.

Yves Michel

michele casanova
Thanks for your answers! I'm a Fontlab user too.
Concerning the concept of "free" fonts, I'm afraid it's not very well considered on this forum whose members are professional type designers. At least, that's what I suspect.
But as an amateur, I consider it's still typedrawer work!

John Hudson

I'm afraid it's not very well considered on this forum whose members are professional type designers. At least, that's what I suspect.

There is a healthy mix of opinion about libre font releases. In general, though, I think many—perhaps even most—professional type designers think that a diverse font ecosystem is a good thing. A lot of fonts released under OFL are made by professional type designers. The important thing in this respect is not the license or the price, but that the people who make the fonts are properly remunerated for their creativity, skills, and labour, and for the value of the rights that they release to users. Or, as I like to say: if it is free, it costs more.