Tongari
A is for · Émilie Rigaud
A high-contrast serif in two optical variants, named after a Japanese word for sharp-pointed, with seven weights and matching italics throughout.
About
Designed by Émilie Rigaud, Tongari spans a Text family with tempered contrast for continuous reading and a Display family that revives the original spirit of the drawings, with stronger contrast, a higher x-height and sharper terminals. The Display cut includes alternate forms such as a double-storey g with an open tail, making it well-suited to magazine headlines and exhibition graphics. The family has been used in practice for exhibitions including a J.R.R. Tolkien show at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Classification
Tongari features strong stroke contrast and sharp, pointed terminals in its Display variant, placing it firmly in the high-contrast serif tradition. The Text variant moderates these features for continuous reading, but the overall design language is defined by its sharp, calligraphically inflected structure.