Isambard
Commercial Type · Paul Barnes
A nineteenth-century fat face revived by Paul Barnes, with exaggerated contrast, ball terminals and joyful swash italics across Text, standard and Condensed cuts.
About
A fat face display serif designed by Paul Barnes with Tim Ripper and Miguel Reyes. Isambard pushes the Modern serif to its inkiest extreme, with high contrast, bulbous ball terminals and a swash-laden italic. The family covers Text, standard, No 2, Condensed and X Condensed widths, each with Roman and Italic, so it can stretch from a smaller editorial setting to maximally compressed posters. Reach for it where you want nineteenth-century theatrical impact rather than a quiet Modern.
Classification
Commercial Type frame Isambard as a fat face revival by Paul Barnes, drawing on the boldest of the nineteenth-century Moderns with exaggerated high contrast, inflated ball terminals and characterful swash capitals.