Forma DJR
David Jonathan Ross · David Jonathan Ross, Aldo Novarese (original), Ruggero Magrì (Condensed and Mono) · 2016
A meticulous digital revival of Nebiolo's 1968 Forma, the Italian neo-grotesque designed by Aldo Novarese as a warmer, more considered alternative to Helvetica.
About
Originally issued in metal and lost to history when Nebiolo closed in 1978, Forma was brought back by DJR in 2016 at the request of publications designer Roger Black, using fresh proofs cast from lead type as source material. The revival embraces the unintentional details of the printing process, swelling stems and rounded corners, rather than returning to the original drawings, and has since grown into a broad family spanning weights, widths, five optical sizes from Banner to Micro, italics and a monospaced variant. Extended script support in Cyrillic, Arabic, Thai, Greek and Hebrew is available upon request.
Classification
A revival of Nebiolo's 1968 neo-grotesque Forma, itself conceived as a warmer alternative to Helvetica and Univers, placing it squarely in the neo-grotesque tradition with humanist inflections.