A new Art Deco, and the hunt for Broadway Greek/Cyrillic

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  • Tofu Type Foundry
    Tofu Type Foundry Posts: 41
    No worries about the diversion! I refer to it as hryvnia simply because Glyphs App lists it as such. Similarly, the ghosted "sample" character that the fills the space before you start designing has a gap between the bars, so I mimicked this trait in my design. After doing some research today, I was surprised to find this gap to be very rare in other typefaces. (looks like I shouldn't have assumed this was normal  :# )

    The S can cause issues with holes in the sentences, and I've definitely considered redesigning it a few times. Since the typeface isn't meant for sentences I'm not as concerned about the angle; other triangular letters like AVMW have a similar issue, but that’s part of the strict geometric design I was aiming for. The last glyph in the image attached is an early vertical attempt at the symbol which I quickly abandoned. Perhaps it’s worth attempting an "upright" S design?


  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 2,955
     I am thinking either of those first two designs, but upright.
  • John Hudson
    John Hudson Posts: 3,350
    As Andreas noted, the hryvnia symbol is derived from the cursive form of the Cyrillic г, which has a ductus similar to a reversed s but following the regular slant of an italic. So either try your middle form upright, as Tom suggests, or a form slanted somewhat to the right.
  • Tural Alisoy
    Tural Alisoy Posts: 56
    @Tofu Type Foundry I would recommend that the Turkish Lira's midpoints be at the same level as the Tugrik. Meanwhile, regarding the Hryvnia, @Michael Rafailyk can best answer.
  • Tofu Type Foundry
    Tofu Type Foundry Posts: 41
    edited December 2024
    I’ve taken a second swing at the /S and /₴ using the suggested upright construction. Here’s the previous attempt beside the upright version. I quite like the /$ being angled even if the /S is not, similar to The New Yorker’s NY Irvin (image below). I also increased the spacing of the bars to be more consistent with the other currencies. Speaking of which, thanks for the /₺ /₮ recommendation @Tural Alisoy!



    When reworking the /S I made some new options:

    1. The original design, untouched
    2. An upright version of the original
    3. Upright, but tweaked with better weight and curves (my preference)
    4. Upright, but using the same curves as the /U
    5. An attempt to use parts of the /2
    6. A goofy idea that gave me a chuckle


    The upright form definitely offers better colour and reduces the chance of holes. While it feels like it fits in with the direction of the other glyphs, I wonder if the width is slightly too narrow?

  • Craig Eliason
    Craig Eliason Posts: 1,447
    How about 6 but rotated counterclockwise so the letter as a whole is more upright?
  • Tofu Type Foundry
    Tofu Type Foundry Posts: 41
    Craig Eliason said:
    How about 6 but rotated counterclockwise so the letter as a whole is more upright?
    Looks a lot better than I expected! I rotated it like you suggested, added some extra weight to the spine, and cut the top terminal shorter. Here are the results:


  • Tofu Type Foundry
    Tofu Type Foundry Posts: 41
    Thanks for all the feedback so far! I’ve decided to move forward with the "upright" /S as the standard glyph and include a stylistic set for the "italic" version. This way the designer can choose if the alternative character works better for their needs (and because I still have a soft spot for it despite the flaws).

    The /₴ and /$ are still in a weird spot though. In the image below are three options:

    (1) the upright version, which is follows the /$ but not the /S
    (2) directly based on the /S design
    (3) directly based on the /S design but the "divider line" runs horizontally. I don’t like this one.
    (4) the current /$ for reference

    Since these are currency symbols, and meant to be different from the text characters, I’m leaning towards keeping them different (option 1). I don’t know if this will be confusing though, since the /₴ and /$ don’t follow the construction of the /S.
  • Tofu Type Foundry
    Tofu Type Foundry Posts: 41
    Oh I also created some /Ə designs with varying degrees of exaggerated counters. Included beside are a few letters with relevant design forms to compare with [HEGECKOB]. I’m leaning towards making the counter small (2) because I feel it’s more recognizable and balanced than a large counter (3). Having the bar be perfectly centred (1) is lovely because it really keeps the form of the geometric circle, but feels slightly out of place for this design.


  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 2,955
    I like the small counter (2) best, and the large counter (3) least.
  • George Thomas
    George Thomas Posts: 652
    edited December 2024
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  • Tural Alisoy
    Tural Alisoy Posts: 56
    Please read my article about Schwa. https://taft.work/schwaedesign
    It could be number 1 among the versions you made. Additionally, it would look good to raise the middle line a little higher.
  • Tofu Type Foundry
    Tofu Type Foundry Posts: 41
    Tural Alisoy said:
    Please read my article about Schwa. https://taft.work/schwaedesign
    It could be number 1 among the versions you made. Additionally, it would look good to raise the middle line a little higher.
    Thanks for providing that article about /Ə design! The visual examples are especially helpful. I’d love to see other well-crafted /Ə /ə designs that you’ve found in modern fonts that aren’t a traditional serif or sans  :) (like the last example in your article).

    Even though I like the look of Option A, I see now that it’d be better to have the crossbar higher. Option B has the cross bar in the middle; Option C & D slowly lift it higher until it it reaches an awkward height like Option E. I’m leaning towards Option D because it balances the geometric design with a raised crossbar.


  • John Hudson
    John Hudson Posts: 3,350
    We need to see this letter in context, in words alongside other letters in this design. Tural’s advice is excellent for the design of this letter in typical text faces, but the conventions of the Art Deco display style play with dramatically raised and lowered crossbars, counters, and other features. So it is important to judge this letter alongside those that display those features.
  • Tofu Type Foundry
    Tofu Type Foundry Posts: 41
    John Hudson said:
    We need to see this letter in context, in words alongside other letters in this design. Tural’s advice is excellent for the design of this letter in typical text faces, but the conventions of the Art Deco display style play with dramatically raised and lowered crossbars, counters, and other features. So it is important to judge this letter alongside those that display those features.
    Great points John! An art deco designed for use at display sizes won’t play by the same rules as a text typeface. I’m curious if a native speaker would design the letter with a preference for the crossbar to be higher though.

    Here’s a PDF showcasing the letter used in context to allow for a better evaluation. I added a few thin lines on the first page so the differences are more apparent.
  • John Hudson
    John Hudson Posts: 3,350
    Of the lowered/raised options, I think option A works better than the ones with the hight counter, but I would carry the arch of the top a bit further, so the tip aligns with that of the top of the C shape.

    Option B, reads well and works for Latin schwa because it aligns with the stem on the G, but I don’t know whether it will make sense in Cyrillic if there are no other letters with features at this height.

  • Tural Alisoy
    Tural Alisoy Posts: 56
    Tofu Type Foundry said:
    Tural Alisoy said:
    Please read my article about Schwa. https://taft.work/schwaedesign
    It could be number 1 among the versions you made. Additionally, it would look good to raise the middle line a little higher.
    Thanks for providing that article about /Ə design! The visual examples are especially helpful. I’d love to see other well-crafted /Ə /ə designs that you’ve found in modern fonts that aren’t a traditional serif or sans  :) (like the last example in your article).

    Even though I like the look of Option A, I see now that it’d be better to have the crossbar higher. Option B has the cross bar in the middle; Option C & D slowly lift it higher until it it reaches an awkward height like Option E. I’m leaning towards Option D because it balances the geometric design with a raised crossbar.


    I will also prepare examples of the letter Ə for modern style fonts, as you said. Among the options you made, the one with D is very good. In addition, I would extend the tip of the terminal a little.

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